How to hike safely when snow and ice make mountain trails dicey

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.

Lewis said he ran into barely anyone on the trail, but he does remember encountering a female hiker who commented on his microspikes and her lack of snow-hiking gear.

After making it to the top and snapping a few photos, Lewis said, he came across the female hiker again on his way back down. She had fallen badly and was being attended to by three other hikers.

"She got a pretty significant gash on her head and she was complaining that her neck and back hurt a lot, but overall she was conscious," he said.

Lewis took out