Saturday Morning On the Baldy Bowl
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 2:27 pm
As I was heading to the trailhead with Bryan, some guy was driving eractic on the 57 Freeway, changing lanes quickly, not using blinkers, just all over the place, nex thing I know he's right next to me giving me the "Finger" and yelling at me, to my surprise it's EnFuego taking Liz up to Baldy to show her how to do the winter "Ascent" of Baldy 
After laughing our butts off (Bryan and I both thought it might be one of those folks just getting home from an all nighter 
) We told them we would see them at the trailhead.
Bryan and I jumped out ahead of them by about 10 minutes and they caught us on the upper switchbacks right below the Ski Hut. The sun was not up yet so everyone was following different tracks - it was multiple choice at this point. As we crested the last fifty feet to the stairs leading into the ski hut I heard two voices and "Low and Behold" it's Norma and Dave - I recognize Dave's hat from all the pictures that Norma post "Looking Up at or Down at that Hat" - Front and back . Dave and Norma were heading down after an all nighter - they are super nice people and it was nice to final put the voices with the faces and all their postings - nice work Norma and Dave.
We chated for 20 minutes then headed for the base of the bowl, took some more pictures, then Enfuego and Liz headed to the South/West Ridge Line while Bryan and I headed up the center of the bowl. I've been down for four weeks with an accutely inflamed left knee and I was losing my mind reading all the blogs and not being able to get out before the snow melted so I put two different knee braces/wrap's to give me support. The knee perform well until I was 150 feet from "Topping Out" on the ridge between the rocks. I stopped at the section right below the largest of the rocks on the upper left side of the center Colouir - the right leg was cramping from compensating for the left knee - as I've always believed and have learned - "NO YOUR LIMITS"(for those who have been harrassing me "NO means - tell yourself NO don't go any further and for those who don't care about my spelling "Know YOUR LIMITS") so I decided the day had been great, why make it into a bad day by continuing - so I yelled across the bowl face to Bryan that I had enough, he went and topped out and came down to meet me at the ski hut when we was able to finish.
The best part about this is it forced me to consider a down-climb/glisade practice with semi-sore hurt leg. I took my time and moved from one "rock outcropping" to another and some of the exposed shrubs. I would go down about 100-150 feet at a time seeing how hard it was to come to complete stops when I got up to full speed - at one point the axe hit a rock buried beneath the snow and flipped me all the way over starting a freefall, which forced me to recover quickly - it was practice I needed and after 45 minutes I was back at the hut. Safe, sound and feeling good about going down instead of pushing on.
On the down climb I could hear and see Enfuego yelling at me from the ridgeline, he had successfully taken Liz up the West/South Ridge and they were now pushing for the summit. Nice work Liz, nice help David/EnFuego.
Today the leg is feeling sore but no swelling this time - cannot wait to get out again. A little more rehab work at the gym and I will be as good as new.
Enjoy the pictures. Lilbitmo
Dave and Norma resting before heading down after Midnight Madness #2
Enfuego and Liz happy to be going up
Bryan
Lilbitmo
Everyone's favorite San Gabriel Bowl
Liz and EnFuego on the West/South Ridgeline
Bryan and Lilbitmo on the face
Approach on left of center of bowl
This is 50 feet below where I called it quits for the day
Looking East at Thunder and all the other peaks to the east
More folks coming up the center of the bowl
Not much left on Dawson and the saddle between Baldy and Dawson
Bryan and Lilbitmo approaching the bowl - my final stop on the way up highligthed before I headed back down
After laughing our butts off (Bryan and I both thought it might be one of those folks just getting home from an all nighter ) We told them we would see them at the trailhead.Bryan and I jumped out ahead of them by about 10 minutes and they caught us on the upper switchbacks right below the Ski Hut. The sun was not up yet so everyone was following different tracks - it was multiple choice at this point. As we crested the last fifty feet to the stairs leading into the ski hut I heard two voices and "Low and Behold" it's Norma and Dave - I recognize Dave's hat from all the pictures that Norma post "Looking Up at or Down at that Hat" - Front and back
. Dave and Norma were heading down after an all nighter - they are super nice people and it was nice to final put the voices with the faces and all their postings - nice work Norma and Dave.We chated for 20 minutes then headed for the base of the bowl, took some more pictures, then Enfuego and Liz headed to the South/West Ridge Line while Bryan and I headed up the center of the bowl. I've been down for four weeks with an accutely inflamed left knee and I was losing my mind reading all the blogs and not being able to get out before the snow melted so I put two different knee braces/wrap's to give me support. The knee perform well until I was 150 feet from "Topping Out" on the ridge between the rocks. I stopped at the section right below the largest of the rocks on the upper left side of the center Colouir - the right leg was cramping from compensating for the left knee - as I've always believed and have learned - "NO YOUR LIMITS"(for those who have been harrassing me "NO means - tell yourself NO don't go any further and for those who don't care about my spelling "Know YOUR LIMITS") so I decided the day had been great, why make it into a bad day by continuing - so I yelled across the bowl face to Bryan that I had enough, he went and topped out and came down to meet me at the ski hut when we was able to finish.
The best part about this is it forced me to consider a down-climb/glisade practice with semi-sore hurt leg. I took my time and moved from one "rock outcropping" to another and some of the exposed shrubs. I would go down about 100-150 feet at a time seeing how hard it was to come to complete stops when I got up to full speed - at one point the axe hit a rock buried beneath the snow and flipped me all the way over starting a freefall, which forced me to recover quickly - it was practice I needed and after 45 minutes I was back at the hut. Safe, sound and feeling good about going down instead of pushing on.
On the down climb I could hear and see Enfuego yelling at me from the ridgeline, he had successfully taken Liz up the West/South Ridge and they were now pushing for the summit. Nice work Liz, nice help David/EnFuego.
Today the leg is feeling sore but no swelling this time - cannot wait to get out again. A little more rehab work at the gym and I will be as good as new.
Enjoy the pictures. Lilbitmo
Dave and Norma resting before heading down after Midnight Madness #2
Enfuego and Liz happy to be going up
Bryan
Lilbitmo
Everyone's favorite San Gabriel Bowl
Liz and EnFuego on the West/South Ridgeline
Bryan and Lilbitmo on the face
Approach on left of center of bowl
This is 50 feet below where I called it quits for the day
Looking East at Thunder and all the other peaks to the east
More folks coming up the center of the bowl
Not much left on Dawson and the saddle between Baldy and Dawson
Bryan and Lilbitmo approaching the bowl - my final stop on the way up highligthed before I headed back down
and if I don't go at all I will never find any of those answers 
