| Peak | Mt Baldy |
|---|---|
| Group | N/A |
| Trailhead | NOTCH TRAIL |
When we arrived at the ski lifts, the weather was pretty breezy and a little cold. I think it was because we were inside the mountains because once we started going up to the notch it got warmer. It was 5 of us, and it was all our first time. We had heard that the trail was pretty easy to find from the Notch restaurant so we decided to start from there versus from the bottom (Manker Flats Campground). There are different trails to take up by the restaurant, and we decided (without knowing) to take the middle most (in my opinion) strenuous one. It went almost into a 45 degree angle going up. The altitude hit me real fast, and I had to take longer breaks. I tried to just keep going but my lungs would not allow it. It was about 1 mile until we reached some semi flat ground, then it continued like that for about 1/4 of a mile. They don’t call it the Devil’s Backbone for nothing, the rest of the way was almost all exposed to the sun, and narrow in a lot of areas. The hike is beautiful but you do have to pay attention to those areas, or for any hikers coming around the corner. Then we hit the actual summit, which is the last “hill” to get to the peak. Holy cow, I was stunned to see how far up it was. To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure if I can make it. It was all a mental fight with what my brain thought it could do, to what my body was actually doing. I tried to make them agree but the heat, and exhaustion were making it difficult to do. As I was going up, I was taking 5 second breaks, where I would close my eyes, and controlled my breathing. I did drink small amounts of water at every break, and just when I thought I was reaching the top, there was another climb ahead. At this time I was concentrating on visualizing the peak and how I would feel as soon as I got there, it gave me a burst of reserved energy, and I finally reached the top. I swear I wanted to cry, but maintained my composure, and took the beautiful view in. I did it.
