"played hooky during a conference in Vegas :) a long day of 30 km and 1850 m of gain... with lots of hiking (18 km) and decent gain (750 m) above 3250 m. Weather was warmer than forecast by ~ 10 oC, had I known would have brought more fluids. The hike is nice, views are great from the summit as the Spring Mountains are surrounded by desert on all sides. " — apfelstrudel • Nov 7, 2019

"Happy August! 8.1.19....Griffith Peak #21 on dead legs (after yesterday’s Griffith summit) but somehow I was floating along anyway and achieved grand PR’s. 9.7 miles, 3,800’ gain in 2:48hr (round trip PR, 1st sub 3hr) Other PR’s~lot to Griffith saddle in 1:35hr, lot to summit in 1:52hr, Griffith Saddle to lot in :46min. By the end my legs went dead but I managed to keep them turning. With a 10am start it was hot! I traveled light with only one bottle. I ended up drinking my stash from yesterday too. This is a 2 bottle peak. Meh." — paula.raimondi • Aug 1, 2019

"7.31.19....Griffith Peak #20, 9.7 miles, 3,800’ gain, 3:36hr recovery trek/water stash w/Karla. I got to steal away girl time with my buddy Karla for a Mtn Summit. We got caught up on life and had great chit-chat about this and that and this and that. I believe all problems can be solved on a mountain....The sky rumbled and the clouds hugged the canyon walls to add to the drama. This mountain gives so much to me. It’s always different....The flowers were amazing. Thanks for letting me tag along. I stashed my final bottle of water on the mountain. Only thing left for me to do is motivate myself for the multi peak I’m planning and just get it done." — paula.raimondi • Jul 31, 2019

"My first summit (probably of several?) of Griffith this season. Still plenty of snow on the South Loop trail - I'm glad I had my yaktrax with me, and one of these days I need to invest in microspikes instead for more grippiness. We left the trail several times and just cut straight up switchbacks as there was so much snow covering the trail, it was more effective. Same on the way down. Felt pretty good for only my second hike at elevation this season! Great time with great hiking friends. :) " — psychikingjes • Jun 29, 2019

"There was still a decent amount of snow covering some of the switchbacks up high, so we had to veer off-trail a few times on the way up. The weather was very pleasant. Joel and I decided to see if we could find some good snow to glissade down, which we did! Ran into a few friends on the descent & was back to the car nice & early!" — Kevin • Jun 29, 2019

"Snow climb of Griffith Peak via Mazie Canyon. It has been so hot, we didn't know how much snow we would have. We were lucky, as the snow level in this drainage was still pretty low. I anticipate maybe only 1-2 weeks left of decent snow, at the most. " — Kevin • Jun 15, 2019

"6.9.19 Griffith peak #18, solo, 2nd time this week by the most heinous, rough route that ever existed in the universe. Many downed trees, unstable earth and rocks made this an epic obstacle course. 10 miles 4,100’ gain to 11,100’ above the sea. Up Rainbow Subdivision to the Harris saddle, then Griffith trail through the burn area to the summit. I usually only use this as an ascent route but I didn’t have much snow gear so I had to take it down too....in the most uncomfortable boots I have. It was a beautiful day. It was hot and most of the route had no snow except the last 1000’. My thoughts were my only friend today as my body and feet got battered. I meditated and burned off all my stress...." — paula.raimondi • Jun 9, 2019

"6.5.19...Griffith Peak #17, in snow conditions via the avalanche chute, 7 miles, 3,800’ gain, 5:23hr w/Harlan & Karla. Wow...wow...wow. I blew my own mind. First time ever using an Ice axe and crampons (Harlan graciously lent to me for the day) Last night and this morning, I studied you tube videos about using this gear, self arrest, glissading, along with tips from Harlan and Karla. With all that, I pulled off a win. Thank you Buddies! I don’t know who I am anymore! How did I become this competent strong mountaineer with just enough bravery to accomplish these things?! I was inspired by the love of the mountains to learn to climb them even in snow. Harlan and Karla are super strong and brave. They were extra patient with me today. I have to go slow and think when I’m afraid and doing something new. They gave me space and we were a great team. So lucky to live in an area where this can be my workout. Pinch me...am I dreaming?" — paula.raimondi • Jun 5, 2019

"11.5.18. Griffith Peak #16....These Mountains give me so many happy memories. The year is winding down and the days are getting shorter so I’m taking every chance I can to get up here. I invited Harlan to join me today for some mountain cleanup duties. He also wanted to test his altitude tolerance so I was happy he decided to go. Taking the trails is repetitive so we decided on a route when we got there. Mazie Canyon (which is normally a Snow and Winter snowshoe route) was the route he chose. Neither of us had been up that way. It was very challenging. We were both a bit beat up from the 7 Peak quad massacre on the Summerlin Ridges Saturday. We worked our way up to the South Ridge like a team. It was the hardest climbing I’ve ever done and the terrain got difficult. We negotiated up and around cliff bands in the gully which had some ice. There is a pretty waterfall running through parts as well. We crawled through nasty brush and a giant hellish matrix of Aspen Branches. There were hidden Bristlecone giants on the slopes that were almost as big as Raintree! Harlan has taught me a lot over the last 3 plus years we’ve been trekking together. Today I had to implement all of it. I’ve..." — paula.raimondi • Nov 5, 2018

"10.20.18 Harris & Griffith Peaks loop. 5,200’ of vert in 7 (off trail) miles on rough terrain....12 miles total. We used “Old” South Loop trail as a descent route. I had the pleasure of spending the morning with beautiful and strong Maia Detmer on this special and challenging route (I am learning to love.) I learned of this route from my Buddie Harlan but I take the Harris ridge up from a different area. I’ve done it several times this year in different ways and it’s always a hard fight. I’ve almost convinced myself to never do it again. Today I was totally zen and seemed to follow the route better than I ever have. It didn’t feel like a nightmare like it always does. It has such unique views of the mountain. It was lovely sharing the experience with Maia. We had wonderful conversation and the hard miles flew by. Thank you for a great day 🤗 (She is steady and strong and I did it faster than I ever have before. I was starving because I’m use to hiking alone and eating 10 sandwiches along the way. I learned today that I am still strong without eating 10 sandwiches!!! We were on the top of Harris in 2:09hr (from Echo Lot) ...on the top of Griffith at 4:31hr into the trek. And done..." — paula.raimondi • Oct 20, 2018