Arrived at Deer Springs TH at 6:30 am, geared up, and headed out solo heading North. The first few miles of the sandy soil trail through oaks and lupine in the morning air were nice. I made it to Strawberry Junction at mile four, where Deer Springs meets up with PCT, and kept on the Northbound heading. Though there were some steep sections, the trail was nice and offered just enough stretches of lower incline and flat areas to reset and keep a steady pace. Miles five to six were excellent along the ridge and nearly flat with great views to the West, with the trail now heading North East. At mile 6.5, PCT splits off North and I kept on Deer Springs heading North East. It was here also at 8,800′ where I saw the first patches of snow, but very minimal, and made my way fairly quickly up to Little Round Valley, where I took a little break and filled up my water bottles for the rest of the day. I then made the final push to the summit. The last few hundred feet were difficult as there was snow, but it was very slushy and hollow near the rocks. It took 7 hours for the 9.5 miles up. After a quick break, then headed South on Peak Trail, which was nearly all cleared of snow, making the 2.5 miles to Wellman Divide reasonably easy. I then continued on Wellman Cienega, joining back with the PCT and Strawberry Cienega, which is now my favorite trail stretch in So Cal. The fantastic views, great trail, and gentle incline were terrific, and all combined made this section quite spectacular! At Strawberry junction, I joined back up with Deer Springs Trail and headed South 4.5 miles back to the trailhead.

19.2 miles / 7 hours up / 5 hours down / 47,000 steps