Trip Report
that was tough! 8 liters of water was still not enough.
Mt. Baldy via the Big Horn Ridge
There is an old bent sign labeled "W12" at Pt. 6388, presumably a relic from the days when a trail ran up the ridge.TacoDelRio wrote: ????
Great job Ze and nice TR! To get 5 hikers up a brush filled ridge in this heat must have felt like a death march.That shit makes the day go by soooo slow.
Yeah I think determination is needed for this, lol. The planning / recon added a lot of confidence for sure.HikeUp wrote: I could hear the determination in your voice back in March on the scouting trip up Cattle Cyn. and I knew you guys had a very good chance of making it.
Man the gloves helped a lot. I could go and grab any brush and displace it or break it if needed. Sped things up, and reduced the painhvydrt wrote:Congratulations Ze'. That is a great trip report. Good thing you had those gardening gloves!
thanks, it's never too bad as long as you know your pace and are steady.
Yeah by the last portion of the ridge, it did, lol. And there isn't really any good way downLD wrote: Great job Ze and nice TR! To get 5 hikers up a brush filled ridge in this heat must have felt like a death march.That shit makes the day go by soooo slow.
Well done!
I was part of Ze's group but did not summit. I turned around at 5300 ft. I had terrible cramps in my legs and feet, probably from running on that fire road earlier that morning to catch up to the group (woke up late and was 40 minutes late).
The way back was horrible for me. My left knee and right hip were in a lot of pain. I took a long break at the stream at the bottom of Cattle Cyn and put my aching feet in the water. It was noon now and I did not relish having to walk back up that long-ass, stupid fire road in the heat.
It took me over three hours to walk back up to the RV Park. It was very hot. I didn't want to pass out and die so I stopped and rested a lot. Anytime I would find a sliver of shade on the side of the road I would sit down and take a nap for a few minutes. I did this like a dozen times. Progress was slow.
For the portion that I did climb, the brush did not seem as bad I thought. Ze picked a pretty good route and there were only a couple of instances where we had to crawl under a canopy or barrel straight through something. I was expecting the worst, like to do this on a sustained basis, but it was only maybe 25% of the time?
Also the plants weren't as sharp and thorny as I expected. A lot of it was dead, dried up manzanita that you could easily break off with your bare hands. The ridge from Rattlesnake Peak to Doe Peak seemed somewhat worst, with all the thorny plants over there. The ground here was also pretty soft. This is not to say it wasn't tough--it certainly was. I was exhausted after climbing just 1200 ft and there was still nearly 5000 ft left to go.
Ze's suggestion to use gloves was the hands down most valuable tip of all. I also wouldn't try this if had rained. Sometimes you're crawling around on your belly so you'd get pretty muddy if was damp.
I was part of Ze's group but did not summit. I turned around at 5300 ft. I had terrible cramps in my legs and feet, probably from running on that fire road earlier that morning to catch up to the group (woke up late and was 40 minutes late).
The way back was horrible for me. My left knee and right hip were in a lot of pain. I took a long break at the stream at the bottom of Cattle Cyn and put my aching feet in the water. It was noon now and I did not relish having to walk back up that long-ass, stupid fire road in the heat.
It took me over three hours to walk back up to the RV Park. It was very hot. I didn't want to pass out and die so I stopped and rested a lot. Anytime I would find a sliver of shade on the side of the road I would sit down and take a nap for a few minutes. I did this like a dozen times. Progress was slow.
For the portion that I did climb, the brush did not seem as bad I thought. Ze picked a pretty good route and there were only a couple of instances where we had to crawl under a canopy or barrel straight through something. I was expecting the worst, like to do this on a sustained basis, but it was only maybe 25% of the time?
Also the plants weren't as sharp and thorny as I expected. A lot of it was dead, dried up manzanita that you could easily break off with your bare hands. The ridge from Rattlesnake Peak to Doe Peak seemed somewhat worst, with all the thorny plants over there. The ground here was also pretty soft. This is not to say it wasn't tough--it certainly was. I was exhausted after climbing just 1200 ft and there was still nearly 5000 ft left to go.
