Mt Baldy with my boy.
Date Walked: 31st May 2013
Distance: 6.4 miles (10.4km)
Actual Ascent: 2047 ft (624m)
Time Taken: 3.5 hours
Distance: 6.4 miles (10.4km)
Actual Ascent: 2047 ft (624m)
Time Taken: 3.5 hours
With Mark visiting for two weeks we decided to take a grey day and use it to climb a mountain together. I'd hoped to do a very different one with some challenging scrambling but it was over terrain that I didn't know and it had some significant exposure. I decided the low cloud and rain showers would make that too high a risk this time, so as the clouds billowed by we drove out to Mt Baldy a wonderful, comfortable, safe mountain that I know very well now.
After getting ready we set out into the forest where the rain showers were mostly kept at bay by the trees. It was still warm and we strode across the first section of the hike at a good pace, stopping only to record the steps along the way on Marks first mountain hike.
After the initial forest section we meet the wash out where melt water flows maintain a clear path up through the forest via a narrowing valley. The clouds still hung low but the showers had stopped as we hit open ground.
Mark strode along behind me but at a pace that pushed me on above my normal plod, I was feeling it already as we ascended the early sections while Mark just wandered along effortlessly.....it made me feel old.
When we crossed an avalanche slope and he rubbed some cooling snow on his forehead I thought Mark was beginning to feel the altitude....turns out he was just messing around.
As we looked back from the avalanche slope the clouds looked to be lifting, not yet sufficiently to see the Western summit but certainly improving.
When we completed the first section and hit the cairn on the summit of Baldy Pass I stopped for a rest and a couple of tangerines while Mark wandered around taking in the views (such as they were in the cloud)
It was a short rest break of about 5 minutes before we began our ascent of the ridge, its great to be out above the trees watching the clouds roll by.
This is a great ridge to hike along on a clear day, and even today it provides stunning views south along highway 40. Mark is amazed at the distance we've covered as he looks back to the road. Even in the cloud and occasional drizzle he is enjoying the day.
The steps along the ridge to the summit can be seen here on the right along with the long valley leading back to the road. The western summit behind Mark is now virtually clear of cloud as is our intended target for the day.
There are some nice simple scrambles along the ridge to keep things interesting and Mark takes to them like a mountain goat, the altitude isn't bothering him at all and it's clear he could tackle a much bigger lump out here if he wanted too.
Each little scramble takes us up another step toward the target and Mark is always leading the way now as I lag behind to 'take photos' .....that's my excuse anyway.
I do have a wry smile each time Mark asks "is this one the summit" as we scramble upward, only to be told.....not yet. In fairness it doesn't seem to bother him any as he bounds up and out of the climbs leaving me to bring up the rear....so I can 'take photos'
There are a few more scrambles ahead before we get to the summit and Mark powers up them easily leaving me to rue my 30 years as a smoker, though I'm still thankful that I decided to quit 6 years ago.
More scrambles with Mark waiting at the top for me and though he's still smiling I think he is sick of scrambling up a section only to see another ridge walk and ascent awaiting
I laugh as I tell him how these ridges are always longer and higher than they look, I still remember my first experience along here where I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to see the top.
But there is just one small section left now and Mark still has plenty of gas in the tank....much more than his old dad that's a fact. I stop for a while to 'take photos' again as the final short section comes into view.
Very soon Mark is making his first summit and at a little over 7100 feet it's a great first lump, though I confess I'm hacked off with the weather as another sleet shower blows through.
Still, no amount of sleet is going to dampen the spirits (and rightly so)
So there we are, Dad and his lad on top of Mt Baldy in a sleet shower.....absolutely loving it. We might only have had 10 minutes on top before heading back down but it was my greatest day in the mountains ever....I would love to do another mountain in the rockies with Mark before we leave here, and I'm sure he feels the same....so, time will tell.
One last shot with the raincoat on, looking back down along the ascent ridge. The rain chased us all the way down the ridge to the cairn at the pass where we took off the rain gear and made the descent through the forest to the truck. Turns out we did this hike 1 hour faster than my previous best on here.....I told that boy he was making his old dad go too fast.