simonov's solo summit of Baldy, 20080216

[simonov]

After He219 escorted me to the top last week, I got the Baldy Bug in a bad way and decided to try it again this weekend. The wife had something else going on, so I could do whatever I wanted.

I had been watching the weather reports carefully all week, and decided conditions would be similar to last week, ie, nice crusty, icy snow in the morning with plenty of nasty slush in the afternoon, if not sooner. My new Grivel G12 crampons arrived from Backcountry.com almost before I had ordered them, so I was ready to go (BTW, all these photos are from my Flickr account, so click on them to see monster high resolution versions, if desired):



I left Costa Mesa at 4:30am on Saturday and after hitting every red light in Ontario on the way up Euclid (we take Euclid all the way from Orange County), started on the trail at about ten minutes after six. It was just light enough to work without a headlamp.

ENTIRELY BY CHANCE, I started walking from my car at the same time as a young woman who was parked just in front of me. We had a pleasant enough chat as we walked up the San Antonio Falls Road to the trail. When we got to the trail we stopped to remove clothing layers (it was getting warm fast), and I started playing with my camera. I snapped a photo of her, just for giggles, whereupon her demeanor changed and she expressed concern that she might be holding me back with her slow pace. As Mrs Simonov didn't raise no dummy, I understood this to mean she was not interested in sharing the trail with a creepy mountain stalker dude, so I set off on the trail in front of her and within a couple minutes had left her well behind me. C'est la vie! She liked dogs, too.

Anyway, before too long I had a nice glimpse of Baldy:



I'm not sure that looks any different than it did a week ago. Here's another shot as I got closer to the ski hut:



Maybe a little less coverage there, I dunno (well, there was definitely less coverage at the lower elevations, where I hiked through rock and icy mud).

The walking was wonderful. There was an icy crust on the snow that the crampons bit into easily. In fact, for most of my climb to the top, I barely even left footprints, mostly it was just those little crampon tracks. I made excellent time, even surprising myself.

I got to the ski hut, for example, by 8:00, and after a short breakfast of turkey and onion sammich and granola bar, had already crossed the bowl and was halfway up the southwestern ridge (or whatever it's called) by 9:00. There was only a handful of folks at the ski hut when I was there:



Anyway, instead of heading straight up the face as we did last week, I decided to take the Baldy Bowl trail to the west and south:



I found this to be somewhat easier than going up the face because while some of the faces on this route were probably just as steep, you had little rests at the top of them, before you moved onto the next one. It was certainly longer than the face.

While crossing the bowl I saw the remains of a couple of big rockfalls:



I'm not sure whether this was the one He219 and I witnessed or a later one from during the week.

Over on SummitPost, folks wanted to know what the Backbone looked like. Here it is:



I saw a couple of climbers moving along it toward the summit, but they never got to the summit while I was there.

I hurried up the mountain. I was in a hurry because I knew it was only a matter of time before my wonderful crusty easy walking medium would melt into a nasty (and dangerous) slush. In contrast to my experience the previous week, where it seemed that after hours and hours of climbing you were never any closer to the damned rocks up there at the top, on the Baldy Bowl Trail I was quite pleasantly surprised by how much ground could be covered with a simple routine: ten or a dozen steps, then a rest of about one or two minutes, then another ten or a dozen steps. Every cycle I would look around and be amazed by how much elevation I was gaining.

Finally, by about 10:15, I gained the summit:



That was only four hours after I left my car. Whoa.

In contrast with last weekend, the summit was windy. So windy, in fact, that nobody hung around there. I was the second person up, and the first person found a great windbreak behind the highest tree on the mountain (shit!). I had to settle for squatting behind a pathetic bush. The third person up simply turned around and started back down the mountain again as soon as he summited.

Before I hunkered down behind my bush, I got a shot of Baden-Powell, where Taco is this weekend:



. . . as well as a cool wide-angle view looking east:



There was no one around to help me with the traditional summit portrait, so I had to do it myself:



In short, I had a great climb, really fun and enjoyable.

