Death March

Post by **HikeUp** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:27 am

Again, here's a previous discussion from 2007 regarding the Big San Gabriel Loop...
http://www.mt-whitney.info/viewtopic.ph ... ight=#9623

I agree with Rick K. that going through Heaton Flat is what makes the most sense (if you can say that in the context of this discussion!).

Start and end at Heaton Flat (clockwise or counterclockwise, with or without Ross; shuttle or hike from Vincent Gap to Wrightwood)

or

Start/end or end/start at Vincent Gap or Wrightwood (clockwise or counterclockwise, with or without Ross)

AW~ · Post by **AW~** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:31 am

only got a couple more pictures of that S.Hawkins ridge...sort of puts the height in perspective when after the top of that ridge in photo theres only 3000ft more to go to S.Hawkins

just after fire:

AW~ · Post by **AW~** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:49 am

HikeUp wrote:
I agree with Rick K. that going through Heaton Flat is what makes the most sense (if you can say that in the context of this discussion!).

The trail to Rattlesnake starts Shoemaker road, not Heaton. A lot of that part of the road is rock siding or too steep or dense. Walking from Heaton to Shoemaker and back up is insane. There is access to the road from just west of Swan Rock...if I recall the elevation gain is 300ft by 1/16th of a mile.

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:02 pm

Starting tomorrow I will start scouting the Canyon and keep everyone posted. I will do a dry run in two weeks with Zach from Manker to Heaton or in the oppisite direction to check out that approach/descend off Iron.

Then in there weeks I will try to work something out with whomever wants to go and try to do the trip from Islip Saddle over Hawkins, South Hawkins or Ross to seek out approaches or ascents of the West Side of East Fork.

Thanks everyone for posting ideas, suggestions, difficulties, I look forward to this challenge.

We will figure out a hike that is doable but challenging.

Lilbitmo

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:12 pm

OK - What about this:

Start at Hwy 2/Vincent Gap TH @ 0.0 mi
Wind our way up to Mount Baden-Powell @ 2.8 mi
Continue on ridge trail to Mount Burnham @ 3.9 mi
Continue on ridge trail SW'ly to Throop Pk @ 5.1 mi
Continue on ridge trail SW'ly to Mount Hawkins @ 5.9 mi
Continue another 0.43 mi to where PCT veers NW'ly.

From this point, veer south on a differnt ridge trail to South Mt Hawkins @ 8.5 mi
From this point, I believe it will be XC ridge hike to Rattlesnake Pk @ 12.3 mi
From here, XC ridgeline South towards Swan Rock of East Fork San Gabriel @ 14.4 mi

This is bail out option #1. From here, you can walk to the East Fork trail head (2.3 mi walk out)

From San Gabriel River near Swan Rock, hike Southerly up ridgeline or gully to gain the Heaton Flat trail atop Bonita Peak @ 15.2 mi
Take Heaton flat trail westerly and veer off and XC to Iron Mountain @ 18.8mi
From Iron Mtn traverse ridgeline westerly to Mount San Antonio (bagging three smaller unkown peaks and West baldy in between) @ 22.9 mi

This is bailout option #2. From here you can take Ski Hut trail to Manker Flat (5.2 mi walk out)

From Old Baldy, trot over to Mount Harwood @ 23.9 mi
Loop back to Old Baldy, travel on trail to Dawson Peak @ 26.0 mi
Continue on trail from Dawson to Pine Mtn @ 26.9
From Pine, continue N'ly on trail to Wright Mtn @ 28.5 mi
From Wright Mtn, drop down for short ways, than head up to Acorn Canyon @ 30.0 mi

At Acorn Canyon you will have car shuttle vehicle waiting.

This is how I see this route going. The XC portions I've noted, have mostly been in the downhill direction, and in areas of lighter, scattered brush (I think if I remember correctly).

Lilbitmo, Zach, Liz - I say we partner up in pairs. Liz and I will do Vincent Gap to East Fork San Gabriel River as day hike. Lilbitmo and Zach, I say you two do Acorn Canyon to East Fork San Gabriel.

