5.4.11 - baldy ski hut trail/summit/devil's backbone

[MattCav]

Got out with Illusive today to Baldy. My third day in a row of hiking and I felt somewhat tired, especially past the hut. I felt shortness of breath kicking in and some sort of vertigo. Illusive was a good sport and was chill the whole time. Summitted in 4 hours, then felt myself get lots worse... Super dizzy, jelly-ish arms and legs, stomach ache. Sucked. We took the backbone down and I went super slowly, especially on the snow slope and scree switchbacks approaching Harwood. I'm feeling a bit better now, hoping that doesn't ever happen again.

Saw a SAR chopper try landing on the backbone on one of the exposed ridges. Training exercise?

Also saw two guys on the summit, one packing a revolver in a holster. Seemed like cool people, but didn't get the gun and wasn't gonna ask.

Full TR is on my site: http://pasadenahiker.wordpress.com/2011 ... bone-down/

[Illusive]

Photo of the chopper landing near harwood:




Photo of the backbone, almost no snow:



Photo of the decent down to backbone looking up to baldy - still lots of snow:




I remember taking the backbone up to baldy last year and this section was not as bad as it is now. It was still a bit hairy but not as bad as it is now.

Photo of the sketch portion of the backbone looking back up:


I enjoyed summiting baldy from the ski hut and taking the backbone down to the notch then down the fire road to manker. A big new loop for me. It was great to get out of the 90* heat in the valley and soak up the 55-60* temps up baldy.

Panorama on baldy, one of the two guys in the pic has the hip holstered pistol:




All the pics are here:
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1075568

[So.BayMark]

Matt, way to go second one wont be as bad and third one a little easyer and so on and on and on and then one night you and I will be doing a hike

Where that helicopter landed is some volcanic and earthquake sensors..

mark

[MattCav]

thanks Mark. I've been up Baldy 5 or 6 times but don't remember having such a difficult time of it in the past. Musta been an off day.