Wow! I am down to my last few hikes to complete all 18 and I'm taking them on from the lowest to highest, Mt. Baldy was next on my list and with this summit brought me to 15 of 18. After reading various trip reports I had my ‘Plan A' nailed down, I was going to do an out and back over Devils Backbone. It simply looked like the coolest trip with dramatic views, too it was a little longer (14 miles) and had a bit more gain (4000+) than going up Baldybowl Trail.

Checking the mountain weather Sunday Night/Monday morning before driving up to LA, I saw that while temperatures were moderate, the winds were predicted to be dangerously high, sustained gale force with gusts to 60 mph. Mentally, I scrapped Plan A and formed Plan B: Ascend via BaldyBowl trail and reassess the situation once I hit the summit, then potentially descend on the Backbone. This would reduce my mileage a little but it would afford me the opportunity to see both trails while doing the loop (and I wouldn't have to descend BaldyBowl trail – the loose rock and sand on a steep grade is always a bugaboo for me on descents).

I met two separate hikers on my way to the summit who had crossed the Backbone on their journey to the top – both of them said it was EXTREMELY UNSAFE and they regretted their decision to take the route (one even contemplated turning back). So Plan C was looking better and better, simply descending the way I came. Once I reached the summit, Plan C was a no-brainer. I was the only one on the summit when I arrived at the monument at 12:30 pm. I took a couple of quick pictures and shot some video walking around the summit, I had to ditch behind one of the low rock shelters to get out of the wind as I had a hard time staying on my feet in the wind. I had briefly entertained hiking over to bag West Baldy and then back to Harwood Mountain to get a couple of extra peaks while I was up there, but once again, the wind helped my decision process and I opted to head back down content with my summit. My plan for lunch at the summit was out of the question and I ended up eating at the picnic table by the Ski Hut (which by that time of the day was in the sun!)

About 1/4-mile down, I passed two women headed to the summit but they were the only ones I encountered on the way down that had intentions of summiting. I must admit I was surprised by the number of people I saw that (IMO) were not adequately prepared for the weather conditions, most notably those wearing shorts, no gloves, no face or head covering. With the winds at the summit, windchill temps had to be around freezing, my fingers were numb after only a minute or so out of my gloves. The wind was driving sand around so it felt like I was being sandblasted! The little bit of skin showing on my face was stinging from the sand. I ended up wearing my wind shell, gloves, balaclava, and beanie all-day. I did pass a few hikers while on my way to the Ski Hut that had made it that far before turning around, realizing they weren't prepared for the wind and cold.

Despite the wind, it was a beautiful day, one of my slower hikes, but the views along the way were breathtaking. Baldy Bowl was very cool to see from both the bottom and the top 🙂 Three more peaks to go, with San Bernardino next on my list 🙂