EISPIRATEN

Started from Wanker Flats, hiked up the fire road to the notch, up Devils Buttbone, across the northeast face of Baldy from the Baldy-Harwood notch, down into the Baldy-Dawson notch, directly down Fish Fork to Heaton Flat. Flat or flats for Wanker and Heaton, whichever they are. According to Google Earth and my hand controlling the mouse, we covered 20.3 miles with 4200ft/8300ft gain/loss.

So we hike up the road to Baldy Notch. Zach gets breakfast and I purchase and consume a Stone Levitation Ale, thus doing my part to fill the stereotype of a late 20's white male with a beard nowadays. Up DBB, across the NEF of Baldy, and down FF's upper section to the camp. Got there around 330pm or so, leaving plenty of time to chill out and talk trash.

I brought a bivy sack but forgot my warm jacket. Zach lent me his down jacket (warmer than what I left home), but I still spent the night shivering and tending to the hot bright thing that makes carbon .

The next day, we get up and do our morning things, and head out around 8am I think. Descend the canyon and get out to East Fork, can't remember what time. Hike down to Heaton and the car and get there around 6pm or so.

That's the not-very-personal account of it. I'll share a few pics and ramble on about the situation as captions or whatever. Basically, I'll just try to share our experience. I don't write TR's very much anymore because I don't feel anyone would care about most of the trips. This one is an exception in my mind, as it was shared with my amazing friends.


Here is James, our newest Machete Brother. To become a member of the Machete Brothers is a great honor, as we build memories that last a lifetime. James is hiking on Devil's Backbone in this shot.


Amanda and Zach negotiating short snowfields on the Northeast Face of Baldy. Sam Page and I climbed up this face a few years ago. Patrick and Sam climbed the North Face of Baldy to the left of my way up the North Face of West Baldy, and we all shared trips up practically every gully on Baldy and Harwood, except the often too dangerous Northeast Face of Harwood, which I've bailed from before when it became a bowling alley. These are all winter climbs, so we haven't been active lately as the snowfall and temps have been too crummy lately, ya know.


Here is our super best son Zach. Zach is hiking down into Fish Fork here, and we're getting motivated because it's beautiful out here! Also, we have a lot of work ahead.


Amanda is moving down the muddy gully into the upper reaches of FF. This part was quite fun.


She doesn't look too excited here. Amanda is a super awesome person (and thus Machete Brother) because she knows what's ahead is gonna be a challenge, but she does it anyway. This is essential for adventure.


Here is the North Face of Baldy, which Sam Page and Patrick climbed not long ago.


Here is the North Face of West Baldy, which is a steep snow climb despite the craggy appearance. It is an excellent mountaineering training climb, as the approach requires steep snow climbing, routefinding, and mountain sense. The route itself, though simple, requires proper forecasting to get the right conditions. Thankfully, rockfall is not as big an issue on this face as elsewhere in the range. The rockbands are low on the route. Rockfall on San Gabriel winter routes is extremely dangerous, and it takes a lot of motivation, mountain sense, forecasting, and maturity to climb these routes safely, something I've learned by losing a fair amount of blood and experiencing the kind of deep fear that lasts for hours. This fear lends itself to elation afterwards, when no longer in danger.


That's looking down at the same point. Fish Fork winds its way left, and you can see how much terrain there is out there. For something so close, it takes a good amount of work to get back there, and get out. Adventure.


Patrick is an amazing kid in a man's body. Here he is signalling Steve on the first rappel. This is the first time Zach or I have done this section of canyon, having dropped in from the Wrightwood side previously.


There are some cool sections like this along Fish Fork that really make it special.


Here is my shoe at camp. Hey people, if you're going to fish here, police up your hooks! I found two of these on the ground around the campfire ring. It would be a very painful bail hike out if one of these was in your body.


Day 2, the gang hikes down to the 2nd rappel.


Zach with what is usually a pool. Allow me to illustrate:


Zach in 2010


Mark D in 2011


Randy and the gang on our 3-day trip, 2011.


Here we are on the 2nd rappel. The pools were shallower here as well, maybe due to lack of rain and snow and thus lower flow.


Amanda descending below the badass chockstone. I am taking this photo from a ledge below the anchor, hence the odd angle. This is a very awesome section of canyon, with steep clean granite walls and cold deep pools that suck all the warmth out of you. Whenever I think of cold, I think of the times I've walked out from this section of canyon to the first rays of sunlight I could find.



