Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Baldy hike on 12/23

I'm thinking tomorrow is going to be a bluebird sky day

Anyone want to carpool from south OC let me know. I have room for 3 more people.

Everyone please bring your Winter Gear and Winter Clothes or you will be miserable. Here is the weather forecast from the NOAA

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 39. Wind chill values as low as -5. Breezy, with a north wind between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.


Those who have done Baldy know once you hit the ridge the wind can pick up big time. Look forward to summiting with everybody tomorrow.
JS

Thanks Jeff. I'm bringing balaclava, wool cap, warm mitts, extra wool socks, mountaineering boots, etc. Recommend down jacket with windproof shell and insulated windproof pant (or mid layer pant w/windproof shell). Key word: Layer (warm thermals, mid layers, liners). Will be cold and windy on the ridge. Might be a short stay on the summit... On the positive, it should be crystal clear.

The wind is howling in the flatlands of LA...can't imagine how it is up high. Brrrrrr!!! Interstate 5 through the Grapevine is closed (as of about 11am) due to ice, high winds and snow. For those traveling south, check the CHP reports and drive carefully. On the other hand, the sky is clear and it's supposed to be warming up in the 'hood over the next couple of days.

Have a great hike!

mc,

i'm bringing a surprise for you!! can't tell you who she is though...

If it's SM, I would be beside myself. Whoever the mystery 'she' is... can't wait to find out!

I just called the Mt Baldy ski lift. She said all the roads are open, no chains needed at all and that it was "clear, cool and breezy."

summit scott is out. I've got either a really bad cold or the flu. I can't breathe at sea level let alone 10K. Good luck and be safe!

About 3pm this afternoon the winds really picked up here in Upland, right off of Euclid/Mountain Ave staring up at Baldy.

And as of 6pm, the temp at Baldy notch is 17deg Mt. Baldy Weather And this picture should keep updated with the current 30 min temp (upon refresh). Super fun stuff!

I drove up to Manker today about 5:00 PM and the road is 100% clear and 99% dry. Should be no problem getting up there, Wish I could make it. Have fun everybody!

Thanks, lik2hik

The plan: Ski Hut trail on the 23rd. Meet at Manker Flats for a 6:00 am start time. This will be a day hike. After the hike/climb, the plan is to meet at the Lodge for those who are available...

Regarding the meeting place: There are two signs, first one reads 'Manker Flats' (DON'T WAIT THERE). Go 2 tenths of a mile up the road to the second sign that reads 'San Antonio Falls Road'. That is where we will meet. We should be geared up and ready to hit the trail at 6:00 am.

I'll have my ice axe, crampons & helmet. Expect very cold temps and high winds. Weather and Road Conditions

So far it's:
Jeff Scofield
MC Reinhardt
Norma Ryan
Shin
Greg Lukenbill
Jackalopes
Tracie
Sam Page
blakemiller
Joshua Buchan (tentative)
David Bosman (tentative)

Gonna be a fun (and cold) day!

I wish that I could join all of you tomorrow. I think the hiking would be better on my knees.

I'm in Mammoth freezing my tail off. It was 12' today with lots of wind. The back side has been closed for two days. Got a foot or more last night and more this afternoon. Lots of powder so it doesn't hurt when you fall.

Have fun and be careful. I hope to see you all on the Feb. Baldy trip.

Mouse

WINDY and 40 in Riverside.

Has anyone made it back from this hike (Mt. Baldy 12/23)? I am posting under my husband's name (Blake Miller). I haven't heard back from him since 4:30 a.m. and I'm worried. Hoping to hear an update. Please update any status on the hike when or if you get reception. I heard from the command post there is a search and rescue out there right now for a young girl. I wasn't sure if she was part of the group.

All of our group is fine. There was a gal that from a different group that got hurt and our group was there to help her and the rescue folks. No cell signal anywhere near the ski hut where we helped her and waited for help to arrive.

Busy with family tonight but wanted to post a brief TR. Photos and more TR's will follow...

