fuckyeahhiking:

seltaire:

Baldy Mountain - Bear Canyon Trail (UP) & Main Trail + Devil’s Backbone (BACK)

Some of you know I went to Mount. Baldy last weekend, apart of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County. I had to turn back because I lacked proper equipment and it was storming. The snow had mostly melted at the bottom, but I came back with a vengeance anyways.

I went to the top of the summit with a small group. It was around 10,000 feet above sea level and the view was just amazing. Poor bloke passed out from exhuastion. You could see the Californian islands off the coast - Catalina and San Clemente. From the other side, you could see peaks as far away as San Jancinto, Saddleback Mountain, etc. 

There was one part that was rather dangerous called Devil’s Backbone. The trail is very narrow, and if you slip and fall, you are good as dead because it will be complete free fall until you were smashed open by a rock or tree. What made is really nervous wracking this time was because the ridges were covered in snow and ice, so you would have to climb over it or trek past it. 

To be honest, I was scared out of my mind. Devil’s Backbone (Photo 7 & 8) is notorious for killing hikers during the winter due to high winds and ice. I think a conversation I had with a journalist behind me was, “Oh my God, I am going to die. Oh my god, I am going to die. Wait, wow, that is a nice picture. Hold on one moment. Pause. Oh my god, I just looked down. It is so steep. Oh my god. I am going to die. I am going to die.”

I’d like to do this one day.