I hiked this peak with a group of friends.  Started at 5:00am to avoid crowds and the heat. We took Baldy Bowl/Ski Hut Trail up and the Devil’s Backbone Trail down.  The ski hut trail was very pretty with a stream and nice shade.  The hike up to the summit was tough, I had to stop and take breaks but made it!  We spend a good time at the summit, it wasn’t super crowded for a Saturday.  We took the Devil’s Backbone trail down and this was scary in some sections and we encountered lots of hikers here.  We stopped at the restaurant for another break and took the long fire road (my least favorite part) back to our cars.  Overall I enjoyed it but it’s definitely the hardest hike I have done, so far…