The descent, on the other hand, was a different matter. It was unpleasant, slipping and sliding through the slush that, in the bowl at least, sat atop irregular ice formations. I removed my crampons on the south-facing ridge so I could slide around better, but this was a disadvantage once I crossed over into the bowl, where the snow was only partially melted (so I glissaded down on my ass). Below the ski hut, the trail was a soupy mess. I was astonished to see a scout troop make its agonizing way up the trail as I headed down. It was almost painful to watch them slipping and sliding under their heavy packs (they were staying the night at the hut), especially considering what an easy time of it they would have had if they had left a few hours earlier. There really is not much point, if you want to climb in these conditions, with sleeping in until 10:00 or whenever. May as well stay in bed.

Finally I approached the end of the trail, and took one last shot of Mt Baldy and her melting mantle of slush:



I got to my car by about 1:30.

[graham]

Hey Simonov,

I also was up on Baldy today. I did 2 laps of the bowl. 1st up the center and glissaded down the right side and then back up the right side and glissaded down the center. I started ~7am and got back around 1:30.

Saw lots of skiers, the Cal Tech mountaineer group, the Helio at 1:30, and a bunch of other great stuff. Another great day up on Baldy

Here are some photos
http://grahamcracker.myphotoalbum.com/v ... e=album112

Cheers,
RickG

ps, from Irvine, I take the 55 to the 5 to the 57 to the 210 to Baseline and then up the Baldy road

[Taco]

Cool stuff, looked like a nice day. Coverage on BP looks like it's getting weak.

Gotta get one of them red ass-saucers to descend the bowl in.

[He219]

Nice TR M,
sounds like a nice climb.

Gotta get one of them red ass-saucers to descend the bowl in.

Might as well squeeze into a barrel and roll down this chute:

[simonov]

I also was up on Baldy today. I did 2 laps of the bowl. 1st up the center and glissaded down the right side and then back up the right side and glissaded down the center. I started ~7am and got back around 1:30.

How were you dressed? I stood up at the top of a couloir taking a few pics of people struggling up the face. I also squatted behind my bush near the summit for a while photographing people as they came up.

ps, from Irvine, I take the 55 to the 5 to the 57 to the 210 to Baseline and then up the Baldy road

Euclid's an awesome straight shot, especially early in the morning when there is no traffic. The lights can be a bitch, but it's still shorter and usually faster than taking the freeways. 5 to 55 to 91 to 71, then the first exit.

[graham]

... How were you dressed? ...

Oh the usual, ….. boots, socks, underwear .....

Seriously, I wear light grey Patagonia pants and a green Mountain Hardware jacket on the descents and some sort of hat/cap for my bald pate.

…we take Euclid all the way from Orange County …

Are you serious?

At 6am, I can get to Manker Flats in just over an hour from Irvine by taking the freeways, and thats even stopping off at the donut shop for an Apple Fritter and large coffee. Mmmm … Apple fritter….

[He219]

Are you serious?

At 6am, I can get to Manker Flats in just over an hour from Irvine by taking the freeways, and thats even stopping off at the donut shop for an Apple Fritter and large coffee. Mmmm … Apple fritter….

Imagine taking the most direct route from Irvine; Jamboree/241/91/71/Euclid/Mtn. early morning.
There'd be even more time to stuff your face with apple fritters.
And if you were speeding you'd be even faster.
Serious.

[AlanK]

I see a race coming on.

Watch out for the CHP!

[graham]

I see a race coming on…..

No thanks Alan. I concede that their Euclid route is far superior in every fashion. I’m all for finding new fast escape routes out of the OC. I particularly like the notion that it will give me more time to stuff my face with fritters. It’s a win-win

Cheers,
RickG

[hvydrt]

I have to agree that the 57 to the 210 is way better than taking Euclid. I live and san clemente and it takes 1:30 to get to manker. (in the early am) Though on the way home i usualy take the 10, so i can stop off at Chipoltle on Mountain and reward my self with a gut full of barbacoa. ummm

[AlanK]

No thanks Alan. I concede that their Euclid route is far superior in every fashion. I’m all for finding new fast escape routes out of the OC. I particularly like the notion that it will give me more time to stuff my face with fritters. It’s a win-win

It is true that the money saved on traffic tickets associated with the race would buy a lot of fritters.

[He219]

Finally got around to posting a TR at SummitPost:
http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/3 ... -2008.html