I had the BEST day on Mt. Baldy today. Really great group!!! Jeff Scofield and I took a chute up (somewhere on the bowl). Rest of the group did the Ski Hut trail. We met them at 9,600' on their way down from summiting. Jeff headed up to tag the summit while I called it a day after hearing two of our group had to self arrest near the summit. Extreme winds!!! Sara Matisse helped a climber, from another group, to the Ski Hut (she fell 1000' in the bowl). Our group took care of the injured climber and contacted SAR. Sam Page ran down the mountain from the Ski Hut to ensure SAR had been contacted. Two helicopters tried to hover to rescue climber but way too windy. SAR members headed up the trail as most of the group finally left the Ski Hut. Several climbers from our group (Sara Matisse, Bob and Blake) stayed with the injured climber long after our group headed down. An amazing effort by all involved. Hope everyone is safe.......

Jeff Scofield (white blurrs showing high winds).

Hey, it's the real Blake Miller here. Sorry for the previous post from wifey - she got a little nervous once the sun went down and didn't hear a thing.

Myself, Sara and Bob were the last of our group to finally get off the mountain, we exited the trail about 8:30pm. After the 2nd failed attempt with helo, another handful of SAR arrived (were about 10-12 of them, plus 4 USFS fire service personnel too by the time we left). When we got down, the 3rd HELO attempt was supposedly being made. More to come tomorrow from others, i'm sure.

Tracie, thankfully, was still waiting in the area with Sara's goods and we ran into her at the Lodge.

In a nutshell, "Natalie" took a ~1,000 ft slide/tumble/fall down the face of the bowl. (Presumed she simply slipped or lost her footing.) She was pretty beat up and only her boyfriend and a 3rd friend with them at the time. Our group tripled the manpower there to help.

But to echo what MC wrote - what an AWESOME group and climb. The winds were absolutely nasty - i got a bunch of pictures and even some video of us at the top too. I'll get posted tomorrow. Not only a great trip, but it was amazing how EVERYONE in our group chipped in to help with Natalie and the whole rescue effort.

Okay . . . I'm absolutely whipped and off to eat some grub (with wifey of course;) I'm soo glad i took this "trip" . . it will surely be one to remember . . . for many reasons.

A memorable day, for sure. Thanks again for organizing it, MC.

A lot of people in our group deserve special recognition for their efforts to help Natalie today. I'll focus briefly on the efforts of Sara, Bob, and Blake, though everyone in our group contributed. In the 3 or 4 hours before SAR arrived, Sara and Bob took total control of the situation. Before too long, Natalie seemed to be relying almost entirely on Sara for her physical and psychological well-being (mind you, they didn't know each other), while Bob made sure everything that needed to be done was being done. All the while, Blake was there doing what he could to help and comfort Natalie. The three of them stayed with Natalie well past dark and long after the rest of us had descended.

Watching how our group responded to the accident has given me a little more faith in humanity. That's all for now.

Hi I was watching the weather, Mike's post from several days ago and looking at the ice on the bowl from his pictures and the storm the day before,I thought it would be a very exciting day! First just like wifey I checked the board for a down report and I thought something may have happened . I am glad all in the group is safe and home.

Helping the lady that slid shows what a great group we have on the board Thank You All. I gave a talk last year at a Recognition Banquet for Emergency Services groups , I had talked with one of the guys the night before. He recalled his first call out and getting to the location being the only one trained he did not know what to do first, but started talking to the person and telling them it didn't look bad and everything was set to get them to the hospital , and did not leave the persons side until in the Hospital . Sam picked up on the lady transferring the trust to Sara , Sara at that point became the trail angel, those few words or actions mean so much to the person in trouble, positive feed back and reducing fear of the conditions .Thank You all again for a great service helping the other party. Doug

Hi, if anyone has Ian's (Natalie's friend) phone no., could they PM me? Sarah is without internet access and would like to check on her condition.
Thanks!