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.

Audie Murphy's Showdown Rock + Iron Man Preview (The Alabama Hills Series)

(GPS: N36 37.902 W118 07.330)

One of my favorite old western actors is war hero turned actor, Audie Murphy. I have often said elsewhere that Rambo is a myth, but Audie was the real thing. One of the coolest cult westerns out there is No Name on the Bullet where he plays a "good" bad guy. Of course, his autobiographical movie, To Hell and Back, is required watching.

Audie visited Alabama Hills for three separate movies. Hell Bent for Leather, Posse From Hell, and Showdown are the three quality B-westerns he did out there. I have shown one area in the past from Hell Bent for Leather. Unfortunately, like a lot of Audie's movies, these are not on dvd. In the past some of these have played on television. The one I am going to talk about is actually pretty rare and I was fortunate to get a less than steller copy of it. I am grateful to even have that since Showdown is next to impossible to find, but the following picture was taken from a magazine I have:

In this movie, Audie's friend (Charles Drake) has been chained by the bad guys to this rock. The movie is like The Tall T and Rawhide that were filmed out here, in the sense that Audie and his friend are captives of the badmen here. A lot of the movie deals with getting ransom money for the men as both friends are split up. This chained rock becomes an important area in the movie.

Fortunately, finding this rock was not too difficult and may have been a lot harder for me to find without help. The Lone Pine Film Museum has a map you can buy on your way out for a dollar that gives a driving tour of most of the main Audie Murphy sites. Still I was not sure it would be that easy since this location is much further north than the main sites I have gone over in the past. This is actually a good thing about Audie's movies is that he and some of the crew scouted for areas that had not been used before. He even flew overhead in his plane looking for them. A lot of these rocks out in this area were not as distinctive for me, but following the directions and using my location hunting intuition I eventually found the area.
The funny thing is that I shot this at the end of June around 8:00am. In mid-August, I was there around 9:30am in which I hoped to take a picture with my new camera and not have any shadows at all, but it was much worse. Naturally, the month of June up to the 21st has the longest daylight. Next month it will be interesting in that I hope to be here during the middle of the day so that shouldn't be an issue. I'll edit this if I get a better picture.

I have other location sites with Audie Murphy, but I'll save those for another time.

Coincidentally, I was watching random youtube video's this morning. I had already intended to put this entry up today with this site. I saw that the new trailer for Marvel Comic Book character, Iron Man, was up. I clicked it and the next thing I saw was Iraq! Well, not really, but that's where part of the story takes place.

After further examing it I was shocked to see how north they were in Alabama Hills. Here Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is talking to a bunch of soldiers about his weapons. Then I thought this is really a strange coincidence. They are not that far away from Audie Murphy's Showdown rock location. It is just a few minutes walk south of it from what it looks like.
Strange as it is, in my picture above, if you look to the left and the midground of the picture, some of those rocks look very similar to the two right rocks in the trailer picture. The backgrounds are very close. It would make sense for them to film that scene there. It is very close to a very large area anyone can park at to walk to these areas. When I go back next month I will verify this.

In the meantime, check out the trailer. It will be nice to see some of these areas on the bigscreen in May, 2008. FYI, Mt. Langely is just to the right of Downey's head. I was on top of that one a few weeks ago...another entry, some other time.

Iron Man Official Site (Go here for the best trailer quality)
Iron Man Trailer on Youtube

An Example of a Drought Year

Saddlebag Lake

One thing I always wish for is as the winter months go on is a quick winter where the snow melts away quickly going into the summer. Not that I don't like snow, but it makes it easier on the hikes I enjoy doing. At least there is usually less danger going into the back country. It was fun that I got to do Whitney in June instead of July or August, but over all this was a bad year because of the drought. The Sierras suffered for it like a lot of California. One obvious area is Saddlebag Lake off of Tioga Pass near Yosemite. I did a quick and obvious stitch of what Saddlebag Lake looked like in August, 2006:That is the normal look of that beautiful lake. Here is another regular picture of this lake: Now, look at this disaster. You would think that this isn't the same area. This year at the very end of July, 2007: Is this supposed to be some sort of river here? Where is the lake?

