Well this was a wake-up call! The Six-Pack of Peaks is SERIOUS! Although the hike was definitely STRENUOUS, I'm really happy it was the first one in the series. I think it has really prepared us for the harder hikes ahead.

Do your homework on this one, and take the advice of others who've been there. First off, the cautions about parking prior to 7:00 a.m. are spot on. When we arrived around 7:30 a.m. we had to park on the road about 3/4 of a mile down and walk uphill to the start of the hike. That may not seem far, but round trip it adds on 1.4 miles to an already long day.

Secondly, have a really good map and hiking directions/examples. The trail isn't always marked as well as you would hope and it is easy, really easy, to take a wrong turn. Thankfully there were plenty of very kind people (hikers and mountain bikers) who were happy to offer direction.

Check the weather and definitely wear layers of clothes. It was soooooooo cold at the top, we spent very little time up there.

The way up was so beautiful and it was so nice to see so much water flowing in So Cal.

Our group got separated on the way back down. Some of us found the Winter Creek Trail (unmarked) back down to Chantry Flats, the other half of us missed it and ended up at the Mt. Wilson trailhead and had to call an UBER to get us back to our car. We still got our 14 miles in, but a less than desirable way back to the car.

We've hiked most of the Six-Pack of Peaks, but took the challenge this year to hike some new trails and see some new summits. Again, pay attention to every detail. Overall we're really happy this one was first because it served as a good reminder to be ready and prepared for the summits to come!