"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

"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

"I hit the road from Los Angeles around 8am. A wet winter washed out parts of CA-2 and prevented direct access to the trailhead via that route, so I detoured around the north side of the San Gabriel range via CA-2 to N3, through a sliver of the already-90-degrees-by-9am Mojave, through Valyermo, and onto Big Pines, where I re-joined the CA-2, westbound this time. I reached the TH around 10am. Conditions were great: clear skies, low 70s, no wind. That in mind, and after eyeballing the route ahead/above me, I elected to leave behind my microspikes. A majority of the trail's 40 switchbacks are shaded intermittently, which was much obliged given the grade. The frequency and volume of flies plus an empty pouch where my bug repellent should have been left me feeling like Pig-Pen throughout the ascent. That my only complaint was a result of my own boneheadedness speaks to the excellence of the trail. The first patches of snow appeared around 8000' and soon became large (for almost-July anyway) and laid across the trail. Despite the still-steep gradient, they were easily circumventable, or traversable without spikes provided you don't mind taking a sudden seat once or twice. I didn't ..." — colin • Jun 30, 2023

"8 hour, 15 mile hike from Crystal Lake to Baden-Powell, tagging a few other peaks on the way. Snow is rapidly melting and can be mostly avoided by staying on the ridge, West of the trail. " — danishclimber • Jun 4, 2023