After scraping together some gas money, I was out my front door at 6 am. I started hiking up the East Baldy Trail at 9:40, and was at the white man's summit of Baldy in 3 hours. Conditions were unusually perfect, with clear skies, warm sun, and a gentle breeze, so I remained there for an hour. The descent on West Baldy took me through golden meadows that were green and full of wildflowers only a few months ago. A few aspens still wore their autumn color, but most were bare. I turned onto the Phelps Cabin crossover after pumping some ice water from the Little Colorado, and hiked quickly to get back before dark. One meadow had a giant bull elk, who ran for the trees upon sighting me. The sound of bugling filled the forest as I returned to my truck as dusk. I had the entire Mount Baldy Loop to myself today. The drive home through New Mexico was exciting as always, with plenty of 2 lane mountain roads, elk, and good music. It was a fun but exhausting day.