4th of July 2013 - Mt Baldy

Our 4th was pretty amazing.

We decided to check off yet another item from our LA Bucket List: Hike Mt Baldy.

We woke up early, read: 4am, had some breakfast and hit the road. About 30 minutes into our 60 minute drive I realized that I forgot my hiking poles, read: that means we had to turn around go back home and get them then head back out there again. Needless to say it was very early in the morning and we were about to embark on a very long hike and we started the morning off, well, cranky.

We finally arrived and we immediately started hiking. Let me just tell you that the hike is hard. It is definitely not for the casual hiker, unless you are a superhero. Mt San Antonio - nicknamed Mt Baldy, is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountain range and its peak is at an elevation of 10,068 feet.

The hike is about 6 miles one way, so 12 in total. It is very steep with many switch backs and the trail is very rocky. The terrain is steep and the views are breathtaking. Fortunately I have a very encouraging husband who was constantly telling me that I was doing a great job and helping me push through the tough sections of the trail. (I am so lucky!)

On the way up, we were mostly in the shade, save for towards the top. And the trail is very steep. Since we began the climb so early the sun was not too hot, as we all know the weather in So Cal this weekend and last was scorching hot. We stopped at the top to catch out breath and rest a bit before the descent. Going down is always the hard part; but like I said, I had my hiking poles {ha!}which helped with some of the impact.

In total the entire hike took us about 7 hours. I am so proud of us, especially myself. I did it with minimal knee pain - yahoo! On the way down, the sun began to get warm and the breezes turned from soft and cool to hot and nasty. We almost jumped into the little pond at the bottom of a waterfall - but sadly everyone else had the same idea, so we decided to trek on home. 

We got home, showered, rested and were asleep by 9:30. We were pooped, to say the least!

I definitely recommend the hike if you are looking for a challenge and to see some amazing views of Los Angeles and its surrounding Valley Area. It was definitely worth the work! :-)

Happy Monday Everyone!