If you have been following our blog you mostly likely read about our trip to Mt Baldy a few months ago, where we were surprised by the conditions and had a rough go of it. I however enjoyed hiking in the winter, so much that I decided I wanted to pick up the right equipment and give it another go. The outcome was one of the most epic adventures I have ever had.
I picked up my new gear which included an ice axe and 
some micro spikes and started looking at the weather and preparing for my hike. Being familiar with Mt Baldy, since it’s close to were I live and we had hiked it in winter conditions before, contributed to my decision to try to make the summit while they had a lot of snow. I have a lot of hiking experience, a little bit of climbing experience, but not much in the way of ice or winter experience so I knew that this would be a little different.
Looking at the weather was interesting, as the time I was looking at hiking was a few days after a storm has just moved through Southern California, so there was around a foot of fresh snow that got dropped three to four days before my hike. However, it is Southern California, so I was able to find a clear day with great conditions with little effort. I got up early and hit the trail around sunrise, I knew that everything was going to be harder with that much snow and ice and wanted plenty of time to get to the top and then off the mountain. Using the same trail as before, surrounded by beautiful snow covered mountains, it was an amazing experience.
I went on a week day so I didn’t see anyone
until I got to the Mt Baldy Ski Resort which had most of their runs open and even then I did not see anyone else until I was heading down and found some back country skiers. Getting to the top was challenging, Devils Backbone with that much snow is quite a climb, can even get technical in some areas and there were no great trails to follow. I peaked out around noon and spent a little time on the top of Mt Baldy, breath taking views and enjoying the amazing weather. Doing it solo was a neat experience, it is not for everyone, but gave me some time to myself, and a great personal adventure. Seeing some weather move in I started back down and started following some back country skier tracks and using my GPS. I made it back to my car around 3. I really enjoyed hiking in the snow, using my gear and seeing the amazing views so much so that I am looking at a couple of other trips. I hear San Jacinto has some great winter hiking so you may be seeing a followup post about another winter hike or two.
EveryTrail Trip – Hiking Mt Baldy – California, United States
New Gear:
Outdoor Products Skyline 8.0 Pack
REI Yeti Ice Axe
Ice Traction Slip Ons
Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain High Gaiters
Related posts:
So nice to see someone from California embracing the cold and the snow! I enjoyed watching your video and your photos show an amazing looking mountain to summit. New equipment is always fun and you gotta love those micro-spikes! Mine are red, I like your gray ones better. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Thanks Andra! This year was the breakthrough for me, I have never really enjoyed the winter season until this year and it just clicked and I have had such and amazing time.
Terrific… I have to agree this site is providing a great resource. Keep it up. Melinda Jenson