The most challenging hike in the San Gabriels?

[Cy Kaicener]

Is the Iron Mtn to Baldy the most strenuous hike in the San Gabriels? Can any of them beat this one.
http://summitpost.org/tripreport/170837 ... -4-06.html

[Taco]

Probably not without stringing together too many peaks.

Augie has a list going: http://www.summitpost.org/list/315860/T ... tains.html

I haven't tried most, so I can't say.

[Hikin_Jim]

You could always try this North Ridge route: http://www.summitpost.org/route/297109/north-ridge.html

I think Baden Powell from the South would be a worthy opponent.

[Rick Kent]

I'd say that's the toughest one though this version was harder:

http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/view ... x?ID=80646

The Baldy 11 Peaks (without car shuttle) was pretty tough too.

-Rick

[Taco]

You could always try this North Ridge route: http://www.summitpost.org/route/297109/north-ridge.html

I think Baden Powell from the South would be a worth opponent.

I may try Baden Powell from Mine Gulch, straight up one of the chutes. Lotsa gain in a short distance. Looks nuts. That might qualify, but it's a tad different from a hike.

[Rick Kent]

That could prove to be "interesting".

[Hikin_Jim]

I'd say that's the toughest one though this version was harder:

http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/view ... x?ID=80646

The Baldy 11 Peaks (without car shuttle) was pretty tough too.

-Rick

Yes, I remember reading about that one when you did it. Adding Manker Flats and summiting Baldy twice in one day via 2 different routes definitely qualifies as "somewhat difficult."

OK, so now we do the Heaton-Iron-Baldy Traverse to Manker, but we do it via the North Ridge Route. That oughta be enough to keep anybody busy.

I suppose if you want to get really hard core, you can do Heaton to Allison Saddle to Iron to W Baldy to Baldy to Dawson to Fish Fork to Prairie Fork to E San Gabriel River and back to Heaton Flat. Nice big loop, no car shuttle. Lunch in Wrightwood via Pine Mtn and the Acorn Canyon Trail adds just enough spice to make it really interesting.

[Hikin_Jim]

I may try Baden Powell from Mine Gulch, straight up one of the chutes. Lotsa gain in a short distance. Looks nuts. That might qualify, but it's a tad different from a hike.

The tough part on that one might just be the rock itself. I seem to remember that that stuff on the east side of B-P is pretty loose and slidey. I've gone down from Big Horn Mine, joined in with Mine Gulch, and returned to Vincent Gap via the E Fork San Gabriel River trail. Wouldn't relish going up that loose stuff. Lot's of neat mine equipment in the chute though.

If you could gain the ridge above BH Mine at about UTM 11 431645E 3801890N (NAD27), I think you'd actually have a half decent route to BP. Return to Vincent Gap via the regular BP trail, and you've got a nice loop, no PITA shuttle. Heck, you could even backtrack from the mine to UTM 11 431969E 3801824N (NAD27) and proceed up the aforementioned ridge without having to take the risk associated with going up one of those chutes. Honestly, doing the backtrack route really doesn't look that bad.

Going up from the confluence of Iron Fork and the E Fork of the San Gabe, now that might be a bit more of a challenge. The ridge east of Ross Gulch looks like a likely route.

[Travis]

What about Mount Baldy via Big Horn Ridge? However you access the ridge, it looks like it would be an epic.

Plus the Triplet Rocks seems like quite a challenge, especially since it involved a minimum of class 3 rock climbing, from what I saw getting half way down the ridge it looked more like class 4.

[Taco]

I'm not going up to BP unless it's winter. I hate scree slogs. I've done real crappy condition winter climbing, "San Gabriel Mixed - Dirt Tooling" as I refer to it. I'm not a fan of not-snowy conditions anywhere. 8)

Starting at Heaton Flats and going up from there.

[AW~]

The most dauting canyoneering routes that I know would are all in the San Gabriel Wilderness.

1.West Fork Bear Creek
2. Canyon X ridge in either direction...this is a ridge that connects the West Fork SG river(@Devils Canyon) to Twin Peaks
3.Loop of Bear Creek-->West Fork Bear Creek--> Chileno canyon-->West Fork SG River
4. Any of the minor peaks in the SG wilderness.

As for long distance hikes, I imagine the most miserable would be from Pacoima to Mt.Gleason...another one would be Baden-Powell from the East Fork SG river via Ross Mountain.

The feat of Heaton to Manker & back was quite an accomplishment.

[luciano136]

I'd say that's the toughest one though this version was harder:

http://www.rickkent.net/ViewerPlus/view ... x?ID=80646

You could do this but instead of going to to manker flat, go down to the village and back up