September 27th marked ten years that this forum has been providing kickass reports and information for the SoCal hiking community. I thought it would be cool to celebrate this achievement in some small way. So today Elwood, John, Kevin, and I met up at the Baldy Resort for an ascent of San Antonio Peak via the Devil's Backbone.
For me, the excitement began during the drive up Baldy Road. At around 6:45am, I saw this Sasquatch Crossing sign.
Due to recent health issues, I wasn't sure whether I could make it to the summit. But after seeing the road sign, I felt a warm sensation in my heart and knew that Squatchy had blessed me. With his strength I'd conquer that mountain.
I pulled into the ski lift parking lot and met Elwood, John, and Kevin for the first time. The lift operator was late opening the ticket counter, so we all talked for a bit and made sure nobody was actually psychotic.
Up at the Notch we took a bunch of pictures of each other.
There were some new, handmade signs posted for the trails.
John and his son Kevin live in San Diego, and they had never taken the Devil's Backbone before. So they were pretty excited to see the narrow rocky ridge and huge drops on either side.
Elwood is from south Ventura County and doesn't get to Baldy as much as I do. But he often hikes twenty or thirty miles in a day, and has covered much of the San Gabriel range. Today though he was out for a nice Saturday stroll.
A little before the summit we ran into Ellen, another member of the forum, who was already coming down. She gave me a big hug and raced down the ridge to catch up with her group.
I was the last one to reach the top. But at least I made it, thank Squatchy!
The weather up there was a bit windy, but clear of clouds. John and Kevin wanted to tag West Baldy as well. So Elwood and I waited for them. In addition to having a weekend stroll, Elwood brought his radios and chatted with other operators.
He tried to explain a few things about radios, but there were these girls doing headstands on the summit, and they were quite distracting.
Soon John and Kevin returned and we headed back down the Backbone.
We all decided to hit up Mt. Harwood, only a slight detour and small additional climb.
Due to the added gain and wind, I had to summon some extra Squatchy power for this one.
We made decent time on the descent and celebrated with a hearty lunch at the Notch Restaurant.
Thank you to Elwood, John, and Kevin for a wonderful hike and some wonderful personal stories that will go unreported. And thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum. Happy 10th anniversary! Keep hiking, and keep sharing your stories!
Man who knows how to take in a view...
Hardy trekkers headed towards Mount San Antonio.
Brief photographic opportunity on the Devil's Backbone.
