"A nice hike that started on Black Friday at 10 AM. We drove the long way from Rancho Cucamonga to climb this. The hike started in the fog and then we climbed up slowly through the woods, getting views occasionally. After climbing through dense fog, a creepy forest, and a meadow of manzanita, I reached Islip Saddle. Then I climbed through the dense fog to the summit. There was amazing views into the valleys occasionally and then after passing through the trees we reached Mt Islip after turning right. The summit had amazing views, a can, and the summit shelter. Then we climbed through some fog and then passed some amazing views into the desert. Then we climbed down to Windy Gap. After descending Windy Gap, there was a dangerous section and then we descended past a benchmark and then climbed back down to the trailhead." — lc444 • Dec 15, 2023

"Before reaching the vehicle gate on Mount Disappointment Road, a single track trail leads up a gully. The trail climbs for about 1,000 feet of gain while paralleling the road at points. I climbed San Gabriel Peak first, followed by Mount Disappointment, then Mount Deception. After the third peak, I took the road back to the parking area, creating a semi-loop hike." — MikeTeeples • Oct 8, 2023

"Camped overnight at Manker Flats. Broke camp at 0800 and hit the trailhead at 0830. Plan was to take Devil's Backbone on the way up, including the detour to bag Mt Harwood, with an option to bag West Baldy as well. Given my penchant for missing turns, I purchased a smartwatch before this trip (Garmin Epix Pro) so I could navigate without needing to pull my phone out. Conditions were great -- plenty of shade at the start with pleasant temps and a cool breeze. Had the mountain pretty much to myself on the ascent; only came across one small group who were on their way down. Devil's Backbone granted great views of the desert to the north and hazy views of San Gorgonio to the east. Made it to Harwood around 1100. As I rejoined the main Backbone trail to make the final push to Baldy, my right calf threatened to cramp up and I realized my left hamstring wasn't far behind. I paused to load up on calories and electrolytes then proceeded in a relatively delicate fashion. Summited right at 1200 and all at once, doing this on a Thursday paid off -- I had the summit to myself. Two other hikers summited right after me via Baldy Bowl and we exchanged photos before they descended. Spen..." — colin • Sep 14, 2023

"Took advantage of a rare cloudy July day amidst the recent heatwave and pulled up to Eaton Trailhead around 4pm. The parking lot boasted a great view out unto the San Gabriel Mountains, including Baldy. This was my first hike with my carbon trekking poles as well as the first big hike with my pal Beans the weener dog. As we passed through Mueller tunnel, I realized I forgot my headlamp (better to have and not need, etc.) My new picaridin bug repellent got put to the test early. The tunnel spooked Beans a little bit, but we started to settle into a decent pace. He was occasionally distracted by voices above us, which struck me as odd. He was in fact so distracted he didn't notice the juvenile rattlesnake cross the trail 2-3ft in front of us. As we yielded to let them cross, I wondered why we hadn't gained any elevation yet. I took my phone out to take a few photos and check our progress and the clues came together -- we'd stayed on the fire road instead of joining the Upper Sam Merrill trail at the previous junction. Thankful to the rattlesnake for pointing out my error before we'd gotten too terribly far, we backtracked and joined the trail as it started to drizzle. Once o..." — colin • Jul 23, 2023

"Began at Vincent Gap on the PCT. Followed the never ending switchbacks up and down the mountain. It's a scenic trail with ample shade in a healthy section of the forest, except near the summit where the trees thin out. Nice cool Summer day! " — MikeTeeples • Jul 8, 2023