Did a ride up to Adam's at Crystal Lake on the 23rd. I've started to enjoy this ride, and it is no longer tiring, assuming I eat enough. My bike is heavy and slower than the light alu/carbon machines others ride, but it's got great low gearing and is very comfortable. 60 something miles, 6,000 something feet of gain. Always easy when you've got Adam's kindness to meet at the top.
North of Bichota
The gate above the twisties before the big sweepers to the entrance to CL
Adams
Went up Baldy Bowl the next day. Had a gentleman lose control on a glissade and slide several hundred feet down the bowl. He sustained only minor scratches to his face. His axe lanyard broke. It's a Camp Neve model, which has a plastic ring that goes around the shaft, with a nylon wrist leash about 6-8" long. The ring split and the axe fell away. I retrieved his axe and glacier glasses and am waiting to give them back to him.
We summited and everything was as always, a bit windy on top, easy hike down, so on and so forth.
The boys
The next day, Jared, Ahdom and I climbed the Northwest Face of Telegraph, which is a fun, steep, short snow route. I don't mean to promote traffic on this face, but if you're capable in basic mountaineering, it's a really fun and safer alternative to Baldy Bowl. Shorter than the bowl, but less rockfall, better conditions, and nobody goes there.
Jared before the face
Jared climbing the face
Ahdom after climbing the north ridge
On the 28th, I took a bike ride up 39 from West Covina to Rincon Road, west towards Wilson. My goal was to summit Wilson, and descend the toll road into Pasadena. I've hiked up that road many times, and biked up it recently, and it looked like it would be a fun ride down, as it's all downhill.
I turned back when I reached the intersection with the road that descends to Cogswell Dam. It was in the 30-40's and getting late, and there were many downed trees, some impressively large. The road needs a group of offroad dudes with shovels and chainsaws to open it up to traffic again.
The next day, my friend Jen, her boyfriend Pedro and myself climbed the NWF of Tele again. A few more inches of snow had fallen since the last visit, and the snow wasn't as hard as before, but we did just fine.
I took a video of this trip:
They had a good time, and Pedro was able to enjoy skiing down the west bowl where the trail to the summit lies.
The following day, Ty and I climbed Kimchi Ridge, which goes up the north face of Ontario to the right of Sheep Canyon. In summer, you can do about 5-6 pitches of rock to 5.8 or really whatever, with lots of scrambling. It's good mountaineering. Good place to train. Lots of loose rock. Protection can be challenging. I usually go alone with approach shoes and a tiny pack with water and some snacks.
In winter, there's snow and some ice. Not enough ice for ice climbing, just ice over slabs and stuff. The gullies fill with snow, which bakes into easy avenues between the harder loose rock ridges.
The ridge from down in Ricehouse
Ty coming up Pitch 1 or 2
The camera makes removing slings a pain in the ass, and I look like a clown (but I am one so whatever)
Moderately steep snow
Fun on the left in summer. We went up the gully to the right.
Ty leads the 2nd to last pitch up fun snow
Happy Ty at the top
We had planned on rapping down Sheep Canyon Headwall, but that is uncomfortable in good conditions, and a pain with snow and ice, so we took the fast way down the gully to the east. We were both getting tired, so we took it easy and descended with both tools in the variable snow conditions back to Icehouse. Total was about 13hrs round trip.
I've made a video for this trip as well:
That's about it for now.
