I had never hiked Baldy before. I have been waiting for the right opportunity. The name itself makes me think of hiking in the scorching heat with no shade, so I just knew this trail wasn't meant for the summer time. I had done a portion of it last summer, coming from the Ice House Via 3 T's and heading down when I hit the ski resort. I was not impressed. All service road. I also have zero experience with mountaineering, so winter was out too. It had to be that goldilocks timing just in between. I saw a post in Socal Hiker that the trail was clear of snow, and instantly knew today was that time.
I had just finished a 12 hour shift at work, had been up since 5 PM yesterday, and got to the trail at 8 am this morning. I wasn't messing around though, this wasn't going to be a stroll in the park, this was business.
I had already decided to take the shortest trail up and down; the one that runs straight to Baldy Bowl. It is much steeper, but taking it up and down saves at least 2 miles. I was still uncertain of what the trail conditions were so I brought microspikes, treking poles, layers of closes. In the end, the treking poles saved me a few slips and I'm glad I took them. The trail was clear, no need for spikes. Outside of being cold and windy at the top, while I was drenched in sweat, the layers of close didn't come in handy either.
I flew up that trail, passing many other hikers, keeping my heart rate elevated. I was doing this for time.
About half way there were a few streams that looked excellent to filter, and it made me wish I would have known, so I'd pack less water.
The top had amazing views, much better than I was expecting. I took some time for myself to take in the views, have a snack, and take some pictures.
I didn't realize how dangerous going back down was going to be. It was steeper than I had noticed when I was going up. So glad I brought treking poles. They saved me from receiving multiple bruises today.
Once I was done, it was time to drive straight home, and now time for bed…I've been up over 24 hrs.