We caught the first tram up and were past the ranger station in Long Valley by 8:30. The snow in Long Valley was 3-4 feet. We actually caught up to a ranger that was struggling with his own snow shoes (he saw me coming up behind him and decided he could go without them for a short time) as someone had done a fine job of packing the snow down the day before all the way to the split by first sign post (not all the way at the creek but the sign post before that).
Tracks went in three directions at this point and the snow was no longer packed down so we put our own snow shoes on at this point- we took the one in the middle and followed them up over the ridgeline keeping the water drainage below us and to our right, with Cornell and the rocky crags just to the east of Cornell over our right shoulder.
The tracks were ok all the way till the woods that split Tamarack Valley from Round Valley. The tracks then went due south and someone had started to head towards the base of Miller Peak but turned around after ten steps. It was at this point Bryan T and myself started cutting our own tracks - shortly we came across the top of the brown pole that indicates that Tamarack Valley is to your right - but it was buried up to the vey top and I could not tell if that was the correct one.
From there we made a bee line directly below the south facing face of Miller Peak, then we took turns zig zagging up the facing of Miller Peak and cutting fresh track but doing in more on the West face in the area that leads up to the Saddle that separates Miller from San Jacinto.
The snow was very soft and even with snow shoes and the wind and cold we were breaking through up to one feet with snow shoes on. When we reached the area of the saddle it was at this point that I told my hiking partner that I had hit a wall (had been sick for two weeks leading up to this hike and was still weak - could not get my legs to go uphill any longer) and would wait for him while he finished the summit approach.
Twenty five minutes later he was back with that big grin on his face. The summit was his and he had done more than half the tracking cutting on the way up the face so he deserved to be the first one to summit in the fresh snow. Five minutes after he returned and repacked two more hikers came up and thanked us for cutting fresh trail that they had been following for two hours and would we please "Glaissade down" and leave them big gulleys to ride in on the way down, we laughed and said sure.
After Bryan had left for the top I tried to remove my Snow shoes and walk on the snow again just to see if the wind had stiffened it up enought to just coast across the top but no way, I sank up to my waist or higher on every step, no only that it was so wet at the lower reaches that it grapped ahold of my feet and made it very difficult to pull each foot back out.
On the way down we tried glissading but that didn't work either as the snow has not had enough time to get more compact and we just sank in and didn't get but five feet each time.
Needless to say we enjoyed a great day, when we got back to the split down between Tamarack and Round someone had come up the water drainage short cut (by the first crossing of the creek) and I was familiar with that short cut so we followed that down - near the bottom someone had attempted to post hole there way up or down not sure which but they had been sinking in at least 4+ feet and it was very very soft snow near the bottom.
I'm running out to church and will post pictures later today as my computer guy fixed my home computer and brought it back to me last night when I got back from the hike.
Walking Past the ranger station on our way to the summit!
No more hard pack, time for the snow shoes. No Post holing here 8)
Bryan just ahead at the turn for Miller Peak just southwest of Tamarack Valley
Bryan with Miller Peak in the background
Cornell Peak
The old guy going up Miller West Face
A view south through the trees when I quit 50/100 feet below Miller/San J Saddle
A view South East from near the saddle
Just below the saddle with wind drifted snow - it was blowing in our faces hard at this point - about 20/30 miles per hour on each gust.
Looking Due south below the saddle with all the peaks dusted with snow.
The San Bernardino's across the valley with all the dusting we come to enjoy
The last ten feet below the summit
Bryan gettnig a self portrait at the summit
I'm kidding. I knew you wanted to do Baldy, and I thought I might get an invite, but didn't hear from you. No worries though, I've been pretty busy with work, and holiday shopping. We should do something soon though. Keep me posted of your itinerary and I'll let you know if any of your hiking days coincide with my availability over the next week or so. After January 3rd, I'm only available weekends. I'd be up for a night hike though during the week if you want.
