Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Conditions On Baldy

What are the conditions on Etiwanda Peak?

I can't speak to Etiwanda specifically, but I was at Icehouse Saddle yesterday (from icehouse canyon) and can confirm the trail all teh way to Cucamonga is covered in snow. My friend successfully made the peak with microspikes/trekking poles - I opted for the nearly fully dry trail to Timber instead (have a minor calf strain and didn't want to muck it up in the snow/ice esp on the way down).

Based on that I suspect on the north side of nearly anything right now that high there will be substantial if not full snow/ice coverage - south facing slopes are all nearly dry/clear except for really shady areas.

Shin,

I always enjoy reading your trip and conditions reports. They are not only interesting, but are a MUST READ for anyone heading up to that area.

The last couple seasons have seen several deaths on Mt Baldy, ranging from a seasoned veteran to a SAR member (searching for a hiker intoxicated by summit fever who hiked into and disappeared in deteriorating conditions). For all we know, your numerous reports/observations/suggestions have saved a life or two, which will not show up in the newspaper headlines.

Strong work!

Jim

Hi Jim,
Thank you for your kind words.
It is very nice to have Mt. Baldy in southern California.

It looks like the snow season is about over.
Before I store away all winter gears,I want to share Doug Sr.'s photos of climbing iced up slope of west bowl of Mt. Baldy.
These photos were taken at one of WPSMB group hikes on 01/15/2010.
Wes G. and I used crampons and ice axe.
Doug Sr. used micro spike and poles and jeans.
The slope was so icy even crampons didn't bite in the slope well at all. Please look Wes's crampons teeth and even on flat level. (Zoom up footing area of each photos, please.)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fSYt7rE9oryiXdAd7
Doug has real skills and experience.

( I AM NOT SAYING GO LIGHT or HIKE CASUAL CLOTHINGS !!.)

Hello Shin,
Really appreciated your updates, trip reports, pictures, etc. went
up Baldy yesterday. No wind, about 50 degrees. Good snow still in the trees past the rock garden. and above the second ridge above the airplane wreckage all the way to the top. Top is getting bare but still some snow. Came down the West Bowl. Only about a dozen hikers on the trail. Shout out to Fireman Mike from Aurora Colo who is at one of the Covid First Responder stations in the Denver area. He was visiting family in the area. He's working on climbing all 50 14ers in Colorado.
Shin, hope to see you soon on Baldy now that I'm back hiking.
Happy Hiking To All
Rick

Luck Shin may not always work but when all else fails....

The spike thing was a test they were new on the market and I felt if I was to sale them we should give them a try, after the hike that day I suggest they would be OK for flat trails , but had no use on steeper slopes,I was able to find placement in the sun cups and depressions , if it was a fresh ice slope they would not be enough. I tested ice at an angle and they fail quickly , since they lack front points, and can slip off the boot with pressure .

Now spikes are used by many and I still think a good item for trails at low angle , and the market now offers price points that many will purchase , On the high end I think Hillsound has a great product , spikes a little longer and a strap across the top to hold on to the boot.

Shin looks like fresh snow on Baldy and another rescue from the Bowl area ?

Hi Doug,
I was up there today.
There were two signs of avalanches in the bowl.
It must have happened yesterday. I don't know any details.

Mt. Baldy road: No chains were required.
Manker flat parking: It was good condition. But, I got a warning by CHP for not comply with a sing. But, there was no sign there. I park at same spot all the time.(?)
Fire road: It was very icy with uneven surface. Hard to walk on in the morning.
To Ski hut: Hard packed snow trail with alternate route.
It was very icy in the morning.
It is a good idea to use micro spikes and poles up and down.
Bowl: There were two signs of avalanches in the bowl.
There were several hikers up on left side of avalanche to the summit. I went up right edge of avalanche and climbed Schitzo Alley, a chute between two prominent rock mass on right side of the bowl, right shoulder of the pointed peak.
Snow was deep and soft.
To the summit: Snow was above knee level and soft.
From the summit to Ski hut: Snow was deep and soft with many deep foot holes. Please be careful. Going down was much harder than going up the steep chute today.
From the ridge above tree section: There was a prominent solid alternate trail leads to lower part of west bowl. The trail traverse the hill side. ( Going up: make a left turn in to the hill side of tree section. ) There was no trail on summer trail area today.

