Goode Canyon, Mt. Baldy (1/30/2011)
Funny opening in your TR Sam! Since there was no viz on the summit we seriously could have been anywhere. Mt. Waterman? 
Crazy about the Meetup troll. Hope that doesn't keep you from organizing another fun adventure. I always love your ideas. We had the perfect group of strong hikers and a challenging route to test ourselves against. That scrambling sure was fun and my buns & quads have been grumbling in good pain all day. Except for what seemed to be 2k feet of side-hilling in my approach shoes with crampons on, i had one of my favorite days on Baldy. Enjoying a new route, challenging mixed terrain, being greeted by snowfall and sharing it all with happy, gracious hikers. Plus the fresh cinnamon rolls Phil (lik2hik) baked at the hut, beyond yum... Pièce de résistance!!The lower canyon was a mixture of scrambling rocks, climbing logs, jumping creeks and a whole lotta' fun.
Still in the sun with clouds chasing us as Ryan B and Tina ascend.
Dave, Ryan B, Tina and Patrick. Still steep, still loose.
Dave G & Brian. Visibility is compromised but it hasn't started snowing yet.
12:10 Having tagged the summit big 'ole snowflakes are falling on Brian
Saying goodbye to Sam at the hut before he heads down
Enjoying the scenery of the lower ski hut trail in the first snowfall in three weeks.
Snowfitti
rest of my pix are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma81/GoodeCanyon#
Great TR and a fun day with lotsa laughs, Sam! I was amazed when, with the weather conditions and multiple route choices, we were able to eventually reunite at the hut with the same number of folks we started with! Of course with everyone bundled up and faces obscured, some of you could have been meetup imposters. 
Got a few pix: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21042415@N ... 822960799/
Got a few pix: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21042415@N ... 822960799/
Very nice write up Sam - sorry you have to deal with someone trying to "piggyback" your/our outing, that's always a wierd thing
The climb felt like two different outings, one in the lower canyon and one in the upper canyon the weather sure can change fast when storms are moving in.
It was nice to finally meet Brian Jennings A.K.A. BJ and as well it was nice to meet Matt one of Miguels friends
Super big thanks to Sam for getting everyone together for this and suggesting this route - very nice canyon
Thanks also go out to Phil (lik2hik) for making cinnamon rolls at the ski hut on the way down in some fairly nasty weather - no easy task but he was well prepared Niceeeeeeee - they were the bomb (as the kids say)
It's was also very nice to run into Cindy Abbott on her birthday with the other Everest companions - with Mr. Bill Burke as the oldest American to summit and getting ready to go back and do a north then south double combo in a 9 to 10 day stretcth is just simply incredible - I'm amazed with his ability to keep it all in perspective - he turned back at the second step with 800 feet to go on one of his attempts because he didn't feel right about it (his words) - that says it all about his mindset - great mountaineers are those that come back to tell you about it and let you know that "The mountain will be there tomorrow" (his words again) - thanks for sharing that with us Bill
This truly was Goode Canyon with Good Friends
My Pictures Here
The climb felt like two different outings, one in the lower canyon and one in the upper canyon
the weather sure can change fast when storms are moving in.It was nice to finally meet Brian Jennings A.K.A. BJ and as well it was nice to meet Matt one of Miguels friends
Super big thanks to Sam for getting everyone together for this and suggesting this route - very nice canyon
Thanks also go out to Phil (lik2hik) for making cinnamon rolls at the ski hut on the way down in some fairly nasty weather - no easy task but he was well prepared
Niceeeeeeee - they were the bomb (as the kids say)It's was also very nice to run into Cindy Abbott on her birthday with the other Everest companions - with Mr. Bill Burke as the oldest American to summit and getting ready to go back and do a north then south double combo in a 9 to 10 day stretcth is just simply incredible - I'm amazed with his ability to keep it all in perspective - he turned back at the second step with 800 feet to go on one of his attempts because he didn't feel right about it (his words) - that says it all about his mindset - great mountaineers are those that come back to tell you about it and let you know that "The mountain will be there tomorrow" (his words again) - thanks for sharing that with us Bill
This truly was Goode Canyon with Good Friends
My Pictures Here
Sounds like a fun trip! I'll have to check that canyon out someday! Oh and I got that Meetup invite too, I think it got posted on Southern California Outdoor Adventures FB page, when I saw how many people RSVP'd I held off. Last time I went on a large group trip with people I didn't know my buddy and I ended up having to haul ass out of Subway Canyon in Zion to call in a rescue because someone thought they knew more then they did and broke their leg...
everytime i see a summit photo from Sunday, Patrick's, Dave's, Matt's (on Facebook) we all look like a bunch of goons. kinda like snow blind mountaineers with really bad posture. i've been up top plenty of times with snow blowing horizontal and stinging my face, but i think the lack of visibility made us look at the ground more to see where we were, hence the bent over 80 year-old man stance.
just thought i'd mention we look pretty comical.
just thought i'd mention we look pretty comical.
Yeah, you guys look pretty disorganized in that summit shot. I'm glad I waited for you all to leave so I could summit with some dignity.
Seriously, that was a solid group. Like Dave, I was relieved that we all made it back to the Ski Hut at roughly the same time, considering the poor visibility and the fact that we split into smaller groups from time to time. And that is why it is important to do those sorts of outings with (1) competent climbers you have climbed with before or (2) climbers that have been recommended by competent climbers you have climbed with before. Meetups have their place, but I'm skeptical about their place in high stakes activities like mountaineering.
Seriously, that was a solid group. Like Dave, I was relieved that we all made it back to the Ski Hut at roughly the same time, considering the poor visibility and the fact that we split into smaller groups from time to time. And that is why it is important to do those sorts of outings with (1) competent climbers you have climbed with before or (2) climbers that have been recommended by competent climbers you have climbed with before. Meetups have their place, but I'm skeptical about their place in high stakes activities like mountaineering.
What's really going on in that picture is everyone is looking for the summit plaque to prove to Sam that we actually made the summit - he's still looking for proof, Miguel is looking at Norma with that look like "Why are you taking pictures? Instead of helping me find the marker
norma r wrote: ↑everytime i see a summit photo from Sunday, Patrick's, Dave's, Matt's (on Facebook) we all look like a bunch of goons. kinda like snow blind mountaineers with really bad posture. i've been up top plenty of times with snow blowing horizontal and stinging my face, but i think the lack of visibility made us look at the ground more to see where we were, hence the bent over 80 year-old man stance.
just thought i'd mention we look pretty comical.
Would like to try this route some time. What a difference a day makes on Mt. Baldy! Love the pics. Really sorry I had to bail at the last minute. Meetup trolls - eeewww.