EISPIRATEN

I went up Register Ridge and came down the Ski Hut Trail today. The entire loop was almost entirely clear of snow. There were a few sections where I walked across a few dozen feet of snow and it was soft, and avoidable if one prefers that approach. There was virtually no snow between the summit and the top of the bowl and only patchy snow in the woods. So, you can do the Ski Hut Trail without ice axe, crampons, etc. I forgot my camera, so no pictures.

No camera??????????????????? what is that? you need to go back there right now and take those PICTURES! now get.

Here are your pictures.

So right after you leave that dirt road there is a trail on the right? Pretty cool. and STEEP! looks like it's really steep. Is it a trail or just like a ridge thing that you just stay on? And you forgot your camera.

The Register Ridge route is getting more (too?) popular. It is just a use trail, but it is easy to follow -- hard to miss in the lower part. It is steep.

I have posted pictures from past trips: Here, here, and here.

Alan: Thank you very much for the report!

Kathy

Thanks for the good info.

Looks like a great hike. It's legal to go anywhere you want? I know that sounds stupid but I thought people were supposed to stay on trails cuz they mess up little plants and cause erosion. Don't blame me for going on that trail now. I doubt I would have learned of it for years.

great! can't wait to be up there tomorrow

Today (Saturday, 5/3/2008) I hiked Baldy Loop (up Ski Hut Trail, down DBB). Observations:
-- Crowded! At least 3 dozen hikers at Baldy Summit when I was there ~11:30 a.m. No privacy for normal bodily functions for most of the loop. After port-a-potties at Manker Flat, I had to "hold it" all the way up SHT, past the summit, and down DBB until I found a quiet place in the ski area. For me, that's a long time!
-- First snow on the trail was on the switchbacks after Ski Hut; snow covered about 50% of ground in this area; regular hiking shoes were fine, following well-stomped footprints in hard-packed snow; my boots did not slip on snow, not once.
-- Although most hikers traversed these slightly-snowy switchbacks without concern, I met a half a dozen hikers descending Ski Hut Trail who told me that they turned around when they saw the snowy switchbacks. Said one, "I have to go to work on Monday."
-- Above the switchbacks, along the ridge leading to Baldy Summit, the trail was 99.9% clear of snow.
-- Most of summit was clear of snow. (Barely a breeze blowing when I happened to be at the summit.)
-- Trail leading off summit toward DBB, the slippery gravel, was clear of snow.
-- On DBB, there were a few spots next to trees, none hazardous, where I had to step over a small snowbank.
-- In the ski area, near the first ski lift machinery encountered, there was a field of snow to navigate through or around.
-- It looked like a good business day for the ski lift, and a glorious hiking day for all!

AlanK wrote:The Register Ridge route .... is easy to follow -- hard to miss in the lower part.

As I moved along DBB today, I looked for, but did not see a trail junction where Register Ridge might run into DBB.

The trail is more obvious at the lower end. I have no trouble following it higher up, but finding it from the DBB is probably tough. If you just head down the ridge, you'd eventually find signs of a trail, though.

Snow is scary and dangerous, and reported to hold people up and steal their lunchmoney.

8)

Register ridge is easy to follow, trail or no trail, really. Just follow the ridge up. The only thing I had an issue with when doing it a year ago or whenever, was getting back onto it from DBB trail. YOu just hafta terrain associate your way onto it.

Why isn't there a cairn or something similar marking the intersection?

Who am I kidding, some anal retarded person would knock it down on his way up to steal the peak register.

FIGHT ON wrote:Looks like a great hike. It's legal to go anywhere you want? I know that sounds stupid but I thought people were supposed to stay on trails cuz they mess up little plants and cause erosion. Don't blame me for going on that trail now. I doubt I would have learned of it for years.

One can see from reading these pages that a lot of interesting trips are largely, or completely, off trail. In areas where there are trails, cutting switchbacks is not acceptable because it causes erosion. This is especially true in cases like the Ski Hut Trail, which gets huge volumes of traffic. But that does not mean that all hikes have to be confined to trails. In the case of Register Ridge, the use trail is getting to be pretty well-defined.

99% of the world is off-trail.

