Four pirate hikers summited Mt. Baldy in celebration of EisPiraten's 10th Anniversary.
September 27th marked ten years that this forum has been providing kickass reports and information for the SoCal hiking community. I thought it would be cool to celebrate this achievement in some small way. So today Elwood, John, Kevin, and I met up at the Baldy Resort for an ascent of San Antonio Peak via the Devil's Backbone.
For me, the excitement began during the drive up Baldy Road. At around 6:45am, I saw this Sasquatch Crossing sign.
Due to recent health issues, I wasn't sure whether I could make it to the summit. But after seeing the road sign, I felt a warm sensation in my heart and knew that Squatchy had blessed me. With his strength I'd conquer that mountain.
I pulled into the ski lift parking lot and met Elwood, John, and Kevin for the first time. The lift operator was late opening the ticket counter, so we all talked for a bit and made sure nobody was actually psychotic.
Up at the Notch we took a bunch of pictures of each other.
There were some new, handmade signs posted for the trails.
John and his son Kevin live in San Diego, and they had never taken the Devil's Backbone before. So they were pretty excited to see the narrow rocky ridge and huge drops on either side.
Elwood is from south Ventura County and doesn't get to Baldy as much as I do. But he often hikes twenty or thirty miles in a day, and has covered much of the San Gabriel range. Today though he was out for a nice Saturday stroll.
A little before the summit we ran into Ellen, another member of the forum, who was already coming down. She gave me a big hug and raced down the ridge to catch up with her group.
I was the last one to reach the top. But at least I made it, thank Squatchy!
The weather up there was a bit windy, but clear of clouds. John and Kevin wanted to tag West Baldy as well. So Elwood and I waited for them. In addition to having a weekend stroll, Elwood brought his radios and chatted with other operators.
He tried to explain a few things about radios, but there were these girls doing headstands on the summit, and they were quite distracting.
Soon John and Kevin returned and we headed back down the Backbone.
We all decided to hit up Mt. Harwood, only a slight detour and small additional climb.
Due to the added gain and wind, I had to summon some extra Squatchy power for this one.
We made decent time on the descent and celebrated with a hearty lunch at the Notch Restaurant.
Thank you to Elwood, John, and Kevin for a wonderful hike and some wonderful personal stories that will go unreported. And thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum. Happy 10th anniversary! Keep hiking, and keep sharing your stories!
EisPiraten's 10th Anniversary Hike
-
Sean
- Cucamonga
- Posts: 4179
- Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:32 pm
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
-
HikeUp
- Posts: 3994
- Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 9:21 pm
Thanks for the TR. Happy 10th to this great group of hikers. Wish I was able to join.
So who drank all the beer?
So who drank all the beer?
-
Sean
- Cucamonga
- Posts: 4179
- Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:32 pm
I had a Hell or High Watermelon wheat beer. Pretty good. Not great.
-
Elwood
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:23 pm
I had an awesome time celebrating this auspicious occasion with an equally awesome crew. Although I didn't take many pictures, I managed to get some decent ones:
Fearless leader, Mount Harwood.
Man who knows how to take in a view...
Hardy trekkers headed towards Mount San Antonio.
Brief photographic opportunity on the Devil's Backbone.
Fearless leader, Mount Harwood.
Man who knows how to take in a view...Hardy trekkers headed towards Mount San Antonio.Brief photographic opportunity on the Devil's Backbone.
-
JeffH
- Posts: 1282
- Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 7:09 am
Dang, sorry I missed you guys. I walked up to the Notch, had lunch and left around 1pm because I didn't see anyone I recognized. Or at least no one that looked like the photos in these pages.
For the record, I had a Rye Pale Ale from La Verne Brewing. Mighty tasty.
For the record, I had a Rye Pale Ale from La Verne Brewing. Mighty tasty.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
"Argue for your limitations and sure enough they're yours".
Donald Shimoda
Donald Shimoda
-
Sean
- Cucamonga
- Posts: 4179
- Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:32 pm
Sorry we missed you, Jeff. We got back to the Notch a little after 1pm.
-
JeffH
- Posts: 1282
- Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 7:09 am
Looking over the 15 fwy as it heads up to the pass. I think it's actually on the 'trail' to Thunder, which is of course just a fire road.
"Argue for your limitations and sure enough they're yours".
Donald Shimoda
Donald Shimoda
-
AW~
- Posts: 2077
- Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:00 pm
Cool...alas I had no excuse other than laziness.
-
jfr
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:01 pm
Thanks, Sean, for putting together a fun day in the mountains! It was great getting to meet you and Elwood.
My son also had a great time and was happy to bag three new peaks (Harwood, Baldy, and West Baldy) as well as drink some beer with his Notch Burger.
Unfortunately, his desire to bag West Baldy probably was why we were late meeting up with Jeff. Sorry, Jeff! Interestingly, we almost met five years ago in Kelly Camp on a cold Memorial Day Weekend back in 2012, but it was so cold that my wife and I mostly hid inside our tent with our legs in the sleeping bag. Perhaps we'll meet next time.
Here are a few of my photos:
Group shot at Baldy Notch
Looking southwest down San Antonio Canyon from the Devils Backbone Trail, Ontario Peak left of center
Looking back at one of the spiny bumps on the Devils Backbone
Panorama with Cucamonga, Ontario, the Baldy Bowl, and Mount Baldy
My son on the summit of West Baldy, with Mount Baden-Powell on the right
Hikers doing headstands for photo-ops on the summit of Mount Baldy
The EarthScope GPS device on Mount Harwood. Looks a bit like a Space Alien Landing Craft.
Back to the backbone
My son adding some extra exposure to a shot of Mount Harwood and Dawson Peak
Taking the easy way back down via the ski lift
As usual, I took way too many photos and videos. I can't seem to help myself. ? Anyway, if you're bored, feel free to check them out on my Flickr Album Page
-- John
My son also had a great time and was happy to bag three new peaks (Harwood, Baldy, and West Baldy) as well as drink some beer with his Notch Burger.
Unfortunately, his desire to bag West Baldy probably was why we were late meeting up with Jeff. Sorry, Jeff! Interestingly, we almost met five years ago in Kelly Camp on a cold Memorial Day Weekend back in 2012, but it was so cold that my wife and I mostly hid inside our tent with our legs in the sleeping bag. Perhaps we'll meet next time.
Here are a few of my photos:
Group shot at Baldy Notch
Looking southwest down San Antonio Canyon from the Devils Backbone Trail, Ontario Peak left of center
Looking back at one of the spiny bumps on the Devils Backbone
Panorama with Cucamonga, Ontario, the Baldy Bowl, and Mount Baldy
My son on the summit of West Baldy, with Mount Baden-Powell on the right
Hikers doing headstands for photo-ops on the summit of Mount Baldy
The EarthScope GPS device on Mount Harwood. Looks a bit like a Space Alien Landing Craft.
Back to the backbone
My son adding some extra exposure to a shot of Mount Harwood and Dawson Peak
Taking the easy way back down via the ski lift
As usual, I took way too many photos and videos. I can't seem to help myself. ? Anyway, if you're bored, feel free to check them out on my Flickr Album Page
-- John
My hiking trip reports: https://hikingtales.com/