Strawberry Peak is in the bag! 7 miles round trip for peak 6/6 @ 6,164ft, the highest peak in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains!

We started from Red Box Canyon and enjoyed the warmth of the sun as it rose over the mountain. The first 2ish miles of the hike were pretty easy, but super windy. As we were hiking, I told my husband that the reviews were probably wrong and that this hike would be a breeze. Boy, was I wrong! That last mile was a killer with steep sandy scrambles and large step ups onto boulders. Thank goodness for our trekking poles and to my husband for reminding me to bring them since my ankles and knee were still a mess from our last two backpacking trips.

The views from the top were gorgeous and we were ecstatic to summit Strawberry Peak! We didn't find any strawberries, but bees and wasps were plentiful at the top. We took pictures, perched ourselves on a big boulder below the summit, ate snacks, and counted the airplanes we saw flying over the clouds. It seemed as we were the first up at the peak that morning, but were joined shortly by other hikers. The trek downhill was a little hairy, but this peak was a great way to end the challenge! I'm bummed that we weren't able to finish the original six peaks due to my knee and ankles, but I am again grateful that more peaks were added! This challenge was an amazing journey and I can't wait to do it again next year!