Mount Baldy

Every mountain range has a "Mount Baldy".

The Angeles National Forest lies just north of Los Angeles, and makes up the inland skyline when it is not completely hazed out by smog. Mount Baldy (also known as Mount San Antonio) is the tallest peak in this region, but as with most peaks in Southern California, is still hikable.

We started off at Manker Flats, and I was shocked to see how many cars were already at the trailhead when we got there around 7am. We're still getting used to living near a big city!

Surprising to see actual water falling

The trail started off as a road for the community, then turned into an access road for a ski hill. Soon after passing a waterfall, we branched left onto a real trail.

The first landmark was the Ski Hut, a small cabin maintained by the Sierra Club, similar to the huts maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada. This seemed like a popular place for people to stop and take a break, so we did so as we waited for the group to reconvene.

On the summit with the group ...

... and a couple of people we met along the way.

Beyond the ski hut, we finally got above treeline and got some views of both the valley we walked up from and the surrounding peaks. This area reminded me of home, with sparse vegetation and deep blue skies.

Heading down towards the ski hill

From the summit, we hiked down the Devil's Backbone, across some minorly exposed terrain, and into the ski resort boundary. There was some sort of music festival occurring at the ski resort, but I didn't really inquire too much into it. A couple of people took advantage of the lifts that were bringing people to and from the parking lot below, while the rest of us hiked down the ski hill access road. There was another steeper trail branching off from the access road, but we decided to try that some other time.

Overall a much shorter day than San Gorgonio, but nice and varied terrain with some views. I'd do it again!

http://app.endomondo.com/workouts/408542492/3101909