The Caltech Alpine Club and Caltech
Y's
Intro to Back Country Travel and
Winter Camping:
The Mount Baldy Trip
(Mount San Antonio)
Paul Wiggins training on the Devil's Backbone as clouds roll in...
Tentative Dates: 4/13-14
Description: Learn about winter camping on a mountaineering
trip to Mount Baldy. Baldy is the tallest peak in the San Gabriels and
from the summit on a clear day you can see LA, the ocean, and the channel
islands. Come climb the mountain and sleep at high altitude. Learn about
avalanche safety and rescue, snow caves, snow and ice anchors, etc. We
will have workshops on map and compass navigation, altitude sickness at
10^4 feet, extreme condition camping,... This trip will be organized and
financed with the assistance of the Caltech Y.
Latest Conditions:
Eric and I hiked up Baldy Wednesday and the weather was warm.
We hiked through only 5m of snow. Even though it may well be warm during
the days (I wore shorts) it is going to be cold at night.
Here is the pretty minimal gear list. You MUST have the following:
Gear List:
Clothes:
Poly Pro top and bottom
fleece and/or down/synthetic jacket
Shell Jacket and Pants
Socks wool/synth + liners (opt)
Good Boots (Light boots are okay, but not tenis shoes. Need
to protect your ankles.)
Gear:
Sun Glasses
Sun Screen
Chapstick
Flash Light
Pack
Sleeping bag (at least 30 F)
Sleeping Pad
water containers (2-3L)
bowl & eating utensils
snack food
Please bring these if you have them:
stove
Tent
Optional:
shorts/t-shirt (cotton if you wish)
gloves ( not just fleece or wool )
Winter Hat
Sun Hat
Fleece pants
poles
Knife
First-aid kit
Waterproof matches & fire starter (i.e. candle
stub)
Topo map and compass (if they're going to participate
in navigation
workshop)
wine
Dry clothes for the car
Some equipment may be borrowed, but it is limited and will
be distributed on a first come first serve basis. The clothing list is
flexible. A ski jacket could replace a fleece and a shell etc. We are not
flexible about no cotton though! Boots should be water proofed before the
trip. Talk to us if you have an questions. Before the trip, we will meet
as a group and check gear, water proof boots, etc.
Maps:
low
res jpeg Baldy Map
hi
res gzipped postscript Baldy Map
Update: the above map has been removed from the server because it is 6 MB and we're runnign low on space.
(Made with the help of Topozone.)
Driving Directions:
Take 210 East to
the 10 East to Ontario
exit on N Euclid (going North)
(Euclid wiggles a little, so make sure you stay on it!)
Euclid becomes N Mountain Ave after a few miles
follow N Mountain Ave until you come to the intersection
with Mt. Baldy Road.
Take this North towards the mountains.
(A few miles up, there is a left turn but the turn is clearly
marked with a sign pointing to Baldy ski resort.)
Park at the ski resort at the end of the road.