Zach getting cold. This section was only a few inches deep on our first time down in 2010.


That time in 2010!


Another nice section of canyon.


Dance moves!


Patrick rappelling while James gives him a Fireman's Beeeeeelay on the big falls. Much less flow than previous times. This is where I was stuck next to the falls for 2 hours while Zach went around to get me. I was unable to ascend or descend and was caught with all my gear as the first man down, in a drowning machine/hydraulic. Not a good time.


Amanda on the last rappel, which is what Fish Fork is known for. Funny, isn't it? Her and I rappelled, while the other jokers slid the falls. Looked way more fun.

The rest of the photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tacodelri ... 517325932/

Previous trips:
20100901:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tacodelri ... 243369019/

20110624-26:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tacodelri ... 250902762/

20110911 19hrs c2c:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tacodelri ... 243651231/

this is too cool for school. looks like a top notch day to me. did everyone make out okay without wetsuits?

Thanks Taco for leading another super fun, crazy, cold, wet adventure down a canyon - I had a blast, little beat up but that's to be expected on epic's.

Taco wrote: ↑
Here is the North Face of Baldy, which Sam Page and Patrick climbed not long ago.

The difference in these two pictures is 3 years and 3 weeks and I'm standing just slightly up the canyon as we started to move up the canyon after having some food - what a difference a wet versus a dry winter year makes (May 03/2014 top picture - April 15th, 2011 bottom picture)

Howdy Grandmaster Taco

Wow, wow and wow!!! What a great group 8) Thanks so much for the TR and pictures.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen (aka Bloody Blonde)

Awesome work peoples! San Gabriels representing LOL.

Hard core canyon drop.

I usually learn something from trip reports, even for places I never plan to go. And current beta is always useful for people who follow. Keep doing TRs.

Taco,
THANKS for the great lead on this one. And thanks to amazing, spirited, funny and talented friends! I have photos I'll post soon.

No, thank YOU guys. I love you guys and I mean that. Machete Brothers are like family to me. 8)

Thank you for the report! I assure you I'm always interested in your trips. I've only been to Fish Fork once but plan to really explore the place this summer.

Amazing....who says no one reads your tr's? Keep up the great work.

longcut, everyone did okay without them as there are long walks between rappels that would be awkward with suits, and you warm up a bit before the next swim/rapp. Only a bit though. You stay cold a long time. I don't mean to subject my people to similar conditions or anything, but it is quite central to the experience.

I think Patrick and James wore fancy neoprene stuff, right?

I wore an Icebreaker wool shirt (200 weight), silk underwear (rawr), and Dickies shorts. Thin socks and mesh trailrunners complete the setup for something that dries quick and also the shirt remains warmer and helps keep the core a tad warmer.



Now that I've had some time to think about our trip, I have some notes:

-There was too much webbing at some drops. I left old webbing on a few rappels before so I'm partly to blame. I cleaned up anchors wherever possible in order to leave as little trace in this awesome place as possible.

-Much less flow this year. If you want to complete this canyon and are unsure, this would be a good year to go. The drowning machine was not present on the big falls. Some times in this canyon can kick your ass, so this is a good time to do a speed run or whatever as well. Not sure if I'm ready for that, as a speed run would involve climbing Iron, then SA Ridge, and dropping in from the Baldy-Dawson saddle, then down FF to Heaton for something like 10,550ft gain/loss and 26mi. Each mile in Fish Fork takes a pretty decent chunk of time. Anyway, rambling on. I wonder if one of you would like to take that challenge?

Thanks for going, guys. There wasn't really a leader so much as all of us having a say in things, which I think was pretty important for a semi-relaxed 2-day trip. I had a great time, even though I was very cold and uncomfortable a lot of the time, as usual. Such a great experience.

Patrick and I wore t-shirts and shorts, nothing fancy. We brought spring suits but never wore them. Cold as heck but hiking FF warms you up quick.

My photos are from the beginning up to the first rap. Since I don't have a water proof camera I had to pack it away at that point.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/100492563 ... 142057138/

Way to go Guys, that is one awesome adventurous hike you did there, the San Gabs never cease to amaze me I love the Fish Fork/Sheep Mountain Wilderness areas. Those raps looked great, how many did it take to get down.
Taco, hope you don't stop doing TR's, this one was great.

Thank you. There are usually about 10 rappels. Some become downclimbs and new ones appear here and there depending on the previous winter. 8)