Psychout Ridge
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 4:22 pm
After limping up the Baldy Notch service road this morning, I went inside the lodge to swallow more pain pills and relax. On the counter was a pretty cool map that I'd never noticed before, created by L. Cramer Design.
The map inspired me to check out Psych-out Ridge, which runs westward from the final switchback in the service road before the Notch.
(The Psych-out ski run is on the right)
A ski run/road extends a half-mile down the ridge, making the initial travel very easy.
The path ends, then an easy cross-country bit put me at Bently's Point, where the view opens up quite spectacularly.
Beyond the Point, the ridge to the left becomes rocky, slightly brushy, and narrow, all while dropping fast.
There is a bigger (main) toe of the ridge on the right, which takes a more direct line back to the parking lot. But I decided on the narrow spine option (heading toward the big bend in Big Butch Wash) and found some fun down-climbing class 2 and 3 stuff.
The final drop was covered in brush, and I had already sliced myself up pretty good,
so I exited stage-left into Big Butch and stumbled and slid my way through the scree back to the car.
The map inspired me to check out Psych-out Ridge, which runs westward from the final switchback in the service road before the Notch.
(The Psych-out ski run is on the right)
A ski run/road extends a half-mile down the ridge, making the initial travel very easy.
The path ends, then an easy cross-country bit put me at Bently's Point, where the view opens up quite spectacularly.
Beyond the Point, the ridge to the left becomes rocky, slightly brushy, and narrow, all while dropping fast.
There is a bigger (main) toe of the ridge on the right, which takes a more direct line back to the parking lot. But I decided on the narrow spine option (heading toward the big bend in Big Butch Wash) and found some fun down-climbing class 2 and 3 stuff.
The final drop was covered in brush, and I had already sliced myself up pretty good,
so I exited stage-left into Big Butch and stumbled and slid my way through the scree back to the car.