Mt Baldy (San Antonio) IRL – clockwise route – 3 of 6

June 11, 2011

After completing Ontario and Bighorn peaks, we took the short drive up to Manker campground with plenty of daylight to spare to set up camp and have a hearty dinner. We didn't make it to hiker's midnight but it was just as well with an early start planned for the next morning.

A note on the clockwise route choice

Let's just say that I have some mostly managed issues with heights but Baldy had me a little “concerned” with the Devil's Backbone section. I'm a planner through and through but definitely took my usual planning routine to the next level. I could have hiked Baldy several times over in the time it took me to research this route and watch too many nauseating videos of the trail.  ?

I opted to take the Baldy Bowl trail via the Ski Hut up to the summit although it is a much steeper route than going up the Devil's Backbone. The decision to take this route was well worth it, not only for the peace of mind of being comfortable with the terrain, but also for the more scenic route that it afforded. We stopped by the (closed) Sierra Club's Ski Hut at the half way point – a perfect spot for a break with breathtaking views of the valley down below. As we got closer to the summit, all trees and vegetation disappeared earning Mt San Antonio its fitting Baldy nickname with its barren, scree filled, wind swept summit area.  ~4000ft of elevation gain in ~4 miles, not too shabby for a mid morning summit!  We could see Mt Wilson and the observatory in the distance – a perfect preview of my next adventure.

Highlight: we were greeted by a couple of unflinching sheep posing à la lion king as we were starting our descent – majestic animals. [see pic]

More of a lesser demon on a dry, sunny day with calm winds ?

After all the preparation and trepidation – the ridge crossing of the Devil's Backbone section ended up being no big deal on this dry, sunny day with calm winds. The only area that had my heart racing a bit was just before the ridge – there is a spot where the trail took a sharp turn around the side of the mountain and narrowed down to a skinny single track.  The narrow trail was eroded in places and would bank towards a steep drop off the mountain on the one side while we were flanked by a mountain wall on the other.  Definitely manageable for a laser focused couple of  hundred yards. Once we reached the infamous ridge, the trail was relatively wide through this area with plenty of room to safely navigate in spite of the steep drop on each side.

We ended up taking some alternate side trail down the ski slope to the top of the notch. The easy last couple of miles down the wide truck road was a welcome change of pace to wrap up this hike. We even got back to the parking lot earlier than anticipated – perhaps early enough to beat Friday afternoon L.A./Riverside area traffic back down to S.D.?  [Naaah…]

All the videos in the world can't hold a candle up to Mt Baldy IRL – idyllic couple days in the mountains!

+1 on the Whitney confidence scale for this summer. ⛰