What I Learned From Facing Winter Winds At The Summit

I have the beautiful privilege of witnessing the majestic mountains that frame Southern California. This opportunity to view the earth’s greatness is also a seductive temptress that lures me into the woods and above the clouds each week. This weekend, I found myself drawn to the top of Mount Baldy, the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains at 10,068 feet.

The hike from the trailhead up the Baldy Bowl route is about 8 miles long with a gain of 3,891 feet. If you research the trail online, you’ll see that it usually takes about six and a half hours on average, making it a pretty challenging hike during the regular hiking season. With the addition of winter ice and snow, the trek to the top becomes even more dangerous, as many hikers have even died while traversing up the mountain.

Every person I passed up to the summit mentioned how windy it was towards the top. Strong breezes churned dirt into the air and up my nose near the bottom of the mountain. However, I wouldn’t experience how windy Baldy could get until I slipped on my microspikes and snow gear at the Ski Hut. In hindsight, I really should have also had a helmet and ice pick, as the snow, ice, and slush made the trek a little intense. However, I continued until I ran into a nervous hiker.