The Baldy Hike Video

Another experimental/test video. I want to see how this new blogger version works. This is a quickie of the main points of the Ski Hut trail.

Baden-Powell, Iron, and the Devil's Backbone

There are a few other mountains to look at while on the summit of Baldy. Baden-Powell is just to the west or northwest. I have been to the top of this one a few times. It is a relatively easy switchbacking trail hike. Like Baldy, I use it as an exercise hike. The sky looks a tad dark and that was due to some fire on the other side at the time.
This next one is looking more to the west. This is Iron Mountain. It is way below when one is on the summit of Baldy, but it is supposed to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest, hike in Southern California. Usually, one starts this hike in the East Fork River area and makes the 6,000 ft. climb from there. One can try to go down to it from Baldy, but that is rare. I may try hiking it some day, but I just do not have the desire for it right now.

I came down from the summit using the Devil's Backbone trail. Here is how it is when looking back to where I came from.

I passed the ski lift area to the fire road that took me back to where I parked. All in all, it was a nice loop hike that morning. On the Ski Hut trail there are two points that are very steep: one right before you get to the Ski Hut, and the other is one of the final ridges you go up to get to the summit. These seemed to be much rougher steep points than anything I encountered the weeks before in the Sierra.

The Baldy Exercise

(GPS: N 34 17.345, W 117 38.785)

I was on top of Mt. San Antonio (Mount Baldy) a few weeks ago. I did not do this hike to enjoy the scenery. I did not do this hike to escape the city. I had just returned from doing both of those things in the weeks prior. Enjoying scenery here compared to where I had just been would be a big letdown. It is just not the same. The reason I came here to hike just after coming from the Sierra Nevada was to see how quickly I could do this hike right after all the extra energy I gained from hiking the high country.

I took the Ski Hut trail out of Manker Flat like I normally do for this hike. Usually, I see this hike as a quick training hike or exercise hike. It is the obvious big mountain in Southern California so it is worth the hike. Here are some of the highlights at the summit:

The above is looking back down where I came from. I live about 30 miles down below.
The above is looking more to the east. San Jacinto should be in the furthest in the background. San Gorgonio is to the left.
This one is looking more to the east to the Cajon Pass area. You can see the 15 freeway to Victorville and Las Vegas. I will follow this up with another important mountain or two you can see from the summit.