I had a free day and wanted to check off another six pack peak so I headed out to Manker Flats for a Baldy summit. Since I only just moved to SoCal this past November I still hadn't summited this popular mountain. Therefore, I didn't realize the more popular route is to go up Baldy Bowl and down Devil's Backbone. I did the opposite which proved to be a really steep downhill. I slipped a few times on the scree! This hike was a fun level of tough though and it was nice to do it on day when it wasn't crowded. I only saw a few other people that day on the trails. I ended up adding on Mt Harwood and West Baldy to make the day a triple peak bag.
Since I started early (and it was a weekday), I ended up having EVERY summit to myself. It was glorious and I loved every second of it. Ended the 12.5 mile hike off by resting my feet in the San Antonio waterfall. The mountains really give me life.
Responses
Awesome, @greengiraffe23! I’m hiking Mt Baldy in two months for the Climb for Heroes. Maybe I’ll throw in West Baldy and Harwood for good measure. 😉
Definitely worth it! Harwood is essentially on the way if you are going up or down Devil’s Backbone. And West Baldy is a super short addition after Baldy. Might as well get a triple peak bag in there! 🙂