Here's a picture showing the trail start:
http://www.summitpost.org/image/290796/ ... ridge.html

I was just up there today and made a mental note to look for the turn-off. It's not at the register. It's just a bit after you make the right turn once you pass the register. It's very obvious once you know that it exist, but easy to miss if you don't--kinda like the turn off to the Ski Hut trail from Falls Rd.

FIGHT ON wrote:Looks like a great hike. It's legal to go anywhere you want? I know that sounds stupid but I thought people were supposed to stay on trails cuz they mess up little plants and cause erosion. Don't blame me for going on that trail now. I doubt I would have learned of it for years.

A lot of the routes to Baldy involve some XC. Naturally, FIGHT ON, we expect you to post a TR for each of these:
1. Baldy via Baldy Notch
2. Baldy via Ski Hut Trail
3. Baldy via Register Ridge (XC)
4. Baldy via Pine and Dawson (XC)
5. Baldy from the Village
6. Baldy via San Antonio Ridge (XC)
7. Baldy via Bighorn Ridge (XC)

If you're really good, then you do multiple ascents in a single day via different routes. We'll be looking for those TR's Don't let us down.

HJ

(OK, in all fairness, #7 is hardly a standard route anymore, but we know you can do it. Don't forget the way points.)

Hikin_Jim wrote: . . . multiple ascents in a single day via different routes.

. . . before lunch, so the sun angle is about the same, and drinking less than 1 liter of water, so your total weight is about the same for all ascents.

You laugh, but that's about what Rick K drinks. And he did Baldy via San Antonio Ridge, then went down Ski hut to Manker to the little snack bar, and then went back up Baldy via ski hut and descended to Heaton via San Antonio Ridge. I bet he "cheated" and drank something at the snack bar.

No cheating for you, FIGHT ON. I will personally guard the snack bar to keep you honest.

I wonder if Rick K holds the record for best time on "Heaton to Manker Flat Snack Bar" double traverse?

Rob wrote:I wonder if Rick K holds the record for best time on "Heaton to Manker Flat Snack Bar" double traverse?

Read 'em and weep: http://www.mt-whitney.info/viewtopic.php?t=1908

Actually, I was wrong. Rick took 3.5L of water. And he had a smoothie at the snack bar. Definitely cheating. No cheating for you FIGHT ON. And we expect you to beat Rick's 19 hour time.

19 hours. Now that's a marathon. This ranks right up there on the "hardest hikes" in S Cal. list. Got to.

Rick Kent wrote: {from mt-whitney.info} You'll be happy to know I am human and ended up consuming over 5 liters of water/drinks for the day. Oh, and after forcing my way through the thorny brush 2 times I bleed red like everyone else.

He's human?

Rob wrote:

Rick Kent wrote: {from mt-whitney.info} You'll be happy to know I am human and ended up consuming over 5 liters of water/drinks for the day. Oh, and after forcing my way through the thorny brush 2 times I bleed red like everyone else.

He's human?

There are rumors to that effect. On the other hand, he is a programmer/analyst. Perhaps he's coded a replicant?

Tim wrote:I was just up there today and made a mental note to look for the turn-off. It's not at the register. It's just a bit after you make the right turn once you pass the register. It's very obvious once you know that it exist, but easy to miss if you don't--kinda like the turn off to the Ski Hut trail from Falls Rd.

The start of the Ski Hut Trail is in red and the Register Ridge one is in blue.

Ok. The way I figure it, ya walk along the yellow the dirt road, do a u turn when you see a big waterfall, walk along some more and keep an eye out on the left. Right? Then when you see the unmarked trail on he left, go up it. Count 237 paces, stop, company right, look up and get to gettin. Zat it?

FIGHT ON wrote:Ok. The way I figure it, ya walk along the yellow the dirt road, do a u turn when you see a big waterfall, walk along some more and keep an eye out on the left. Right? Then when you see the unmarked trail on he left, go up it. Count 237 paces, stop, company right, look up and get to gettin. Zat it?

I don't know if it's 237 paces, but it is a minute or so after you pass the register and the ridge is fairly obvious if you're looking for. It is a beautiful ridge and I've seen bighorn on it. Take it up to where you cross the backbone trail and go straight up to Harwood. Then hang a left down into the saddle and up to Old Baldy.