Chevy,
Honestly, the most amazing part I found was that you guys started at 3 AM.
Seriously, I'm always amazed at the crazy hours people wake up for C2C. I can barely drag myself out of bed before 6 AM. Of all the Skylines I've done this year, I don't think I've ever started before 9 AM. Maybe that's why I can never find anyone to join me for Skyline...
You should give some of the other classic SoCal hikes a go such as the Iron Baldy Traverse, 9 Peak Traverse, etc. The Villager/Rabbit combo in Borrego is also very pretty. The elevation gain and mileage is not the same as C2C but I feel the difficulty is similar due to the more rugged terrain. Drop your Skyline time down some more and visit the routes on San Jacinto's north side. Very beautiful and you won't find another soul. I've stayed away for over a year now due to multiple accidents and injuries but hoping to get back into the shape I was for next year.
You might want to check out Cornell and Miller next time for a nice detour. The valley below Cornell seems to be a congregation area for deer. I've never crossed that area and not seen groups of them. You can head up the old trail which intersects the current one only yards away from Miller.
