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

Brent, you know, I think you're right. It seems that the flow is generally greater in the summer. I wonder how that could be. Maybe the snowmelt on Mt. Whitney seeps into the aquifer and takes a couple months to move south through subterranean rock layers before it ends up on Mt Baldy.

As good a theory as any.

Without looking at local core samples / maps you hit it spot on. With all of the faulting in the area there is a large potential for all sorts of interesting water movement / hanging aquifers. From the time they get an influx of water there is a delay before it re surges from a spring. In karst terrain (like the Appalachians) that can be as little as two hours, elsewhere it could be years.

If you plan to hike up the Acorn Trail out of Wrightwood, the trailhead is next to a "Private Residence" and the owner is not friendly to hikers what-so-ever, you need to park about 1/8 mile down the road where it's legal to do so or you may get towed - Just for general information if you've never been there, friend picked me up there once after doing the PCT section from 15 Freeway all the way to Wrightwood and they wouldn't even let him wait, they were that unfriendly, so he parked down the street and picked me up when I called him on a radio

Thanks for the info.

The two times that I've done the Acorn Trail, I/we've parked down in a school parking lot (?) Added a bit of walking to get to the Trailhead.

We basically walked up from the bottom of Acorn Dr. The parking was a block or two over. It added some walking, but that is the point of the whole exercise anyway.

Did anyone go up the ski hut trail today? I'm hoping to take my kids up tomorrow and am curious about whether any of the snow from earlier this week is still on the trail.

Brent N

Has anyone tried to use the Blue Ridge Truck Trail that is
accessed on the east side of Wrightwood off of Lone Pine Canyon Road? It looks to be about 1.25 in length and about 1000' below where the other BRTT that comes in from the west side.
Observed using google maps....

Brent - did Register Ridge to Baldy today - plenty of snow on the ridge but not that much in the saddle between Harwood and Baldy, came down the (never used) chute that is directly below Harwood back to the main trail (a canyon that comes out just below the ski hut by about an 1/8 of a mile) the main trail from there back to the road is slushy (so it will freeze tonight and be icy in the early morning. The shady spots will have snow for a few more days, nothing more than 6 to 8 inches in most spots - Depending on the time of day you go it will be Icy early morning, fairly consolidated up until about 11 AM then getting softer throughout the day - depends on what protection and comfort level the kids can handle or like.

The road is really slick in the early AM - the melt runs down that road and freezes at night and will be that way for the next 3-5 days.

Have fun - the bowl is empty of most snow, not that much fell in the bowl but a bunch fell in the canyons and ridges below Harwood, go figure?

Is the road do-able in a Prius with chains on? Also do you know how often they spread sand on the road. I was up to Manker Flats on Thursday afternoon and I could see that sand had been spread on the road. Thanks.

Randy, not exactly sure the "time table" of when they do it, but most mornings that I have been there when there's a potential of ice on the roads at least one truck is roaming around putting brickdust/sand/gravel in the spots that need it. Unless there's really fresh snow, I've always been able to get to Manker - during a storm they shovel it then follow that up by spreading out the sandy stuff as soon as they can in the very early hours of the morning so that as many people can get to the lifts and into the village as possible. Within a day or two it will not be needed, it's getting warmer - tonights little bit of moisture is so insignificant as to be meaningless - have fun

Thanks for your reply. I was beginning to worry more about the drive up then the actual hike! I know for sure that it will be nice and cold in the morning when I go up. Thanks again.

I took my 10 year old and 15 year old girls up the ski hut trail today. There was a surprising amount of snow. The snow started at around 7,000 feet and got progressively thicker the higher we went, culminating in a lot of snow in the forrested area. We were glad for the microspikes starting at around 7,400 feet. In the afternoon when it turned to slush, however, microspikes have their limits.

It was a great day on Baldy, and, I finally scaled Kurt's no hand's rock--a first for me.

Brent

Brent,

Sounds like a good day. Was the area in the trees icy?
also... what is the "rock" of which you speak? Curious.
Thanks,
Rick

Hi, Rick. The area in the trees was icy-ish in the morning, but very slushy in the afternoon. A week ago, it was very icy, but you now have a new layer of snow that is melting. I don't give it very long with the weather we will have this week. I'll bet by the end of the week, it will be mostly ice.

No hands rock is on the ski hut (Manker Flats) trail at around 7300 feet or so. Whenever Kurt takes a group up, he demonstrates how to scale it with no hands, making it look easy enough that several other people attempt it. I've never seen anyone other than Kurt scale it with no hands.

Here is one of Richard P's pictures of Kurt on no hands rock about 3 weeks ago.

http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/WPSMB-Mt-Baldy-Group-Climb/21316771_kL8qGV#!i=1697560069&k=N5pjtKc&lb=1&s=A

It looks easier than it is, especially when you watch Kurt.

Brent

TR Today - WIND. I'm a pretty solid dude and it took a lot of effort just to put foot on sign. I should have known when I eyed the spindrift from the highway.

some significant snow (by winter '12 standards). if you're like me you enjoy bombing down the slope to the rock garden....do tread lightly as there is 6-8" of freshie on top of solid ice.

Hiked up R/R last night on Baldy, summited at 9:25 31deg and not a breath of wind on top, used the half of moon for most of the trip..

One of my highlights last night was comeing down the summit before I went down the chute was the moon hitting the pine trees with snow around the base of the trees the beautiful glow it showed I can't capture it on my camera..

On the way down about 15min. past the hut I heard a growl, well kinda like a growl. I stopped looked up the hill towards R/R and it made a sound I never heard before almost like a dog wanting to bark but what came out was a raspy sound, with goose bumps all over me I looked up the hill with my lamp for about 2min.no eyes,the animal made this sound 3x then I started walking down again and in about 2min. later it made the raspy growl type sound once more kinda like if the animal had a cold and couldn't growl right, I stopped again goose bumps going on to look up but nothing...Does anybody have any idea what it might have been...

Just another bitchen night on Baldy..

mark

This way down the chute


31deg.

Mark nice TR.....I think the sound you heard was the Baldy Yeti! Doesn't like night trespassers...

NICE. I started up at 3a last week and had a pair of narrow eyes following me for a bit, I knew it was small but it's funny how it gets to you in the dark. Turned out to be a possum and I enjoyed a good laugh at my own expense...in your case I'm pretty sure possums don't growl :-)

Register Ridge up, Ski Hut down yesterday. Patchy snow, gusty winds, and no growls in daylight hours.

Crampons/spikes not needed, but helpful heading down the ridge west of the bowl.

Despite how disappointing this winter has been, Baldy always delivers.

Pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wattifoto/sets/72157629146811222/