Hiked Strawberry Peak on Friday with a partner and had the entire mountain to ourselves. We started at 6:40am which was a tad later than I wanted. I had originally hoped to get on the trailhead around 5am to stay out of the heat as much as possible. Luckily the heat wasn't too bad and the first 2.5 miles are shaded by Mt. Lawlor in the morning. The first 3 miles are pretty mellow but the last mile really amps up the elevation. Overall an easy hike, a good one to start the 6 Pack of Peaks for those starting the challenge. Bugs started to pick up a little later in the morning, but they weren't too bad. Being a Friday, no one other than us were hiking the mountain. We summited at 8:30am and were back to the car by 10:20am. The sun and the heat really start to pick up around 9:30am. Ended up taking 3L between 2 people and this was the perfect amount. I wouldn't recommend hiking any later than 7:30am at the latest due to the heat. The entire trail is in the sun and there is minimal coverage after 10am.
There was a creepy white van in the lot in the morning, but it ended up being a harmless van life person. Glad that van was there as hikes in the Angeles National Forest are always a bit concerning due to the car break-ins and catalytic converter thefts that occur from time to time. As you hike up you're treated to the symphony of car and motorcycle exhausts to the racers who treat Highway 2 like their personal racetrack.
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Not sure why this double posted. Perhaps a site admin can remove one of the extra posts. Thanks!