[Rob]

Two of these are photos taken this year: One is from the Morgan Trail near Lake Elsinore (looking across the lake to the snow-capped mountains), the other was taken on the Potato Mountain trail after snow fell at an unusually low elevation in Southern California in February. I grew up around snow (and with views of Mt. Rainier and the Cascades) and have always loved the beauty of snow. However, I never did an official “hike” in snow until the Potato Mountain hike in February.

The final photo is from the Mt. Whitney hike last September, a memorable hike that was my goal hike for last year (I successfully summited).

[Rob]

Not sure if last year counts, but my favorite hiking photo in recent memory is the first photo, taken last year at sunrise on the El Cajon Mountain hike.

The second two are from this July on San Bernardino Peak (me on the bench) and last weekend during the San Gorgonio hike.

[Rob]

Hoping to do Whitney next year now that I have completed my first Six Pack of Peaks challenge (and am aiming to do so again next year before Whitney).

[Rob]

I had planned to do San Jacinto this weekend in prep for San Gorgonio in mid-September. Will still do San Gorgonio and will do Verdugo Peak instead this weekend. Only have San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, and Santiago Peak to have completed all the Six Pack hike options. May do Crystal Cove outer loop the next weekend per your suggestion elsewhere Jeff..

[Rob]

I should add …”to have completed all the Six Pack options in the non-San Diego So Cal challenge.”

[Rob]

I did it about a month ago and I really liked the hike. The drive to the trailhead was a bit far (from western San Bernardino County for me) but I thought it was actually worth it. Not sure about other ways to do it but I did the Mt. Pinos Nordic Base > Mt. Pinos > Sawmill (and then continued to Grouse). The one thing that I did find different about it – you do most of your climbing on the way back.

[Rob]

I am a little late in seeing this but I called El Capitan County Preserve last Friday, with the intention of hiking El Cajon last weekend. That didn't happen for several reasons but I was assured that the hike was OK to do even though the last part was in the Cleveland National Forest. (Although if anyone plans to do it before reopening they may want to check themselves – https://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/park-pages/ElCapitan.html)