Mt Baldy/Mt Harwood Counter Clockwise Loop 5-2-10

[Lcpl Hughes]

Arrived at Manker Flats at 6 am and started up the San Antonio Fire Road at about 6:15 with full intentions to take the ski hut trail..but alas I passed it up and ended up making the climb up to Baldy Notch (again)..climbed up to chair 4 and started on the Devils Backbone, a lot less snow than when Danny and I was here a month and a half ago..but the winds were whipping through pretty quickly, enough to knock me off balance at times..lots of rock scrambling and using all fours to get up onto Harwood and then the push up to Baldy..At this point I hadn't seen anyone all day, once I reached the summit, still no one..nice!..stayed on the summit for about 4.3 seconds and started heading down the ski hut trail checking out the chutes for the bowl..man, some of those are steep, really steep...although, even with the patchy snow there were still some heading up the bowl..nuts!..did a few glissades and made my way to the ski hut, where there were a ton of people, looked like a large picnic..haha..back to Manker Flats and my truck..great hike....used my crampons on a section of the backbone and the whole descent down to the ski hut, ice axe took a ride all day, just used my hiking poles..Very nice for my first ascent of Mt Baldy..6 hours 10 minutes and that is including my 4.3 second break on the top



Chair 4- No Snow

The Devils Backbone in front of me

The Backbone behind me


Baldy peeking

The Summit

me at the summit


The Baldy Bowl with only patches of snow

The Sierra Ski Hut

[Hikin_Jim]

Looks like a nice day's ramble.

HJ

[Andy]

A mountain I've yet to spend much time on. Thanks for the report.