-West Baldy, Mt. Baldy(3)-

Elevation: 9,988 ft. & 10,064 ft.

Date Hiked: 6-13-2010

Trip Report:
This was my third time hiking Mt. Baldy and my first time up West Baldy. This was also my first time hiking Mt. Baldy without snow. The last time I hiked Baldy was in early April and I wanted to get a faster time than my last hike. I got a late start from San Diego and began hiking at 10:10 AM.

Mt. Baldy from West Baldy

I made good time up to the ski hut taking just over an hour and ten minutes. I got a few good pictures of the Baldy Bowl, the first time I had seen it without snow.

The Baldy Bowl Early April

The Baldy Bowl Mid June

I stopped to refuel and eat a bit at the hut and enjoyed the views. It was warm the entire way to the hut and at the hut. The temperature at 10 AM at Manker was around 78. It was near that at the hut. I left the hut and had good views of the bowl void of snow.

The Baldy Bowl

The Baldy Bowl II

After I crossed the bowl I made my way up the trail on the far western edge. This is the steepest part of the route. It took a little while to make to the top of the bowl. I had great views to the south and west of all of southern California.

The City

The Trail

West Baldy

West Baldy and the Trail

Eventually I made it to the saddle between West Baldy and Mt. Baldy. I could either go up either peak. Since I had never been up West Baldy I decided this trip would be a good time to tag this summit. It only took 5 minutes to reach the summit. I took a few photos and made my way to Mt. Baldy. One thing I noticed was how steep the north face of West Baldy and Mt. Baldy was. On my previous two trips I had never realized this.

Mt. Baldy

The Northeast Face

Eventually I made it to Mt. Baldy and joined the rest of the crowd. It was warm on top so I decided to sit and enjoy the views. I also took photos of the area. Everything looked so different without snow.

Mt. Baden-Powell

Looking South

Pine Mountain and Dawson Peak

My Summit Shot

The Summit Plaque

San Gorgonio and San Jacinto

Santiago and Modjeska Peaks

After a short stay on the summit I headed back down the trail. I stopped at the top of the couloir I had climbed twice this past snow season.

The Couloir

The Couloir with Snow

Above the Couloir

On the way down the sheriff helicopter flew by the bowl and hovered over West Baldy. I shot a short video of it and assume they were just training. If someone knows anything different please let me know

West Baldy Panorama

West Baldy Panorama II

Glider Over the Summit

Sheriff Helicopter

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