Snow condition wasn't good today. It was a long and hard day for me but I had a good time.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/S2V5w4eR57bK1vC5A

Today Shin notes, "There were two signs of avalanches in the bowl. It must have happened yesterday. I don't know any details."

On the the KTLA 5 News today, it was noted that a hiker was injured yesterday in one of the avalanches. Apparently it took some effort to get him down alive.

Jim

Thanks Shin looks like more snow today and might start more Avalanches, The storm today said high winds also , could add drifts and whiteout conditions . Looks like we in the new normal with late season systems.

Snow is melting fast on south facing slopes.

Manker flat/Fire road: Dry
Ski hut: Almost dry/ a few snow spots.
Rock garden to the ridge: Consolidated snow. Icy early morning.
To summit: Consolidated snow but thinning some spots.
Microspike and poles will be helpful.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pxUbyoEdxWCGwqv36
I took many bowl pictures to study the terrain.

DBT/Register ridge trail direction: Snow is melting fast/dry
Bear canyon: According to few hikers, good trail got established and no post holing.
Ontario, Cucamonga, Etiwanda direction: All north facing slope have good amount of snow.

Hi Doug and Jim F,
Sean and "Super hiking twins" say "Hi".
They will be back to Whitney Portal next year.

Last weekend, I told my wife about a very nice family hiker with a father and two young children with very nice hiking and trail manners. They were one of the nicest hikers I met on Baldy.
My wife was very disappointed that I didn't get any pictures of them.
Luckily, I met them again on the way down yesterday. They were very nicely enough to stop and share about their background and their experience.
This twins, Arabella and Matthew, turned out "the youngest" Mt. Whitney climbers at the age of 4.
They have climbed Whitney, Langley, White, and Shasta already with 27 Mt. Baldy summits at the age of about 6. They shared with me a great experience at Portal, Doug and Jim F. and more....
It was a great day for me. I met many long time friends, too.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UeC4jD9rZytRf38n6
(Slide show option won't work any more)

I hiked Harwood, Baldy, West Baldy, back to Baldy via Register Ridge trail up and Ski hut down.
No microspikes were needed at all all trails. Snow is almost gone.
There were still some snow on north facing slopes of Baldy but DBT was dry.
West Baldy was still partially covered with snow but it was fun to walk on shallow sun cup field.
There were many trail runners from Bear canyon trail direction.
There were a few sections of snow under the tree section but no issues at all.

Have a great hike.

Shin,

Thanks for relaying their greetings and sharing the nice photo of you with Arabella and Matthew. If you see them again on Mt Baldy, please say hi for me to the Twins, Sean, and (of course) Mom.

I vividly recall my encounter with the Twins and their Parents in 2019 (after a heavy snowfall winter). In the early morning we were among those coming up the Backside from Guitar Lake. We were all boulder hopping to avoid hard ice and snow on the trail.

Later in the morning on the Mt Whitney Summit, after I had a chance to catch my breath, I resumed my conversation with them. What a privilege to encounter such a remarkable and pleasant family!

Wishing all the WPSMB community great happiness and adventures in the upcoming season on the Mountain.

Jim

It was very cold and windy at the summit today.
There were many hikers on the trails.
A rescue operation for an injured hiker was progress on Mt. Baldy. According to a rescue ranger, a hiker got lost and got injured on the east facing hillside of a left side of ridge of San Antonio canyon. A helicopter was hovering a long time at upper section of the ridge.
Almost no one hikes up the ridge.( I know some crazy ones.) There is no trail. A hiker must have gone down straight on the ridge rather than making left turn to get down through switchbacks in the tree section to Ski hut.
I hope the hiker will be fine.

