Dread hung over me as my wife and I started this hike. Having spent the better part of 3 years recovering from various injuries in addition to packing on a few extra pounds, each hike we do to the various peaks around SoCal truly becomes an adventure for both my wife and myself. With that being said, the stars aligned and God smiled down upon me as I surprised even my wife at the fact I was keeping up with the pace. My trail name is Caboose, so you get the picture. Patches of snow were present, however, we did not encounter any directly until just below the campground at 6 miles. With a few more days of sunshine, those patches will be gone. However, above the campground was a different story. We used crampons the entire way to the summit where very near to the top, the trail was no longer distinguishable, and we had to make our own way to the peak. The campground was outstanding, with may sites available, the best being obviously the ones with better views. A lot of work had gone into several sites where wind breaks were created with dozens of large rocks stacked 2-3 feet high. Great weather (weekend of 4/15-16) made the views spectacular from nearly anywhere on the trail, and what a surprise to see Big Bear Lake from the trail as you approached the summit. Water was available .4 miles up the trail from the campground at a small downhill stream of freshly melted snow. However, it still obviously needed filtering, etc in order to drink safely. Overall, a great hike, awesome workout, views, fresh water, all the things that make the pain and doubt go away…