A much-needed solo day on the trail today! I set out just after 6am to tackle the steep switchbacks of Mount Baden-Powell. Initially, things weren’t going too well. My knee and hamstring felt fine, of course I was wearing a knee brace to help with that.

My issue today was getting started. The first mile was a bit rough for me. Having done very little cardio in the past several weeks while nursing my knee and hamstring (other than a hike last weekend) and having driven from basically sea level to about 6,500, I was winded and got a bit light headed very quickly. Thankfully, once I got my legs and breathing going, I felt fine. And, I managed to average about 2mph on my ascent. Not a blazing speed, but good enough for me.

I had the trail going up all to myself. As I approached the summit, there were two other hikers there. One heading back down toward Vincent Gap and the other just arriving from Dawson Saddle. Going down on the other hand was a whole different story. I remembered thinking to myself as I was coming up that it would be pretty cool to run into Jennifer Cybulski. She and I have done a few hikes together throughout the past 4 or 5 years, but we first met as I was descending and she was ascending Baden-Powell. Well, as luck would have it, shortly after I began my descent, I ran into Jennifer and her two friends. One who I know from following her hiking adventures. So great to see you Jen (and Fitz, even though he barked at me 😉 😉 ) And, a pleasure to finally meet you in person Crystal Gelineau. I hope you all enjoyed the rest of your hike and day.

After running into them, I easily ran into a dozen or so PCT hikers. Some very chipper and others, I’m sure, were wishing the steep incline would end. I also, had the pleasure of running into one of our newer Hike Beyond the Hills Misfits, Nancy Espinoza and her boyfriend Todd. Great to see you Nancy and to meet you Todd.

All in all, it was a great morning on the trail. I managed almost 8 miles and 2,800 feet in elevation gain in just under 4 hours (including 20 minutes at the summit and stopping multiple times to talk to others as I descended).

There were only two small patches of snow up past the 3 to 3.5 mile mark. Easily passible without special equipment.

Today was my 10 peak of the SoCal Six Pack of Peaks Challenge and my 36^th hike of the 52 Hike Challenge 2022.