COLD! Started early the day a storm system was due to come in later that evening with more snow. This was my first time doing SB Peak. The top half was already covered with approx. 2 feet of snow, which made traversing some sections of the slopes a little tricky in a couple of spots. The top half of this hike is beautiful beginning when you reach a plateau of manzanita, the bottom half below this section is less scenic. This hike combines distance and altitude and so is a bit more difficult than most.

Descending was amazing, mainly because we were able to carefully blaze our own way down in the snow without causing any trail erosion… adventurous, fun, and non-destructive. Better yet, about halfway down a storm moved in and we got to hike out in some unusual weather with the wind carrying fog and wisps of clouds across our path at about 25mph… pretty cool.

Met some nice people on the mountain, and a few newbies who seemed to lack the experience and gear to be out on a snow-covered mountain peak just as a storm was setting in. Hopefully, everyone made it down off the mountain safely.