Eric Lewis' Christmas Eve hike up Cucamonga Peak offers a valuable lesson for anyone who's thinking about scaling the Southern California heights in the snow.
Lewis, 57, had been working his way through the SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, and Cucamonga was his fifth in the series. But it was the first time he'd hiked a summit blanketed in snow.
So before he made the trip early on Dec. 24, the Riverside County resident researched the trail, the conditions and the equipment he would need — microspikes and hiking poles — to make the trek. He also grabbed the beanie his daughter had given him, not realizing the crucial role it would soon play.
