06/12/10 Returned to the site of one of my snow treks, except this time in dry conditions. The Three T's trail near Mt. Baldy... Timber Mtn, Telegraph Peak, and Thunder Mtn. 19 miles, 6400' of elevation gain, altitude topping out just under 9000'. Another brutal, but fun, trail run.
1 My first time up Icehouse Canyon and the Three T's without snow on the ground. It was fascinating to see where the trail really went compared to my free-form trek through the snow. Here I'm headed on the way up Icehouse Canyon. Always an amazing trail.
2 The cascades near the top of Icehouse Canyon.
3 Made it to the Saddle in good time. It's a little bit easier without the snow!
4 Start of the Three T's trail. This sign was almost completely covered in snow the last time I was here.
5 I had never seen this map sign before, it had been completely covered in snow the last two times I was here.
6 Made it to the top of the first of the Three T's, Timber Mtn. This was the eerily blank sign before. I guess somebody decided to scratch in the name.
7 A look towards Telegraph Peak. You can see the steep descent to the saddle and then the climb to the Peak. In retrospect, I can't believe I actually did that in the snow.
8 If you look closely, you can see how the trail cuts to the left alongside this peak. It then switchbacks up to the top. In the snow, my trail was straight up the shoulder to the top! This picture does not convey the steepness. I don't know how (or why) I ever tried that on snowshoes.
9 Almost the identical picture as my snow trek except without the snow.
10 A look down the valley from near the top of Telegraph Peak.
11 One of the few patches of snow left along the trail.
12 I was at this exact spot and never saw the sign before. It was entirely covered in snow last time.
13 The official geological marker on the top of Telegraph Peak. 8985'.
14 A zoomed-in look at the ski resort down below.
15 A look at Mt. Baldy from Telegraph Peak. Still a decent amount of snow up there for the middle of June.
16 Above the marine layer at the Peak.
17 The 360 panorama from the top of Telegraph Peak. You can hear people talking about taking the ski lift back down from Timber Mtn. Cheaters!
18 Made it to the top of Timber Mtn, which also happens to be the highest point of the Mt. Baldy ski resort (about 400' below Telegraph Peak). So this is what a ski run looks like in the summer!
19 I'm not sure which ski run I just ran up. Most people would probably think it's a lot more fun going down in the snow, but not me!
20 Top of the ski lift.
21 Ski lift in the summertime. I think it needs a paint job.
22 My comfy lunch spot on the top of Timber Mtn.
23 I love this sign (they have a couple of them along the trail). Among other things it says "Respect the solitude. Use low voices. Wear colors that blend with the landscape". Rules to live by!
24 A nice view on the way back from Timber Mtn.
25 On the way back, I decided to take a different route back to the trailhead. The Cedar Glen trail adds another 1.1 miles and is an awesome trail. It doesn't have the scenic creek of Icehouse Canyon, but it has great technical terrain.
26 Still some great wildflowers in bloom.
27 Cedar Glen. Evidently a camping spot. Very nice area.
28 An awesome section of trail through Cedar Glen. I guess those must be Cedar trees?
29 I made it back. Here's a look at my wonderful parking spot. I arrived a little later than planned and didn't get on the trail until a bit after 8am. I got the LAST spot in the parking lot, and it was barely a spot at all. I was parked on an embankment (apparently a legal spot, others were doing it, and no ticket) and my rear bumper was basically resting on the ground.
