8/8/10 Another trip to one of my all-time favorite trails- up the backside of Mt. Baldy. This time joined by Dustin. This is now my fifth trip up the Acorn and Backbone trails, 3 times in snow and twice in summer. At around 17 miles and 7000' of elevation gain, it is unquestionably one of the toughest trails in Southern CA.
1 Away we go. We got an early start and actually set out from the car before 7:00am, probably my earliest start yet.
2 Up the Acorn trail in the morning sun with beautiful views.
3 I can never have enough pictures of cool looking trees.
4 Our hiking companion for the day. A big Sherman Shepherd named Charlie that was wandering around on the trail. It started following us early in the morning, just out of Wrightwood. We tried calling the phone number on the dog tag but couldn't get through, and then we lost cell coverage. He followed us about 2/3 of the way to the top until we handed him off to a group going down. A little while later, he was right back with us. Then he went with another group again and we didn't see him for a while. When we finally reached the summit, he was already up there. Hopefully he made it back down and to his owner.
5 More snow plants in August. Definitely a cold summer.
6 A look at one of my favorite spots along the trail. Definitely looks different without the snow though. I have no idea what this area is really called, but Baldy Bowl sounds as good as anything.
7 Dustin posing in front of the Baldy Bowl.
8 Our first look at the Backbone trail, which runs right along the ridge up to Pine Mtn.
9 A slightly zoomed in view from the fire road at the point where we pick up the Backbone trail and enter the Sheep Mountain Wilderness area. The ridge leading up to Pine Mtn. is in the background.
10 A look up the first part of the climb to Pine Mtn. One of the steepest stretches of trail in Southern CA.
11 A nice view down the valley to the distant mountains.
12 The trail just below the top of Pine Mtn.
13 The view from the top of Pine Mtn.
14 A similar view as the previous picture except this time from the top of Dawson's Peak, further South, and almost 1000' higher.
15 The trail drops down 800' from the top of Dawson Peak, down along the ridge, and then up 1200' to the top of Baldy.
16 Our only snow sighting for the day. I was surprised though that there was any snow at all left in August.
17 A short break at the saddle before making the final 1200' climb to the summit.
18 The official picture at the summit marker.
19 Absolutely perfect weather on the summit. Warm and no wind. Definitely different than last time I was up here (-4deg). Also a lot more people, probably around 30 people on the summit, most of which came up the easy front side, and many probably took the ski lift part of the way. Lame.
20 A look out towards the West Baldy peak.
21 The official 360 degree summit video.
22 Much of the trail in this area is loose scree. Almost as easy to wipe out as coming down in the snow.
23 One of the few pictures I have taken that actually conveys some sense of the steepness of this trail. I am not sure how/why I ever tried this trail in the snow.
24 That little thin line is the trail. Definitely not the place to be if you're afraid of heights.
25 Heading back up the other side of Pine Mtn. This trail has almost 3000' of elevation gain on the way back, which is why it is physically and mentally one of the toughest trails in Southern CA.
26 Dustin making his way through the thorny bushes grown over the trail.
27 A picture of Dustin going down the narrow ridge along the Backbone trail below Pine Mtn.
28 Back to the fire road. The rest of the way back was smooth sailing. We made great time and were back to the car by about 6:30pm. Considering Dustin hadn't spent much time on the trails, especially at altitude, he did amazingly well!