Hiking Mt Pinos to Sawmill to Grouse has been a longtime favorite.  Although, Grouse just wasn't in the cards today.  The hike to Pinos was easy enough, but I did wear my micro-spikes to the summit for added traction.  However, it required snowshoes to make it from Pinos to Sawmill.  I met a nice girl at the top of Pinos who was uncertain about continuing on to Sawmill, but I told her it was easy enough with the shoes, so she tagged along.  Visibility wasn't the best at the top of Sawmill, but the snow coming down for the hike back was so worth it.  Great conversation and making fresh tracks all the way back to Pinos made it a memorable experience.