The morning sunshine gave way to overcast in the afternoon but without any of the rain that had been forecasted. Temperatures were in the 50s with gusty winds in the more open areas.

This hike is a serious 3,000' of up in a little over 4 miles with the final 330' up to Baldy Peak, shall we say, memorable. We had a fair bit of wind as we worked up the open slope below the saddle and then full on gusts on the final ascent of Baldy. Fortunately, we were able to find shelter for lunch out of the wind.

The good news is that the Buck Brush has been trimmed back in most places. The bad news is that this has only encouraged the poison oak growth. We even saw poison oak on Baldy Peak at 4,600'.

We were all extremely distressed to find that the McKee Bridge Restaurant, AKA the Country Club, has closed its doors for good. We may have to stop hiking in the Applegate unless a new operator can be found.

So, we took our business to the Cafe Ruch, but it just wasn't the same.