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Why hike a mountain?
- Thread starter Kento
- Start date
Great post/pics Kento! I've only ever done it the opposite direction and gone down Old Baldy Trail which was a steep descent. Having that as the first climb of the day must have been a real kick in the nuts.
My running buddies and I just finished up a mountain race in Montana and we used the Baldy area for our big training runs. The gnarliest one we did was Icehouse Canyon up to Cucamonga Peak, then over to the Three T's and the Notch. Up Devil's Backbone to Baldy, back down to the Notch, and then down the fire road to Manker and back down the road to Icehouse.
What you did is a long ass day and way beyond the capabilities of most. Nice work man.
My running buddies and I just finished up a mountain race in Montana and we used the Baldy area for our big training runs. The gnarliest one we did was Icehouse Canyon up to Cucamonga Peak, then over to the Three T's and the Notch. Up Devil's Backbone to Baldy, back down to the Notch, and then down the fire road to Manker and back down the road to Icehouse.
What you did is a long ass day and way beyond the capabilities of most. Nice work man.
Absolutely. They make a world of difference, especially on the downhills. I like to think the slight noise they might make on rocks will alert any bears or rattlers to my presence.
Speaking of which, apparently a rattler went after another hiker's dog just ahead of me on Devil's Backbone. Although I didn't see it, it kind of surprised me one would be up at 9,000'+. Do they really venture that high?
Thanks! Oh man it was humbling. My heart was hammering around 150+ pulse at times going up there. That break at the Notch was sorely needed.
That hike you described is practically doing the 10 peak traverse. Hardcore. I put that on my permit just in case I had the drive for it but by time I got out of the Manzanita and onto ridge of Old Baldy, I knew that wasn't even close to happening!
Did you have to walk the road down to Icehouse? That's a long walk when you're tired and I'd be so worried about getting hit by a car on one of those blind switchbacks.
We're a slight detour and much more scenic route on your way North to Seattle if you venture off I5. Guest room/bath and holo holo opportunities abound. The littlest warble would love to see you.
You might like to check out either Horseshoe meadow or Kearsarge pass. It's sort of counter-intuitive, but either are almost a 1.5-2 hr drive shorter than Crowley/Mammoth/June.
To put things into perspective, Lone Pine is approx 250 miles from my house in HB. Leaving before 5am, I can easily get to the permit office by 9am, and on trail by 10-11am. At an avg hiking speed of 2mph (blended up, down and flat), hiking until 6-7pm can put me 14-16 miles in.
In comparison, starting from a Bishop area TH (Bishop, Piute pass, etc) takes at least another hour, so my easy, no brainer drive of 4 hrs increases by 25% to 5 hrs. Mammoth/June (entry into S Yosemite) is another 45 minutes or so, or 50% increase in drive time.
Doesn't seem like too much, but consider for a really short surgical strike (see below), you also have to drive back that mileage within days.
For example, two great mini-section hikes involve entering via either Horseshoe/Kearsarge and exiting Whitney. If you can avg 16 mpd, then you can do either in 3 days. That's crossing a lot of absolute grade A, prime high Sierra (ie above 11k tree line) for just a 3-day weekend.
Think about the number of people who travel from further distances, or spend months planning just a simple hike up either Whitney or Half-dome. If you gain experience and learn the ropes, you can hit the Sierra as casually as crossing the border to the Rosarito area for a swell.
I try and go 3-4 times per year, rarely out more than 3 nights. I hate camping and sitting around, and would rather just motor along checking out the sights. That is, hike until dusk, shove down some food, throw down my pad/bag (rarely if ever put up shelter) and crash. Jump up and start hiking by 6am to do it all over again.
Even better, spring alpine hiking (mountaineering) is great when SoCal is bedeviled by south winds, cold water and foggy conditions during May/June. The Sierra at that time of year (ie the longest days of the year) are spectacular. Usually not a cloud in the sky, and bright granite and snow (patches). And it's right here vs spending $ thousands for some kind of exotic trip elsewhere.
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MitchellC, yeah that area up to Kearsarge Pass and points west is amazing. My wife and I camped up at Onion Valley last year and hiked Kearsarge Pass. While she turned back at the pass and went to camp, I took a few extra hours and hung out at Kersearge Lakes and Bullfrog Lake and down to the junction with the JMT/PCT before heading back. Air was a little smoky from brush fires but it was still incredible.
We were tentatively planning on hiking the High Sierra Trail this year but things just got a little hectic (tough to plan long excursions when you have young kids) and weren't able to do it. In hindsight, it's just as well as the snowpack was deep this year and it would have been pretty difficult to make that trek. It's definitely a bucket-list item (along with the PCT) but it will be there in future years. I like the idea of being able to use that trail to climb Whitney as you have a longer stretch of time to acclimate to the altitude.
While researching the HST, I came across the High Sierra Route. https://www.thehikinglife.com/2018/03/a-quick-dirty-guide-to-the-sierra-high-route/ That's something that I'll probably never be able to attain but that's cool. Can't hike everything.
Have you (or anyone else) done that?
We were tentatively planning on hiking the High Sierra Trail this year but things just got a little hectic (tough to plan long excursions when you have young kids) and weren't able to do it. In hindsight, it's just as well as the snowpack was deep this year and it would have been pretty difficult to make that trek. It's definitely a bucket-list item (along with the PCT) but it will be there in future years. I like the idea of being able to use that trail to climb Whitney as you have a longer stretch of time to acclimate to the altitude.
