by Ellen » Tue Sep 02, 2008 3:55 pm
Fifty-five and still alive – my birthday motto for this year. Coincidentally, my double-nickel birthday fell on September 1, the same day as the Mt. Baldy Run to the Top. I thought this event would be a perfect way to celebrate.
Karin arrived at my house before 6 AM and we headed up to the ski lifts on Baldy. When we picked up our packets, we ran into Z-dude Stan, Greg (Stan’s terrific brother), Cy, Joe (who recognized me from this site) and Grandmaster Perry. Cy’s attire brought to mind a forest ranger, so I asked if he wanted to see my hiking permit. He had summited earlier that morning.
We started off by going down-hill and hung a right onto the dirt road that passes by the San Antonio falls. To break up the monotony of this section of the course, I tried to catch other people in front of us who were walking or alternating walking and jogging. I must confess that I take a certain wicked pleasure in hiking past people who are jogging.
We hung a left at the Baldy notch and continued uphill. Once we reached the Devil’s Backbone (the final 3.2 miles of the climb), we had to go single file as the trail narrowed and hugged the mountain side. I suddenly realized that my bum left ankle was all that stood between me and a sheer drop-off. We came to a complete halt several times due to traffic jams created by slower-paced individuals.
The rush-hour hiking didn’t last too long. The trail opened up, allowing faster people to move ahead. By the final mile, however, the cumulative effort had sorted us all out pretty well and there was little jostling for position. Most people were focused on just putting one foot in front of another. It was awe-inspiring to look up and see the mass of humanity trudging up the switch-backs. The race could be renamed the Mt. Baldy Death March.
After hearing “You’re almost to the top!” for far too long, I heard Perry and Stan shouting that they were my rabbits (umm… maybe they said “turtles”) and that I only had 20 feet to go. They had stayed on top to welcome us and offer encouragement. There is absolutely no better way to celebrate a birthday than on top of a mountain with friends. Poor Perry nearly developed hypothermia waiting for me to summit.
We enjoyed the view and perfect temperature for a while and then carefully made our way back down to the Notch restaurant and ski lifts. We ran into Perry again in the restaurant – he was waiting for the line for the ski lifts to decrease. We chatted companionably over beer and coffee (guess who drank what).
This was my first time on a ski lift – it was both exhilarating and peaceful. The ride came to a halt (thankfully we’d used the restroom before leaving) but then continued without incident. I managed to get off without looking like an idiot or hurting my ankle.
I highly recommend this event. The support from the volunteers and other participants was incredible. I’ll have a hard time matching this birthday experience next year.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