Ze's suggestion to use gloves was the hands down most valuable tip of all. I also wouldn't try this if had rained. Sometimes you're crawling around on your belly so you'd get pretty muddy if was damp.
Now, that's a hike. Unbelievable.You win the SGMDF "Iron Man" competition. If one of these SGMDF "get together and have a beer" things ever actually happens, your first one is on me. You really deserve a medal or an award or something, but a tall cold one will have to do.
HJ
congrats.....although Im sort of glad I wasnt there if you know what I mean..... 8)
Will be interesting how you compare it to the top 2...of course I think the real #1 is Twin Peaks west ridge...and Im still confused as to how someone did Twin Peaks east ridge from Bear Creek in one day.
Will be interesting how you compare it to the top 2...of course I think the real #1 is Twin Peaks west ridge...and Im still confused as to how someone did Twin Peaks east ridge from Bear Creek in one day.
Ze,
If I get around to a trip, I am thinking of going from the west fork@39,up Devils canyon to elev 2650 and get to the w.ridge at elev 3700, then up to pk 5014....the big holdup is actually car security...its sad but any late or overnight trip runs a high risk of vandalism.
If I get around to a trip, I am thinking of going from the west fork@39,up Devils canyon to elev 2650 and get to the w.ridge at elev 3700, then up to pk 5014....the big holdup is actually car security...its sad but any late or overnight trip runs a high risk of vandalism.
Gotta keep that to a minimum, once a month (or 3 weeksHikeUp wrote:So what is this week's "pick a random ridge" hike going to be?
)Gonna try to hike Half Dome if they actually respond to my phone calls and let me know if the cables will be up. Why do rangers hate me?
There is an optimal point for the amount of brush and rock on a hike that gives it a true 'backcountry exploration' feel. Below that point it is a nice hike but more for observing than concentration; above that point, it can just be downright annoying.Hikin_Jim wrote:Random? Oh, no, we carefully screen for dense brush and crumbly, rotten class 4 rock. Extra points for maximum solar exposure.
AW wrote:Ze,
If I get around to a trip, I am thinking of going from the west fork@39,up Devils canyon to elev 2650 and get to the w.ridge at elev 3700, then up to pk 5014....the big holdup is actually car security...its sad but any late or overnight trip runs a high risk of vandalism.
why not descend from the ACH?
I was thinking of being real cheap on the elevation gain, but maybe it could be done via Skull canyon/ACH or from West Twin w/GPS...more challenge to it...its all distant and probably includes some heinious bushwack portion...more beta is needed...it can stew for awhile.
This looks like a job for Zé-man!AW wrote:I was thinking of being real cheap on the elevation gain, but maybe it could be done via Skull canyon/ACH or from West Twin w/GPS...more challenge to it...its all distant and probably includes some heinious bushwack portion...more beta is needed...it can stew for awhile.
Nicely put! Exploration is the main thing keeping me interested in hiking. But these long death marches are wearing me down. Some of the approaches to the fun part are so long and boring and the return trips even longer. I wish a helicopter would just pluck me off the summit. I'm getting lazy now.Zé wrote:There is an optimal point for the amount of brush and rock on a hike that gives it a true 'backcountry exploration' feel. Below that point it is a nice hike but more for observing than concentration; above that point, it can just be downright annoying.
were you planning on returning the same way, or doing a car shuttle?AW wrote:I was thinking of being real cheap on the elevation gain, but maybe it could be done via Skull canyon/ACH or from West Twin w/GPS...more challenge to it...its all distant and probably includes some heinious bushwack portion...more beta is needed...it can stew for awhile.
descending ach to bottom, then up to west twin, then to ach at Buckhorn or Three Points...
i know no one likes it (except me), but a little stairclimber or treadmill incline running really makes those hikes much more enjoyable!Tim wrote: Nicely put! Exploration is the main thing keeping me interested in hiking. But these long death marches are wearing me down. Some of the approaches to the fun part are so long and boring and the return trips even longer. I wish a helicopter would just pluck me off the summit. I'm getting lazy now.