I took a solo hike up to Mt. Baldy via the Ski Hut Trail on Friday, January 12th. The trail was free of snow up to the level of the Ski Hut. However, once I continued on and began to traverse the trail along the base of the Baldy Bowl I began to encounter areas of ice and slushy snow. The snow continued the rest of the way up to the summit with a few patches of dry land here and there. At about 9,000ft it was a complete blanket of snow. There was areas that reached 12-18 inches deep. The winds were wicked at the summit, so I did not stay long. Not only was it difficult to stand up, but trying to hold anything without it blowing away was nearly impossible. I chose to descend via the same route I had come up since I was not sure of the conditions of Devil’s Backbone. It was a wonderful day for a snowy adventure!