Two Noobs Summit Baldy (2nd attempt) via The Bowl 3/13/10
Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 10:13 am
My boyfriend Curt and I just got into winter hiking this year. We started with a couple of snowshoe outings in January and summited San Jacinto on shoes Feb. 13th. That got us hooked. We decided to take a snow travel class held by Sierra Mountaineering on Feb. 20th. This class really got us amped up to go further. So on Mar. 6th, we made our first attempt on Mt. Baldy via the bowl. Unfortunately the incoming weather, low visibility, and not knowing a safe route up forced us to turn around about 350 feet up the bowl. It was good to get some practice time on the terrain.
The following week, we decided to take another shot at the bowl. The weather reports showed possible snow(?) and high winds gusting to 45mph. Neither one of us thought we would make the summit, but we were willing to try. We got a later start than we wanted and ended up hitting the trail at 8am with a bazillion other hikers! The hike to the ski hut was crowded and a little windy, but uneventfull. Once at the hut, we ate sandwiches and switched our microspkes and hiking poles for crampons and ice axes. We set out on the same route as the last weekend...straight up the bowl, but this time we could see the top!
The conditions on the bowl were a bit different...Icy, cold, and low visibility the first time, clear skies, warmer, and softer wetter snow this time. The climb up was long, steep, & challenging. We cut our own path for part of the way and followed in the footsteps of others on the steeper stuff...at times on our hands and knees! There were several times that we considered turning back, but we kept pushing forward. Once we reached the rim of the bowl, we thought we were really close to the summit...WRONG!!! That final 200+ ft. trudge from the rim to the top was the most mentally draining part of the whole climb. We were exhausted and just wanted to get to the top. The summit was a wide flat plateau and the view was spectacular. It was VERY cold and VERY windy. We estimate that it was blowing a constant 35-40 mph. We took a few pictures, shot a little video, then headed back down. We thought about going back down the same route and glissading, but it was to friggin' steep(for 2 noobs) looking down from the top. We decided to hike the ridge over to the side of the bowl near the tree line and take the "easier" way...HAHA. We slipped, slided, stumbled, and postholed to our knees all the way down to the hut. We were toast by the time we got there. We took a little break, ate a snack, and were back on the trail heading for the parking lot at Manker. We arrived back at the car at 5:40pm. A long, but VERY satisfying day! The climb itself was by far the most physically demanding thing either of us has ever done in our 44+ years of life...but when you finally reach that summit, man is it ever worth it!!!
Note: Our snow travel class with SMI really helped us with the technique in using the ice axe and crampons. (I highly recommend this class if you want to get out and hike in the winter) We encountered some pretty steep terrain but we never felt unsafe or in danger with the proper gear and some knowledge of how to use it. Thanks Kurt & Sara - this one was for you!
Stacy & Curt
pictures from the summit trip -
http://picasaweb.google.com/BiletChick/ ... MMIT31310#
pictures from the first attempt -
http://picasaweb.google.com/BiletChick/ ... EBOWL3610#
The following week, we decided to take another shot at the bowl. The weather reports showed possible snow(?) and high winds gusting to 45mph. Neither one of us thought we would make the summit, but we were willing to try. We got a later start than we wanted and ended up hitting the trail at 8am with a bazillion other hikers! The hike to the ski hut was crowded and a little windy, but uneventfull. Once at the hut, we ate sandwiches and switched our microspkes and hiking poles for crampons and ice axes. We set out on the same route as the last weekend...straight up the bowl, but this time we could see the top!
The conditions on the bowl were a bit different...Icy, cold, and low visibility the first time, clear skies, warmer, and softer wetter snow this time. The climb up was long, steep, & challenging. We cut our own path for part of the way and followed in the footsteps of others on the steeper stuff...at times on our hands and knees! There were several times that we considered turning back, but we kept pushing forward. Once we reached the rim of the bowl, we thought we were really close to the summit...WRONG!!! That final 200+ ft. trudge from the rim to the top was the most mentally draining part of the whole climb. We were exhausted and just wanted to get to the top. The summit was a wide flat plateau and the view was spectacular. It was VERY cold and VERY windy. We estimate that it was blowing a constant 35-40 mph. We took a few pictures, shot a little video, then headed back down. We thought about going back down the same route and glissading, but it was to friggin' steep(for 2 noobs) looking down from the top. We decided to hike the ridge over to the side of the bowl near the tree line and take the "easier" way...HAHA. We slipped, slided, stumbled, and postholed to our knees all the way down to the hut. We were toast by the time we got there. We took a little break, ate a snack, and were back on the trail heading for the parking lot at Manker. We arrived back at the car at 5:40pm. A long, but VERY satisfying day! The climb itself was by far the most physically demanding thing either of us has ever done in our 44+ years of life...but when you finally reach that summit, man is it ever worth it!!!
Note: Our snow travel class with SMI really helped us with the technique in using the ice axe and crampons. (I highly recommend this class if you want to get out and hike in the winter) We encountered some pretty steep terrain but we never felt unsafe or in danger with the proper gear and some knowledge of how to use it. Thanks Kurt & Sara - this one was for you!
Stacy & Curt
pictures from the summit trip -
http://picasaweb.google.com/BiletChick/ ... MMIT31310#
pictures from the first attempt -
http://picasaweb.google.com/BiletChick/ ... EBOWL3610#
