I got a late start on the peaks but started off with a great one. Lovely drive up to Ventura County from the LA Valley on a Saturday morning. Arrived at Pinos Nordic Base parking lot around 9am. Lots of bikers on the windy road up. Weather was perfect, a little chilly to start but quickly de layered and definitely didn’t need the jacket I also packed. Never got too hot and didn’t notice any bugs except for some flies when I took a break for snacks and a beer at the top of Sawmill peak (it’s called a 6 pack, right??) The hike itself had a nice variety, lots of inclines and descents, some flat meadow leading to Mt Pinos where I took a quick stop to enjoy the views and then a steeper trek into the forest to the Sawmill summit. Some wildflowers scattered throughout too. Not a lot of hikers on the way out, I was hiking solo, but those I did see or pass were very friendly. Once I got to the forest I was completely alone surrounded by the massive trees. Pretty cool. I almost missed the turn off to Sawmill off in a daze but luckily some hikers on their descent asked if I was going to Grouse which I wasn’t planning on so caught me just in time! I decided to keep it to the 2-1 challenge rather than the full 3-2-1 since I was just easing in to this whole thing. Met another nice hiker on the way back through Pinos who told me about a little nearby town called Pine Mt Village to check out if I ever had time and I did so I did! Only a 10 min drive this place is a hidden gem in the mountains. Came upon live music on a patio and grabbed a table for some food and (another) beer. Hey, I burned almost 1500 calories on that hike! All in all a great day and perfect getaway from the city. Hike took about 4 hours, 7.4 miles round trip.