weblink1:http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/222267/etiwanda-peak.html

A very strenuous 17 mile round trip hike originating from the Icehouse Canyon trailhead, which completed my Inland Empire ridgeline traverse quest....the entire 8000 ft ( ) elevation ridgeline located due north of the Ontario airport and dominating the area skyline....and the last of three day hikes over a two year period for a total investment of 43-44 miles! Also a serious tme investment this trip of almost 15 hours accompanied by our newest accountant at the plant, Stephen Smith. The views were impressive and expansive, stretching from the ocean back through Orange County, past Corona and Riverside, and out to San Bernardino and Palm Springs.

What a bright and beautiful fall weather birthday weekend to hike in SoCal! Less than two weeks on the heels of the hottest weather of the summer with Inland Empire temps consistently in the 105-108 F range, expectations were for a clear and sunny weekend with surface temps around 80 F, and mountain temps (>7000 ft) around 70 F. So another surprise.....morning temps were in the high 40's in Mt Baldy village and at the trailhead. As we climbed, the temp never went above 55-60 F, falling to 50-55 F most of the upper portion of the hike and at the summit along with a fairly stiff 15-20 mph breeze, finally dropping to 40 F by midway down that evening. A total (and welcome) contrast to the previous weather pattern and feeling a lot more seasonal almost overnight! Despite the daylight savings time advantage, we descended the last three hours of the evening with headlamps, and made it to the Mt Baldy lodge and restaurant at 10:55 pm.