Before I cause a panic let's go back to last year:

Compare where the trees are to this.

When I was in the Sierra Nevada this year the first few days I just could not get enough water and other drinks into my system. I felt dehydrated all the time. I was fortunate that some dark clouds came in, cooled the place down, some minor rainfall occurred, and then some breezy wind the rest of the time. I am hopeful that some major snowfall will happen in the next few months to balance things out this year.

High Plains Drifter

(GPS: N 37° 55.630 W 119° 01.370)

(EDIT (2/6/11): this location has been updated. This blog entry is very old so make sure you see the rest of blogs and video I did on it. Please click the tag below or this link to get all three blogs I did on this location. Also, be sure to check out Clint Spooks 'Em too.)

I have posted some unique pictures of Mono Lake in another entry. Unique in the sense they are from a different angle and high point than one normally sees of the lake. Go HERE for those.

Years ago my brother and I went looking for the town of "Lago" where the movie High Plains Drifter was exclusively filmed. Admittedly, since we did this long before I really started looking for old movie locations these pictures are close, but not as close as I could do today. One of these days I might go back and see if I can be a bit more precise on these. In fact, the gps coords above don't get you to the pictures below. They get you to the Navy Beach plaque which leads you to the South Tufa of Mono Lake. You then follow the road and head more to the north or northwest along the lake.

As a side note, Navy Beach was where the U.S. Navy did some top secret experimental work during the cold war era. It closed down in 1962. There is a tour of the wildlife nearby. Okay, to the pictures:

At the beginning of the movie, Clint rides down from the background (that's actually were the gps coords are at). You will notice in the following picture I have about 1/3 of the movie picture. If you compare the left hand side you can match up about 1/3 of it.
Mono Lake has a history of different water levels. I do not think the town where "Lago" appeared in the movie has had any issues of water reaching it. I could be wrong though. You can see the two main islands in this lake. I have not seen Fair Wind to Java with Fred MacMurray, but to this day those islands are referred to as Krakatoa and Java due to that movie being filmed here. In location hunting these days I would take the above picture above to the site and probably head to my left (north) to line up the mountain peaks in the background with the islands, thus, getting a more precise shot. Also, I need to be higher behind me.
Another shot nearby. One thing about Mono Lake is that during the summer it is very hot. The general rule of thumb that I go by is any lake to the east of the 395 is going to be a fire lake. Usually very dry and not very much fun. I was there last year hiking the northern side to some caves. I was glad I did it early in the morning because by the time I finally reached my truck I was dying for water. It is a desert area regardless of the salt water you see. Remember, Clint did turn the town of "Lago" into "Hell" for a reason. ;)
Again, Clint is just arriving in town.
I am not really sure about this, but you can see the piece of land that darts out into the water in the background. It is possible my picture below is a trace of that.
When the outlaws get out of jail they show up from the south to southeastern side of the lake. Close to where you see the first two pictures above. This movie is interesting to me because they filmed almost every scene here, but all the indoor sets appear to have been made and filmed here too.

The Return to Lago (Youtube Version)

The Mt. Whitney Hike: the North and West Sides (Part 6)

Looking more to the northeast one can see some ice which is a lake. Tulainyo Lake has an elevation of 12,802 feet high. Some say it is the highest lake in the lower 48, but after doing a quick Google search I really don't think that is true unless there is a qualification on what a "lake" has to be. It is famous for being the starting point for the "Wedding of the Waters" that took place in the late 30's. Water was transported in a relay to the lowly elevated Badwater in Death Valley.
This next picture is looking north. You can barely see White Mountain in the middle in the distance. Another 14'er is Russell not too far away which is in the middle below.

There are a ton of peaks I could identify in the following pictures, but I'll pass on that. On this day I could see most of the peaks about 60 miles away. That would be in the realm of the town of Bishop. Peaks, like the Palisades, could be seen.

