After a cold night, we (Joe, Preston and I) woke up early and headed over to Baldy to set up our shuttle. We took off from the West Baldy trailhead and were immediately immersed in beauty as we wandered along the West Fork of the Little Colorado river, then into the glorious old trees before beginning our climb in earnest up to the white man's summit of Baldy. It was a gorgeous day, on the summit the brisk wind lowered the temps by about 160 degrees or so...

Down the East Baldy trail, we were treated to some magnificent views over the rocky bluffs of seemingly endless aspen laced hills and valleys.

This hike lived up to all the hype I have built up in my mind over the years and was an awesome conclusion to my first trip to the White Mountains with some good friends.