Baden Powell is probably one of my favorite hikes in the San Gabriels. Mainly because it's more remote, and is located in a section of the forest that has survived the numerous and substantial wildfires since the Station Fire (started by arson) burnt over 160,000 acres lasting 9 WEEKS consuming much of our pristine Angeles National Forest. I love that his peak is on the north face and so prone to more snow and cold weather. It's also a steep and challenging climb while still being fairly short (approx. 8 miles). It's especially challenging when you have good snow coverage which covers the switchbacks with snow and ice, forcing you to go STRAIGHT up the face of the mountain in many spots.

Today's hike was a surprise because most of the weather forecasts were wrong, and instead of 4-6 inches of snow on the north face, there were 20+ inches. Even the most reliable weather forecasts were off by quite a bit. So it was a pleasant surprise when we showed up to the trailhead and saw so much snow. I hadn't brought my micro-spikes (still kicking myself) because of the misleading weather reports but was able to climb and descend safely using good hiking boots and caution. I've done this hike 7-8 times when the mountain was covered in snow and ice, and this was probably the single best conditions for hiking in snow: not too deep, about 1.5 feet in most places, dry and not too slushy/wet, but most importantly, not too icy and slick. There were a LOT more people than I expected based on past winter hikes (mixed feelings here). Weather was beatiful for a winter snow hike. This is our second peak out of the 6-pack since New Years Day (we did Ontario on NYD). We plan on doing all 8 (6 plus two alternates) in the winter (and hopefully snow covered) if possible.