A zoom on the same area:

This is more to the northwest. You can see that the rocks were built as shelter against the wind below. It turns out that the Kern River starts out ahead just below in this valley.

The Kaweah's. A very interesting range.

A zoom of the Kaweah's:

I finished my time at the summit by standing on the highest block with this benchmark. For about a minute I was the tallest person or object in the lower 48.

Often I have read in books, on the net, on the signs at the trailhead that the summit is only half of the hike because you have to travel the same distance on the way down. While this is true for this hike I do not look at it this way. On any peak hike I give it my all and let it all hang out to get to the summit. I don't worry about the trip back. In fact, for this hike I felt like it was a victory celebration going down. I was relieved I actually got to the top so I just enjoyed going down taking pictures and talking to people. I got back down in just over 5 hours, but I stopped a lot for these pictures and to take in the air. After I got past Lone Pine Lake my legs felt like they were pounding the ground like a nail getting hit by a hammer. I got back to my truck, ate in Lone Pine, then took off home.

I don't like giving advice on a hike like this since I can get a way with a lot of stuff that others can't. For example, I have been to high elevations since I was kid so I don't really get the symptoms of altitude sickness someone else might. My training for this was a total joke. I didn't do any peak hikes leading up to this hike, but I do a lot of walking/jogging at sea level. A lot of people do this hike then show up on the Whitney Portal Forum and start talking like experts for everyone and giving advice. I want to avoid that and just say you need to know yourself; meaning, know your strengths and limitations through experience. My main concerns were the following:

1)Having the leg strength up to the summit.

2)If the altitude would be a problem.

3)My legs on the way down which is a different type of pounding than #1.

Liquids are more important than anything else on any hike I do. I only needed to sip 3 Gatorades to get the summit. I used water from the 25th switchback on the way down and a filled up in a small stream within the first mile from the trailhead near the very end of the hike.

The final factor and most important is TIME. No matter how I am doing on a hike, if I know I have plenty of time or the whole day to do it then I feel great. This is the reason I always start hikes before the sun comes up.

Please use this site if you are a newbie and want to try the hike:

Bill's Whitney Day Hike site.

The Mt. Whitney Hike: The South and East Sides (Part 5)

The funny thing is after I got to the top after all that time spent hiking I never really stopped moving. I immediately got the camera out and starting shooting anything I could. I talked a bit to the people above, but I never really rested. The next thing I knew I had been up there for about an hour and twenty minutes. Time went really fast. Okay, here is the summit hut:
The summit hut was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. It was built by G.F. Marsh of Lone Pine in 1908. It took just over a month to build it. They packed mules up here to get the foundations made. I always thought it would be much bigger than it was. It has two rooms. Only one is open to the public. I looked in and it had room for about 3 people to put down their sleeping bags. Personally, I would only feel comfortable by myself or maybe another person. It just seemed too cramped for my size. If weather conditions are bad then it is not a good place to stay since lightning has and will kill people inside it.

The above picture is looking in a southwest direction. You can see the Great Western Divide to the right and back of the picture. As I mentioned last time it is what divides the eastern and western parts of the Sierra. The picture below marks the southern portion and part of where I had come from in the last part of the hike.

A few feet over and you can see the drop off. There was a rock I stood on up there that was sort of like a teeter totter. It would slowly move once you stand on it. I felt comfortable up there, but thinking about it now sometimes I get really close to edges that maybe I shouldn't. Recently I was on a high area that I was not too familiar with and I had a bad feeling about it. I hope I never step on the wrong rock that really isn't that grounded. I have had people tell me they did not like how far I got over some edge sometimes. ;)

In this picture, the highest one in the middle is Mt. Langley. In the distance to the right is Olancha Peak. There are some others that I can't remember off the top of my head.

To the middle left we have Lone Pine Peak which is the most prominent and some times confused with Whitney for newbies who come to Lone Pine for the first time. It's about 2000 feet lower, but more of a scramble to get to. Someday I need to tackle that one.