Hi John and Sara, it was very nice to meet you today. Sorry, I couldn't stop a bit longer to take a picture because of a heavy traffic on the trail. Congratulations and good luck on Labor day Whitney hike.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/R6D3DfxyLAmuNE7g6

Have a great hike.

Portal was cooling down yesterday and a light wind was starting around 4 PM , watching the sky today and can see some moisture moving around , so we will see if the system moves in tonight or in the morning, many people started up yesterday.

Now onto the current rescue on Baldy and how the two mountains share a common bond , many train on Baldy and the Southern California mountains for a hike on Whitney,these mountains have and will have more rescues and recoveries.When we first bought the store 1988 season the first accident I thought it must be a climber fallen on one of the routes, but later I learned someone had been injuried on the trail , I was confused the wide trail, very well maintained and easy to follow trail. Hulda Crooks in her late 80's had climbed the mountain for many years so how could this be? Many years later the accidents still happen and most likely more often, it can't be a lack of information, or gear since people now will have all the gear on the market if it is suggested it will get them to the summit. All the S&R units and the Agencies publish press releases about conditions, Your and other weekly reports , with detailed conditions and photos to support the conditions are a wealth of information.
Some where there is a break down between what is available and what people do that continues causing these accidents. My basic thought of an accident is a unplanned act. It isn't just the young many times the person is beyond the age of doing the things a young person will try ,and we are seeing it isn't just men but also women now needing rescues or recoveries. Several years ago I was the last person that talked with a lady on Baldy.Yesterday I talked with a young lady at a store in town that had suggested to a young man be cautious on the mountain.
Many times we hear the leader had years of experience , oh they are the one that needs a rescue ? So just experience may not be the answer . Could it be a factor in making critical choices as events happen or making choices that avoid critical events ? I recall one day a very good friend came into the store a few scrapes and rash from a fall , he say we were going to do a new route up Muir from the east side , he and the team had ropes and gear , They also had pictures of the route as they climbed , I look at the route and think That isn't going to end well ( in my younger days these routes always failed I would have the rash and blood ) think of an inverted ice cream cone, wide at the bottom and a pinpoint top ,now see the rope and the belay spread all over the area , yup about 50 feet of fall if the climbers falls . Remember the pinpoint of the icecream cone They always break and if they don't getting onto the wall never happens either because the pinpoint is in space off the wall. Pinpoint breaks , fall which is not vertical but a steep ice/snow slide past the belay and at some point the slope angle and body friction stops the fall ,Experience says we can do this , we know at some point the pinpoint will break and we should take the slack out of the rope and have a secure belay and gear placed as we climb to limit the fall but experience also tells us It's those other people that fall.
Please spend some time with yourself and your climbing group and others that you know spread the word if not us who lets see if we can slow down the accidents and resues. Thank You

Doug, thank you very much for your great advice.
I hope many people take your advice seriously enough to enjoy hiking.

Hiking season is in full swing now.
Icehouse parking lot was completely full. Many cars were parked beyond a bridge and a few switchbacks up along the road.
Manker flat parking was the same condition.

It was cold and windy at the summit.
There was a hiker with mountain bike at the summit.
I ran into "rick"who initiated "Condition On Baldy" post with three other very nice lady hikers training for Whitney hike.
We had a very nice visit. One of the hiker was very fluent in Japanese so I spoke Japanese with her without any accent.
One of other lady hiker wondered how "Crazy Jack" was. Crazy Jack, you are famous on Baldy, too.
I met a young Marine who served in Japan. Thank you very much for your service.
I met Pavel, a mayor of Mt. Baldy, was organizing some activity on the mountain.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vrtLyX9gd8Xm7wX7A
I met many long time hiking friends and new hikers today.

Have a great hike.

