The main reason I wanted to take the 2018 SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge was to have quieter peak experiences, which meant we would hike on weekdays. The first time I hiked up to Cucamonga Peak was in 2016 for the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge on a Saturday; the trail was like a freeway with nonstop human traffic and very loud. Needless to say, we did not have a quiet, peaceful peak experience; there was about 300 other hikers at the peak so we wandered off to find a shady spot away from the crowds to eat our lunch and rest.
Our hike up to Cucamonga Peak this time was a completely different experience. We hiked on a weekday and maybe saw a dozen other hikers on the mountain throughout the entire day. Once Courtney and I got to the peak we were pleasantly surprised to find we had the entire peak to ourselves! It was so quiet, peaceful and relaxing we stayed up there almost two hours.
Another difference in our hike up Cucamonga this time was the views, they were endless. In 2016 we had beautiful thick clouds that surrounded the mountains as far as the eye could see, this time we had a beautiful blue sky with wispy clouds. I went home and told my husband “I was standing on top of a mountain, literally looking over the top of another mountain where I could see Mount Baldy and the Baldy Bowl in the background”. This hike was a challenge and it was this view of Mount Baldy that showed me what we really accomplished by reaching Cucamonga's Peak elevation 8,859′.
Between extremely light trail traffic and having such a large peak all to yourselves for a couple of hours you start to feel like the mountain is yours for the day.