When we are complete, we will compare notes, and plan for another trip to link both sides as one long, painful, day hike.

I'm up for it if we approach it this way. How about you guys?

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:32 pm

The toughest section is the East Fork to the Top of Baldy - if we can find reasonable trial and/or ridge line between S. Hawkins and Rabbit Peak and the East Fork.

The secontion between S. Hawkins and Baden Powell is mostly forest service roads and PCT trial - not hard trail at all - as stated before, I've done this section from 3 miles west of Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap in 6 inches of snow and was able to follow the trial 95% of the time, so that part of the hike is straight forward and will be our best bet to end on. I would rather have the freshest legs going over Baldy down the San Antonio Ridge, over Iron and down to where it meets the Allison Mine Trail or whichever trails are below Iron then do everything else you have suggested but going in the opposite direction.

Let's do some scouting tomorrow and then we can plan the next hike to investigate more.

See you in the morning.

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:41 pm

lilbitmo wrote:. I would rather have the freshest legs going over Baldy down the San Antonio Ridge, over Iron and down to where it meets the Allison Mine Trail or whichever trails are below Iron then do everything else you have suggested but going in the opposite direction.

Thats the direction you would be going. You would start at Acorn Canyon and reverse my route down to the East Fork. I would start at Vincent Gap and work towards East Fork.

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:46 pm

I get the doing in half parts for a trial run but on the day we did the whole thing it would make sense to go in the direction that would have the least amount of energy to complete the whole thing, to me that would be from the North to the South, then East to West and finish at Vincent Gap.

The climb up to S. Hawkins is over a long distance thus easier to accomplish then going up that ridge line to Iron, then accross the other ridgeline to Baldy. Just a thought.

Liz · Post by **Liz** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:18 pm

EnFuego- I'm up for that. I'm sure we'd have fun checking out the trail together.

Post by **Taco** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 7:22 pm

So, where's the fun part?

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:33 pm

The fun is in between the pain -

Post by **Taco** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:24 pm

I've done enough deathmarches. I think I'll just stay at home and rub something against my heels to blister them.

Liz · Post by **Liz** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:53 pm

For me, the fun is feeling the wonderful pain of hiking uphill! It's also the joy of being outdoors...and it's also the cold beer I'll have after a long hike!

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 6:54 pm

Liz wrote:For me, the fun is feeling the wonderful pain of hiking uphill! It's also the joy of being outdoors...and it's also the cold beer I'll have after a long hike!

Liz - today, Lilbitmo, Zach, Taco and myself did a little reconnaissance of a portion of our "death march" and the half of the "death march" that you and I are going to hike soon, just under 15 miles with more than 70% of that being uphill. The portion from the East Fork to Rattlesnake Peak is going to be insane pain uphill.

You'll get your fun soon enough.

Liz · Post by **Liz** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:28 pm

EnFuego- When are you thinking about doing that hike with me? Any particular dates in mind? I propose you and I do a more moderate hike together first, to see how we hike together. Thoughts?

Bill · Post by **Bill** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:27 pm

Zé wrote:
Rick Kent wrote: I think one of the things that I find appealing about this proposition is being able to tag Baldy, Iron, and Baden-Powell all in the same day and in one hike. Has anyone ever tagged all 3 of these in the same day? That alone is quite a challenge and certainly noteable.
hmm I like that idea

Vincent Gap to Baden-Powell ~3000 ft
Descend baden-powell to East fork (not sure where of if this is feasible,)
take east fork to mine gulch / beginning of pine mountain NW ridge
ascend ridge to pine mt 5000 ft
take north backbone trail to Baldy 1500 ft
take San Antonio Ridge to Iron 2000
Descend to Heaton Flats 500 ft

~12000 quick approximation.

