I think I picked the wrong profession, because apparently I have the ability to convince people to do things they don't want to!

For the second time this year, I planned a difficult hike and successfully convinced others to join me.  I am not sure if I am that persuasive or if my friends are just that gullible.  Ideally I would like to think it is the former. I know what you are thinking, Cucamonga Peak is hard but lots of people summit it every year.  However this is a two part post.

I will be the first to admit that I detest Icehouse Canyon trail with the force/fire of 1000 suns and in order to avoid coming back for the remainder of 2020 I proposed a route from Icehouse Canyon to Cucamonga Peak to Bighorn Peak to Ontario Peak and back down to Icehouse Canyon. I think it helped that I wasn't sure what the mileage or elevation gain would be because I doubt anyone would have agreed.

The trail to Cucamonga Peak was just as I remembered it from last year, with the notable exception that there were no shots of Fireball to be had at the top. There were some small patches of snow on the trail, but nothing that could not be easily traversed or avoided altogether. In these times of Covid-19 the people were respectful of keeping their distance, and just as friendly as always.  Once we reached the peak I did worry that some in the group hesitate to tackle another two peaks, but they seemed ready for the remaining challenges of the day and I acceded to taking a slower pace.

To be continued …