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

Hi Brent, believe me I'm not even close to being a Pro Bowl guy. I was in a group led by Shin, and Tacy B and Carol from this board were behind me giving me advice about foot and ice ax placement. At times it was really tedious. Plus you really need quad strength and strong achilles for digging in and climbing. I think it will be a while before I do it by myself. That said, a couple of years ago I did the West Bowl with a friend and this time the bowl appeared very slick. It was early morning so it might have looked really icy. Later in the day it might have been more slushy to get a better grip in the snow. I hope this answers your question.

I'll show what a winter newbie I am, but I would think you would prefer slick on the way up so as to get better traction with your crampons and that slushy is great for glisading but not so much ascending.

My friends, Patrick, Marc and I hiked Mt. Baldy via the ski hut trail from Manker Flats yesterday, 1/28/13. We were the only ones on the trail and hiked on fresh snow, doing a little route-finding on the way up past the ski hut through the trees and to the summit. The clouds dancing above threatened a whiteout, and we encountered some light snow about halfway to the ski hut, but it turned out to be a gorgeous day as the clouds came and went. It was SUPER windy at the summit and extremely cold with the wind chill factor, probably below zero. We were assaulted by blowing snow and biting wind, so we stayed about 5 minutes, took a few pictures, and quickly descended. It was pretty cool to have an entire mountain to ourselves. By the time we returned to the road in the afternoon, all the snow and ice had been cleared. I finally figured out how to post pics on this board, so here are a few.

The temperature was well below freezing as we made our way past Baldy Village.


The road was so icy that we couldn't make it all the way to Manker Flats. We parked in one of the turnouts and walked about 1.5 miles to the trailhead.


This is Marc on the summit with a spectacular view of the golden-hued ocean and Catalina Island in the distance.


Cloud formations to the southeast of Mt. Baldy summit. You can see the snow blowing around in the wind.

Way to go Joyce! Looks like you are quickly becoming friends with winter hiking!!!

Stacy

Thanks, Stacy! I can't believe I've been missing out all this time. Too bad I didn't have my regular camera yesterday. I probably would have taken 300 pictures. The scenery was so beautiful!

Joyce

Now how do I write this? Be safe.. bring a jacket and some snacks and take a full moon winter hike in the mountains. Hear the snow as you move ,feel the brisk cold air across your face as you travel, hear the world as Sonya does. Experience the night like you have never before. You are surronded be millions of diamonds in that blue light of the night. Repeat when one needs to journey into the quiet world of solitude .

The photo from the summit tells a story, without the clouds you would see the city, the ocean and beyond. Like the story of the man in the cave only looking at the wall and seeing the shadows until you turn and see the outside....

Doug

Love the sentiment and images. And the Plato reference.

Gonna tell us any stories about the new- fangled gear you seen in SLC?

Mark and I hike Baldy on full moon nights often.

Last Saturday we started mid afternoon in a steady rain, clouds and fog, and we were wondering if we made a mistake. By the time we reached the snow the clouds and rain had gone, the moon was out, and a sunset was coloring the western sky. We just smiled the rest of the night. What a great feeling. It was like we had a secret only a very few know about.
Ice covered trees sparkling with moonlight, watching your moon shadow move across the snow, and the summit at midnight almost as bright as noon, pictures or words never describe it properly, need to be there.
People may wonder why some of us climb the same mountain over and over, those of us that do, no explanation is needed.

Here's another story about hiking at night:

http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/...h=true#Post2130

Hard to believe that was 6 years ago...
I don't like hiking at night any more...
You guys do seems to really enjoy it...
I like broken records too...

I love those poetic images you just inspired in my mind, but I don't know about doing a Baldy night hike in the winter. Monday's hike was only my third Baldy hike in the snow and I'm still adjusting my body to snow travel. My favorite night hike is the Mt. Whitney trail. Other than that, I keep my hikes limited to daytime hours only. However, if there is ever a WPSMB group night hike at Baldy (hint, hint), I would totally do it. I'd be wrapped up like a mummy, though, and wouldn't be able to move that fast. Now that I think about it, that might also present a safety hazard.

