We Summited Mt. Baldy!
We Summited Mt. Baldy via the brutal Ski Hut Trail. This was our second attempt to summit — we failed the first time around largely because we came unprepared for how steep the trail was and the effect high elevation was going to have on our speed.
This time around we started much earlier and got equipped with Trekking Poles — they made a huge difference and I honestly think we wouldn’t have made it without them. When you see most of the guides on the trail using them that says a lot! After all, you gain close to 4000 ft of elevation in under 4 miles. This is no walk in a park by any means, especially once you get above the 8000 ft mark where the effect of high elevation makes you leg muscles get this strange cotton feeling and the heavy pounding in your head tells you to stop. Under those conditions you operate in bursts — 20-30 steps at a time …
The weather was simply beautiful. Morning started nice and clear with the temperature in the 50′s. By the time we crossed Baldy Bowl and started to make our way up the left bank to the summit of Mt Baldy, white puffy cloud cover moved in over the area and blanketed everything below us. The views were out of this world:
The summit push was relentless only easing at the final half mile where it opened up into a surprisingly wide area suitable for camping, and after being to the summit I would much rather camp here due to the piece and quite and the views it offers.
There were a lot of people at the summit many of whom came via the “Devils Backbone” trail which we took on the way down. The views from the Summit of Mt Baldy were blocked by the heavy cloud cover but we still enjoyed every minute of it, sharing and taking in the moment of our first time here:
There are still some patches of very thick snow around the Summit area:
We didn’t want to put ourselves through the brutal descent on the Ski Hut trail so we took the “Devils Backbone” trail on the way down from the summit. And while it’s not nearly as steep as the Ski “Nut” trail it sure stands up to it’s name — “Devils Backbone” and “Devils Slide” where the gut wrenching drop offs on both sides of the ridge make you think really hard before you put your foot down.
Thankfully we made it though but I would recommend taking the Ski Hut trail down as long your knees are not giving you any trouble — my right knee was very painful during the descent and I know I wouldn’t have been able to make it down via the Ski Hut trail this time around — we did it last time without the Trekking poles and I think that’s when I strained my knee.
It was getting late by the time we reached the Ski Lift area and my son had finals the next day so we decided to take the easy way down by riding the Ski Lift. Heavy fog made it for an interesting ride down:
Things Learned:
- Trekking Poles work! We are believers now — they reduce the strain on your leg joins and spread the load between all muscles of your body. It’s a great workout too. And if you have a problem with your knee, during descent, they can literally save your life.
- Drink and bring more water — I was trying to ration water (I had total of 4 liters: 3 liters in the CamelBak and 1 liter in a bottle) and I only drank 2 liters in 8 miles — this gave me a nasty headache. I think the healthy water consumption rate at the high altitude should be 1.5 liters per 4 miles.
- PowerBars and Beef Jerky is not enough food to last an 8 hour day, bring some solid, whole foods like apples, bananas, bread and raw nuts. We were drooling every time someone ate a “normal” unprocessed food.
Track Log:
Elevation Profile:
It was an awesome day in one of the most accessible alpine areas in the Southern California near Los Angeles and I hope we can do this more often. For more pictures visit my flickr set – Mt. Baldy Summit.
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June 17th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
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