It wasn’t looking good for my planned hike of San A on Wednesday. On Sunday I ate some bad cheese spread. That lead to a Monday hunkered over the bowl and a Tuesday hindered by spontaneous high pressure hydraulic evacuations. Staying hydrated could be a problem. By Tuesday night though, I convinced myself I felt good enough to go. For some reason my mind was not into sleeping and I tossed and whatnot for most of the night. I am pretty sure I got about 30 minutes of sleep though, before my alarm went off at 2:55am. Ass and I arrived at the trailhead at 4:30 and were on the trail at 4:45.
I felt pretty horrible and my heart was racing right off the bat. I decided to set a slow pace and see if it would get better as the day went on. We took a right after the register and went up the ridge. I hiked this ridge (and this range for that matter) for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was excited to show it to Ass. Of course he was impressed. It really is a great route. Sweet views at ALL times. Early on It was the lights of the valley below, followed by impressive views on either side of the ridge as the ground lit up a bit.
While the trail is very steep, the super slow pace and good conversation made for a truly enjoyable hike up to Harwood. We hit the summit at about 8ish, conversing and laughing loudly. Right as we paused at the very top, I spotted a group of 5 bighorn. That was pretty frickin cool, and very unexpected. We followed the sheep west down into the saddle between Harwood and Baldy were they bid us a farewell as they disappeared down the bowl. We continued on up the ridge. About halfway up from the saddle, a helicopter flew by very close and I assume he touched down on the summit. I was very sore at the fact that who I assumed to be the first one on the summit that day did so under huey power, I EARNED THAT FAOTD!. I shook my fist at him furiously as he appeared again.
We made the summit of Mt San Antonio at 9:15am. Staying just long enough to leave and head over to West Baldy. While we sat and snacked on WB Ass felt compelled to do a little strength training with the various free weights abound. While he looked pretty silly there at 9988' lifting granite blocks over his head, I was compelled to join in. I was felling much better by this time, and the workout was surprisingly energizing.
We left WB and traversed over to the west ridge of the Baldy bowl. Skirting the ridge as close as we could, we made our way down to the southern slope of the bowl and scree surfed down...so fun. We hopped, skipped (well maybe not skipped) and jumped across the boulder field and down to the hut, avoiding a swarm of bees on the way. The rest is really boring.
The route was almost completely snow free with the exception of a short section on the east side of Baldy, and the summit of West Baldy. The switchbacks (which I have yet to switch back upon) were still covered in snow, and a hiker we passed above them said he was post holing often.
Times:
3:15a Leave Huntington Beach
4:45a leave TH
8:10a Summit Harwood
9:15a Summit San Antonio
9:45a Summit West Baldy
1:30p Arrive at TH
3:15p Arrive in Huntington Beach
Happy hiking!
Har Har Harwood, Baldy and West Baldy 4/22
southswell wrote:About halfway up from the saddle, a helicopter flew by very close and I assume he touched down on the summit.
that musta been sumpin' to see!Is a helicopter near the summit a very rare situation? With the winds up there, can a helicopter really sit down on the summit? Seems like would take an extra steady hand and really calm conditions. Just curious, that's all.
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southswell
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 1:45 pm
Enfuego, thanks for the welcome.
Outwhere, I am not sure if the chopper sat down on Baldy, as the snow is mostly gone. However, there were skid marks on W.Baldy
The wind was pretty light.
Outwhere, I am not sure if the chopper sat down on Baldy, as the snow is mostly gone. However, there were skid marks on W.Baldy
The wind was pretty light.
southswell wrote:However, there were skid marks on W.Baldy
That must be a wild ride... winds or no winds.Thanks, SS...