While researching the HST, I came across the High Sierra Route. https://www.thehikinglife.com/2018/03/a-quick-dirty-guide-to-the-sierra-high-route/ That's something that I'll probably never be able to attain but that's cool. Can't hike everything.
Have you (or anyone else) done that?
Yeah, from the Notch we ran down the fire road, and then ran down the road from Manker to Icehouse. It gets a little sketchy on some of those blind turns, but we were moving at a pretty good clip, so thankfully we didn't have any close calls. Total distance for that route was just under 27 miles, but we had pretty good weather that day. Sunny, but on the cooler side.
It's crazy how good the terrain is up in that area. Total hidden gem. I'm gonna try to get in a couple more late season days up there before they start getting snow. The weather is so nice in the fall and what crowds there are kinda mellow out.
With how tight those switchbacks are, by running the downhill, the cars probably aren't really going much fast than you. Sunny and cool is good. Even so, just running on pavement after trail tenderizing your feet is tough. I lasted a while without blisters, mostly by duct-taping some of the trouble spots. Had a few but nothing that couldn't be easily drained at home that night. Come to think of it, I'd rather road walk from Manker to Icehouse than hike Icehouse Canyon downhill. It's a leg and foot-thrasher when you're tired.
It really is beautiful up there. I'd say 95% of people in the area hike either Baldy or Cucamonga. It was cool taking a break just before sunrise and seeing the lines of cars coming up the hill. Most people must have done Cucamonga Saturday as Baldy had a relatively light crowd for a fall weekend. Saw less than a half dozen people coming down Thunder from doing the 3 Ts over the course of the afternoon. I will definitely do the Three T's again with my wife, although probably next year. Nice thing about going with other people is that you can stash a car up there, save yourself a roadwalk.
The nice thing about the peaks that are off the beaten track a bit is that you don't have to hear as many peoples' crappy music over their Bluetooths nor see as much graffiti *cough cough Black Star Canyon*
Good stuff Kento, and thanks for posting all the great pics. The San Gabriel's are a bastard of a mountain range, in many ways tougher than the Sierra's.
I have to ask if this is your preferred hiking outfit though? heh heh. Besides the shoes, it looks like you're ready to go to the office.
I have to ask if this is your preferred hiking outfit though? heh heh. Besides the shoes, it looks like you're ready to go to the office.
Thanks. The hike of Bear Canyon was a real bastard indeed. It'll be a while before I go that route again. But at least I'll know what to expect.
If only I could wear those hiking clothes for work! They're a lot comfier than the standard officewear. Plus, the old school mentality of wearing jeans in the field pervades which is BS in my opinion. Jeans absolutely suck for every endeavor known.
If you know of a job out there that pays decently, gets me the f*ck out of the office (this has been a recent source of depression), and allows me to enjoy the outdoors, I'm all ears!
If only I could wear those hiking clothes for work! They're a lot comfier than the standard officewear. Plus, the old school mentality of wearing jeans in the field pervades which is BS in my opinion. Jeans absolutely suck for every endeavor known.
If you know of a job out there that pays decently, gets me the f*ck out of the office (this has been a recent source of depression), and allows me to enjoy the outdoors, I'm all ears!
Mt Baldy Feb 2019
Looking up at notch... lodge is visible caked in white to left of chairlift cable
.
Thunder Mountain
Telegraph Peak
Baldy Bowl from Thunder
Pacific Ocean from Thunder
Looking down Nightmare for the last run of the day. Good skiing to parking lot on this day. When Baldy is on it's far and away the best ski mountain in So Cal.
I have never hiked Baldy proper (Mt. San Antonio) but it is a bucket list item. Thanks for the reminder.
Looking up at notch... lodge is visible caked in white to left of chairlift cable
.Thunder Mountain
Telegraph Peak
Baldy Bowl from Thunder
Pacific Ocean from Thunder
Looking down Nightmare for the last run of the day. Good skiing to parking lot on this day. When Baldy is on it's far and away the best ski mountain in So Cal.
I have never hiked Baldy proper (Mt. San Antonio) but it is a bucket list item. Thanks for the reminder.
But you have to do it so you don't look fresh as a daisy! By the time I got to the top of the 5th peak (Telegraph), I looked like absolute death with a touch of Sideshow Bob.
A nice vacation!!!
Just out of Bishop, Coyote Flat. !0,500 feet. Southern Seirras. A huge, high altitude meadow with semi easy access. Fishing, hiking, peak bagging. The Windcutter. Not Subaru friendly but if you have a decent 4WD, no problem.
Another easy family gig would be Monache Meadows. The biggest meadow complex in the Southern Sierras. The headwaters of the Kern river. Someplace you can drive to with a decent 4WD with your family and camp.
Basing all of this on my nephews.
One works at Aptos BBQ.
The other works at California Grill in Watson,. They both have rad GFs.
They would never in a million years go on a camping trip, unless I pay them.
Kento still has the window.
One works at Aptos BBQ.
The other works at California Grill in Watson,. They both have rad GFs.
They would never in a million years go on a camping trip, unless I pay them.
Kento still has the window.