I think this is the most sensible approach for a one day attempt. Maybe even starting from Islip and heading toward Baden Powell, descending Vincent Gulch and acsending Pine ridge.
Doing the Wrightwood to Vincent Gulch approach would really require at least overnight to accomplish realistically, in my humble opinion.
I would be up for attempting Ze's version, or assist in recon or support for the other version. 8)

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 10:40 pm

Bill wrote:.
I would be up for attempting Ze's version, or assist in recon or support for the other version. 8)

We need a fixed rope from Iron to the bottom of the East Fork. Do you have a rope that will do the job?

Bill · Post by **Bill** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:57 am

Zach wrote:
Bill wrote:.
I would be up for attempting Ze's version, or assist in recon or support for the other version. 8)
We need a fixed rope from Iron to the bottom of the East Fork. Do you have a rope that will do the job?

I'm told the human intestines when stretched out are miles long. After all people are saying it takes guts to even attempt this.

Maybe we should consider hang gliders, or those new base jump suits.

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:59 am

Have to go run to hospital, sister in law got admitted last night at 1:30 medics took her away from my house so not much sleep.

Let's do the two practice runs with timing ourselves and then compare notes.

Enfuego and Liz will do the S. Hawkins route, Zach and I will do Baldy, W. Baldy and Iron run come out at E. Fork.

Bill I will get ahold of you this week to discuss a little help in picking Liz and David (Enfuego) at that end or us depending on which group goes in which directions.

Thanks

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 4:15 pm

lilbitmo wrote:Have to go run to hospital, sister in law got admitted last night at 1:30 medics took her away from my house so not much sleep

patrick - I hope everything is alright with your sis-in-law. best Wishes.

lilbitmo wrote:Enfuego and Liz will do the S. Hawkins route, Zach and I will do Baldy, W. Baldy and Iron run come out at E. Fork.

Patrick - you better be incuding Harwood on your route.

lilbitmo wrote:Bill I will get ahold of you this week to discuss a little help in picking Liz and David (Enfuego) at that end or us depending on which group goes in which directions.

Bill - at the worst, Liz and I would need a ride from Vincent Gap TH to Acorn Canyon where we will jump in Patrick's vehicle. My vehicle will be at East Fork and patrick and Zach will drive off with that.

If you're able to assist - way cool. If not, no worries, I think Liz and I could handle the extra 4 miles or so to Acorn Canyon.

WooHoo, things are looking painful.

~EnFuego (AKA ElSicko)

Bill · Post by **Bill** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:31 pm

Enfuego AKA Elsicko,
It will be my pleasure. Have you picked a day yet? Information only, there is still snow on the north face of Blueridge (along the Acorn trail)
Good luck by the way. 8)

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:51 pm

Bill - thanks for the headsup. Snow would be nice to see after the first part of the hike. It will be change of pace.

Post by **Taco** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:53 pm

This is true. One of those small things to get you to think positively after a whole lotta brush.

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:59 pm

Little heads up. This "half death march" hike might be off this weekend. Rain and snow is expected.

WooHoo!!!!

Actually, the hike in those conditions might make it even nicer.

Post by **Taco** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:00 pm

I'd like to make a death climb of sorts if things shape up and end up being genuinely cold.

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:02 pm

TacoDelRio wrote:I'd like to make a death climb of sorts if things shape up and end up being genuinely cold.

With no gear? Would be a death Climb.

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:03 pm

north face of San J!!!!

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:12 pm

I would not be able to go this coming weekend anyway, I have "Softball Tournament" with teams coming in from all over the state. I'm Co-Director so this coming weekend I'm out.

On the other hand, I can squeeze a day in on 15th to do from Wrightwood to East Fork with Zach if he can get out that day. If Enfuego is out of town or busy, then the following weekend I'm up for doing the second half as well with Enfuego and Liz.

I will talk with David/EnFuego at the office tomorrow. Zach, send me a "Private Message" with email address and I will respond in kind in the morning.

Thanks
lilbitmo

Post by **Taco** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:25 pm

Zach wrote:north face of San J!!!!

Again?

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:18 pm

TacoDelRio wrote:
Zach wrote:north face of San J!!!!
Again?

Wasn't aware you guys had done this already... sign me up for whatever's next.
A

Also, the term "death climb" scares me.