| Peak | Mt Baldy |
|---|---|
| Group | N/A |
| Trailhead | Manker Flats |
This hike was the second one for Mt. Baldy this year. Although I had already completed the Six-Pack back in August, I redid Baldy on this date because of the A16 Three Peak Challenge. Rather than use the previous hike to Baldy, I decided to do Baldy again for the other challenge. Also, other hikers asked me to be their guide to Baldy which I readily obliged. We started the hike at 0718 with myself and 5 others: Karen, Leticia, Alan, Albert, and Angie. For Karen and Leticia this hike was part of their Six-Pack of Peaks challenge. Alan came along for the hike with his friend Albert. And Angie joined up since she missed her group and we readily let her come with us. Alan and Albert subsequently went ahead and speed hiked up Ski Hut to the summit and came down since they had a tight schedule. So there were four of us left. Because none of the others had hiked Baldy before I took them on a slow pace stopping at San Antonio Falls before heading up the Ski Hut. We went at a slow and steady pace taking as many breaks as needed. Our long break was at Ski Hut trail. Then we resumed going up. Somewhere below the summit, we met my cousin Mark who was coming down the mountain playing his ukulele. We greeted each other then joined up with Mark for a song with his ukulele before taking more pictures and Mark continued down while we continued going up. Leticia was excited to reach the summit since with Baldy she completed her Six-Pack. We took our pictures including my picture with the A16 flag. We also met Gerardo and Betty from 3H at the summit–they had hiked to Baldy from Wrightwood via Dawson Peak and Pine Mountain. Then we headed down Devil’s Backbone. For the other hikers who were hiking it for the first time having heard the horror stories of those who had met their deaths hiking that trail in the winter, it was a memorable experience for them. We had snacks at the Notch before heading back to our cars. Leticia and Angie had to hurry so they went ahead while Karen and I took a more leisurely pace back to Manker Flats. Back at Manker we met a hiker whose hiking companion had failed to return but later after some time he showed up to our relief. Everything was good.