Here we have the view looking back at Lone Pine and the eastern side. Whitney Portal, where I began the hike, would be in the lower middle at the end of the road. This is the shot I wanted since I always look up this way from all my Alabama Hills shots and movies I watch.

Here is the zoom.

There were no clouds on this day, but the 395 side of the Sierra always has a hazy look to it while I am there. The Western side was very clear that day.

Next up: the final entry with the north and west sides.

The Mt. Whitney Hike: The Final Push to the Summit (Part 4)

The interesting rock formations to the left of the trail go on for a while, but then disappear as you start to get close to the final ascent.
You can barely see it, but, the trail goes to one of those patches of snow below and then the final 10 minutes is just a zig-zag trail to the top. Somewhere around this point that I finally encountered two people using the trail and passed them up. They complained it was too cold. I agreed, but I had just enough clothes on and had put on some gloves that I was feeling great. Keep in mind that everyone, except for me, this early in the morning had been camping just below at Trail Camp so that would explain why they felt so cold. I had many hours of hiking to keep myself warm since I had come from the portal.

Guitar Lake:

A good shot of what those needles look like from the back side. The Paiutes had a story about a Hawk who plucked two of his feathers to capture and kill a bee that had cause much havok among other animals. These "little Whitney's" are the feathers.

This is looking back south and partly where I had just been. Muir peak is the high point in the picture and can be climbed as a side trip off the main trail...maybe next time.

The base of the mountain and the last 10 minutes of the hike.

It was at this point I said to myself, "it looks like I am actually going to pull this off". I saw the summit hut. I knew my long journey was coming to and end.

However, I decided I was not going to stop until I reached the plaque. Which is just a little further on the other side. When I reached the plaque I stopped, took a drink, and started taking pictures.

There were two people already on top at 8:30am in the morning. Three guys had stayed over night in the summit hut. As I was taking pictures more people came up and I saw a bunch heading up as I went down. The altitude really had no obvious effects on me at all during the whole trip. I never really did any altitude hikes the months going into the hike nor did I train for this at all this year. I do keep myself in okay shape by jogging and taking regular walks, but I felt I could do a lot better time wise if I do this again.

The Whitney Hike: The Sequoia Side (Part 3)

Of course, the other factor one should be concerned with on this hike is the weather. Another reason I did not want to do this hike late in the middle of summer is the chances of lightning and bad conditions are greater. On this day there was no clouds in the sky. A perfect day so that issue was completely out of the picture I guess it makes sense to say. A few weeks later that would be a different story with lightning strikes causing fires in nearby Independence on the 395 affecting the whole area with dark smoke. On to the hike, at this point over the pass you enter Sequoia National Park and can see "behind" Mt. Whitney to the Great Western Divide range which is the dividing point between the Eastern and Western Sierras.
Looking back down from where I came:

At this point I was sure I would make it, but the last 2.5 miles goes on a lot further than one would think. You descend a few hundred feet right away knowning this is going to be troublesome on the way back. Keep in mind it is about 11 miles to the top, but you have to go back those 11 miles. Any uphill on the way down is annoying. There are a few spots like that.

The trail is a good one here assuming you do not encounter snow/ice. Lots of interesting rock formations to look at part of the way there.

I think my favorite viewing part of the hike is the area known as the "windows". These are the areas between the needles or spikes to the south of Whitney; most pictures you see of Whitney they are to the left of it. What is cool and can be a bit scary is on some of these the trail is only a few feet wide on these spots. There are long drop offs on both sides. Check this out:

It does not look like it, but the above picture is like a bridge. As you cross it and look to the right you get this:

Thats a nice drop off. On some of these it would take a while to hit bottom. On the left of me you get this:

On the above picture you might hit those rocks a bit quicker, but the results are still the same on a drop. I had no problems with this area, as most people, but some get scared and I can only imagine what it must feel like if there is a giant gust of wind coming through the windows.

The above picture is of Hitchcock Lakes. This is on the Sequoia side. There are lots of interesting things to see on this side of the hike that one cannot see from below.

More to come...