There is no new update on Baldy trails but I want to share my experience of San Gorgonio hike with James L., Martha, and Elena. on Saturday in connection with Baldy hike.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pXXSSJD6xYNP1xzj7
The hike was starting from South Fork, Dry lake, SG, Dollar lake with about 22 miles.
I learned several important things from this hike.
1) Proper hydration
2) Adequate energy supply
3) Ability of each member in a team
4) Team chemistry

The hike was great with great friends, great weather, and views.
We enjoyed every minutes of it.

I had a bit different experience on the way down.
I started to lose my body balance here and there every time when I looked up or looked back or leaned over. My footing got poor on top of my loose fitting shoes. So I kept on walking down with looking down position.
We stopped a few times for short break and got back to parking lot all right. It was a hard hiking down for me.
1)Hydration
I carried a usual amount of water of Baldy hike plus extra bottle
of water and small bottle of coke.
I don't drink much water on Baldy hike but I should carry and
drink much more water. Baldy hike is about 10 miles but this SG
was 22 miles long.
2)Adequate supply of energy
I should have eaten much more and better food than Baldy hike.
My energy level got low on the way down.
I usually carry some food and snack but I eat less than a half
on the hike and eat up the rest on the way home in my car.
22 miles hike needs more energy.
3)Ability of each member in a team
Even though this 22 miles long hike, we are able to keep our
member in very tight pack. we never got separated as a team.
Each one is relatively same level of fitness and activity level.
4)Team chemistry
It is very important to have a positive team chemistry for a long
hike, especially.
James was our leader with great amount of knowledge and experience
about SG and other mountains. He kept his eye on each of us all
the time like a sheep dog, nice and gentle.
When we hike a place where you don't know well, the situation
makes much more overwhelming and consume much more mental ability.
It is very nice to be with a solid leader who you can trust.

He advised me to take off my sunglasses so I can judge my footing
better.
Sure enough, after I took it off, I was able to judge my footing
much better than before.
I have to apology him for poking on his boots many times with my
trekking poles. I should have maintain for distance but I was
anxious to get down fast or I was tumbling down fast (could be
both)?.

There are many people training for Whitney hike or many other adventures in Sierra.
It may be a good idea to test out or simulate all the elements of hiking before so the hike will be much more enjoyable.

Have a great hike.

P.S.
rebel trekker, please look your privet message, please.

James L. has a new nickname!

What up, Sheepdawg?

Shin,

Great write up of our super fun adventure! Everyone did great and there was no herding necessary. All the team members hiked strong more like bighorn sheep than regular sheep (what are regular sheep called anyway?). Everyone contributed to the hike's success taking turns leading, making very helpful suggestions, and keeping us moving in the right direction. Exactly what a group hike is supposed to do, everyone working for the success of the group. Focused on safety, staying together and team chemistry, which leads to a whole lot of fun!

And no problem with the trekking poles poking my shoes, it kept me alert and on my toes...literally.

Your points on hydration and nutrition are spot on. I have been in that situation as well where I needed far more water and calories. Much thanks to Marta for her uncanny ability to make the best sandwiches on good ol' Trader Joe's organic tortillas. Just when you think you can't eat two of those during a hike both are gone before the descent. Throw in some trail mix and/or dried seaweed for some salt and you've got a power calorie supply. Having the creek near South Fork meadow flowing well also helped. That was pristine cold water and it helped wash down all the food.

Can't wait for the next adventure!

JamesL the Bighorn Sheepdawg.

Mt. Baldy got snow in May.
The snow didn't last long but it was beautiful in the morning.
The weather was nice and cool with moderate wind and cloud cover.
We met "Super hiking twins" again with their parents.
They were on Mt. San Jacinto two weeks ago.
Meeting with them was the highlight of the day.

There were many hikers on the mountain including a young couple taking a complete nude picture at the summit plate surrounded by many other hikers. He informed his picture taking to several hikers nearby in advance. But, this was the sickest thing I have experienced on Mt. Baldy. (Freedom of expression or total lack of social manner and respect?)

We saw snow plants, reddish plant, along the side of trail.
This "fungus" will be found 7500-8500 feet elevation this time of the year.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/z56x5RvMZRDh7SXs7

Have a great hike.