I met Cindy, Lilbitmo! (Patrick) and Ty at Manker and we started sometime after 6 AM. Lilbitmo noted the holiday traffic coming home would be heinous, so the plan was to minimize our commute with a closer mountain. There was ice on the road and trail which could be fairly easily avoided. Took a short break at the hut, then Lilbitmo took us up the gully near the hut. We switchbacked up the ridge, staying near the bigger rocks and brush to decrease the possibility of getting hit with failling rocks.
It was a gorgeous morning with great visibility. As steep as the cross country was, it felt easier and more fun than slogging up the trail to the hut. Before long, we were at the ridge with only 600 more feet more to climb. The typical glacial Baldy wind hit and we donned jackets. Lilbitmo did his impersonation of a polar bear and wore shorts
It must have been cold, because he actually had on a down sweater. Lilbitmo was on fire and disappeared up the ridge ahead of us. I love climbing uphill in the snow with the sound of wind blowing -- there's something very peaceful, comforting and solitary about it. The solace of the mountain.
We huddled together in a rock shelter for lunch but didn't linger too long due to the chilly wind. Made our way quickly down to the protected area between Baldy and West Baldy, where we started encountering other hikers on their way up the "trail." Some wore snowshoes, some just booted it up. Everyone wished each other a Happy Thanksgiving. When we reached the tree-covered ridge to the south of the bowl, the snow became deeper and more powdery. My microspikes started collecting huge snowballs, so I took them off. Had a fun though too brief glissade in the lovely powder before reaching the bowl. The trip down from the hut was much less icy and before long (about 1 PM) we were back at our cars.
A wonderful pre-Thanksgiving hike with friends -- thank you Lilbitmo, Cindy and Ty.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
