Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board WPSMB Dec 4th Baldy Group Hike

Hi All,

Cindy is having her slide show at REI in Tustin on Dec 4th. We will celebrate this by having a group hike on Baldy then going to REI afterwards. The slide show is full so I will kindly remind the people who signed up if you can't go go online and cancel, because there is a waiting list. If your not signed up but want to go go online and sign up and get on the waiting list.

Group hike all are welcome and we will meet at Manker Flats at 6am. By Dec 4th I'm predicting winter gear will be needed so all are welcome but please if you decide to show up have winter gear and know how to use it. If you don't know how to use it or don't own the gear sign up for one of Kurt W classes he is an excellent patient instructor.

Yeti

I had so much fun yesterday on the hike, I'll try to make this one too! Make sure the guy with the guy with the homebaked cookies gets a ticket for the climb.

It was great fun but I soooo need name tags!!!!!

So if we have one stating The Cookie Guy - we will all know who he is

I believe Mark was the guy with the delicious cookies!

Hey, everyone, this is the kid with the headband that went up Friday. I had a great time and hope that I can make another one of your trips sometime. It was great meeting you all!

Hi Will try to make the hike . Thanks Doug

Sweet! Doug as I'm reading this I'm in my cube at work looking at Carole's 8X10! So now the Jan 2010 Gang has to all show up. In the pic is Shin,BMan,Wes,Doug,Mouse,Yeti,GigaMike,ZombieDude and Big Uncle Richard P. Carole was the photograher!!!!!

What do you say gang!

GREAT! Maybe we can squeeze you into the REI presentation - if you are interested!?!

That will make five weekends in-a-row down in LA. I'm trying to find the motivation...

BTW, pre-turkey climb with Shin tomorrow morning. 6:00am as usual.

Since this is Saturday I can make it

BTW, pre-turkey climb with Shin tomorrow morning. 6:00am as usual. [/quote]

Crampons? the Bowl?

HAVE FUN GUYS! I'm a traditionalist, I'll be having breakfeast with Whitney, maybe some pancakces and apple cider, watching Christmas cartoons on Thanksgiving Day!!!

have fun and be safe see you all next Saturday!!!

Yeti...

Shin, Mike (up to the hut. He's still not 100%) and me.

One set of tracks ahead of us up to the Ski Hut, nobody above. It was howling... Should have some interesting spindrift photos.

It's definitely typical winter Baldy now... we encountered nearly bullet-proof ice, postholing, etc. If you're not sure of yourself with winter gear, I'd avoid it until there's new snow up there.

BTW, did I mention it was really cold (27 at the trailhead, 39 when we finished) and windy?

BTW II, I'll be there on the 4th. My wife bribed me into coming back to LA for a fifth weekend in-a-row.

Good Job Team! Mike sorry to hear the knee is still bothering you that sucks!

Richard glad you can make it next week it will be fun. We'll all have to grab some grub in between the climb and the slideshow!!!

Yeti.

Hi Richard,
It was a fun Thanksgiving hike. I couldn't take many pictures because I was busy keeping up with you and I didn't want to stop in hauling and freezing cold wind.

Mike made a right decision to guard refueling depot.

The hike had a full winter menu.

See you on 4th.

Shin
PS. Potos on the WPSMB album link.

I am about 90% good to go for the hike on the 4th. I am moving my son, his wife and MY GRANDSON on Thursday/Friday and if we get it knocked out I AM HIKING ON SATURDAY!

Ron it would be awesome to see you, haven't seen you since the Harvest bro! You have been seriously busy since then! Hope you make it.

Yeti

Shin tagging (literally) the summit. #213!


I'd say that's the second worst conditions I've seen on Baldy (in terms of wind).


You can see the rest of the photos here.

Richard, I thought it was pretty windy up there yesterday but it looks like you had it even windier, no spindthrift yesterday...
I found it odd that out of the 20 or so hikers up near the summit only about 5 or 6 had crampons in the icy conditions. One guy was cutting steps with an axe 100 feet below the summit just to ascend, and he was still slipping and sliding all over. Then he asked me about descending via the Devils Backbone to the Notch and of course I noted that with his equipment it would be easier and safer to return down the Ski hut trail that he had just come up. People without the 'pons were descending REAL slowly but if you had 'em it was like walking on a sidewalk, a total piece of cake.

Summit 360 video

And on a very tragic note, yesterday morning a 48 year old man suffered either a stroke or a seizure while hiking up the Ski hut trail about halfway to the Ski hut. He evidently lost consciousness and plunged off the trail down into a ravine. By the time his girlfriend and some other hikers got down to him he had stopped breathing and efforts to revive him with CPR were unsuccessful. Eventually the paramedics arrived and pronounced him, and a helicopter came in and retrieved the body. It's so sad, and what an awful and untimely thing to have happen...prayers and condolences to his girlfriend, family, and friends.

I got to the FIVE, count em FIVE Sunday services yesterday at Revival Christian Fellowship in Menifee. Your "adopted" home church :-)