I thought I'd start out this year's challenge straight with one of the harder peaks, instead of working my way up as I usually do. I had never done High Point before, and, as expected, it turned out to be an exhausting but rewarding hike for me and my hiking buddy LJ.

Based on trail reviews from the preceding couple of days I had brought my micro-spikes and my gaiters (in anticipation of ice and knee-deep snow), but it turned out that neither were necessary. There were indeed some snowy patches as we got higher in altitude, and they became longer and more frequent the higher you got. Close to the summit, there is one shaded area that has the longest snow-covered section of the trail, but even that one is not difficult to overcome.

Weather and visibility were superb, and we were rewarded with beautiful views of the snow-covered peaks of San Gorgonio and Mount Baldy in the distance. From the summit, there is a nice view of Palomar Observatory and the smaller Samuel Oschin telescope nearby.

On the way down, hiking poles definitely came in handy, especially on the steeper parts of the trail (first 2 miles from the starting point). I brought warm clothing, but since the temperatures were in the high 60s/low 70s throughout the entire hike, I was fine with just a t-shirt and a sweater.

At the end of the day, we clocked 14.5 miles and 3500 feet elevation gain over 9 hours (with generous breaks). Definitely a strenuous hike, but well worth it!