Asbufra, I totally get that about people wondering why we climb the same mountains over and over. Some of my friends criticize me for my repeated Baldy climbs. It just never gets old and I can't explain it to them. Like you said, those of us that do it need no explanation.

Joyce

Joyce it sounds like you guys had a really good trip, plus I bet alot of experience to have been gained in that type of weather. Those pictures are awesome. How was the weather coming down? Did you have any limited visibility? If so, how was your navigation?Every time I come down from the peak it seems like I never come down the same way.

Hey, Randy. Thanks for the compliment on the pics. We did indeed have a great experience on the mountain as always. It was so awesome to be standing atop this Arctic-like mass, look to the northeast and see dry desert terrain, and then turn to the southwest and view a golden ocean with barges and islands. So amazing!

This was only my third time hiking Baldy in the snow and it was my friends' first snow hike, so I was pretty much their guide. I watched the clouds on the way up and became concerned about a possible whiteout because of how quickly the clouds swirled together around the summit. By the time we made it to the ski hut, the clouds parted and the sun came out, so we cautiously proceeded. The clouds were around, but never near us, and we had complete visibility, even on the way down.

Navigation was fairly easy. We just retraced our steps in the snow. Going up the summit slope, it was little bit of a challenge finding the trail. What I did was gauge the distance between West Baldy and the summit, and when I realized we were a little too far to the right, we shifted left a bit, went straight up and we were there. It was pretty cool being the first people on the trail after fresh snowfall and great to know that we blazed a trail for everyone else. I hope our tracks remained.

Cheers!
Joyce

Joyce that must have been quite an experience for only your third time up Baldy in the snow. Good job! I went up last Sunday, had some snow/sleet, and it was pretty cloudy. From the hut you could barely see the trail past the stream. Since I was by myself I turned around in the area of the trees. I also learned a cold weather lesson: keep your gloves on while eating! Glad you had a good time.

Ah, the joy of first tracks...
And the work, of course.

Oh yes, the work. We were toast by the time we made it back down to the ski hut, but the phrase "Mongolian Barbecue" propelled us off the mountain. We went to a place in Claremont after the hike and devoured multiple helpings.

Here is the link to the full photo album on Smug Mug.

HikerGirl

Big time congrats, Joyce! Amazing photos... Love the cloud formations from the summit. Regarding navigation, I always carry a map and compass. That said, I usually have good whether or I am with people that know the routes of the mountain I am on. I haven't had to navigate in recent years. Time to get out and practice.

Can't wait to hike Baldy with you again. Looking at March. I'll post a date when it's confirmed...

Hi Joyce, congrats to you, glad you had a fun time.
Thanks for the photos..

Yep this is how we all got started and now your hooked...

see you here there or somewhere on the trail..

mark

Hi M.C. how are you? Poor weather navigation on Baldy is one of the things I'm concerned with when hiking there during the winter. Getting to the hut is usually not too bad. But when going up past the trees along that western ridge can sometimes be a problem. Much of it seems to be kind of cross country in a way. Going up is obviously not a problem, but going down is, at least for me. Shin told me to be aware of important land marks, such as the two barren trees along the ridge. But that is why we do this, to test our limits, and to know our limits.

Thanks, MC and Mark! Yes, I am totally hooked. As a matter of fact, I'll be back on the mountain next Saturday.

Mark, I'm sure I'll cross paths with you somewhere on the trails soon. It's so funny how we met at Baldy last year. It was like a big party on the summit that day and that encounter was totally random. I was at Potato Mountain last month and met another person from this board, Jeff H, in the same manner. Gotta love the message board.

MC, I can't wait to go on another adventure with you! Let me know when you have your dates confirmed. We've got stories and songs to chat about and write. There is much creative energy to be gained at Mt. Baldy.

Joyce