Adventure: 008- 98: Mt. Baldy Summit
Team: Thing One, Thing Two
Date: September 6, 2012
Location: Mt. Baldy
Description: Mt. Baldy or San Antonio is the first of the three
saints in Southern California. For most people this would be a one day trek and
would be enough challenge. There was actually a trail run on this mountain on
Labor Day that was dubbed the most challenging race in Southern
California. This was for me only part of
my day. I participated in Jansport’s 8000 meter challenge, which was a one day
event involving all 3 of the saints in Southern California. It involves teams
from outdoor retailers throughout California and Nevada.
At 5 am I toed the line at Manker Flats alongside 100+ other participants. Mt. Baldy involves a 4,000 foot elevation climb in a 5 and a half mile span. To the top and back is a round trip of 11 miles. As we climbed up the trail at a quick hiking speed I could look back and see the row of headlights trailing behind me. In the space of two hours I made it the summit where I checked in, took a few pictures, and started the mad dash down. Made it back to the car by 8 am (all while staying on the trail, no trail-cutting for me!) and did a quick change before starting the drive to the next mountain. I left my flag at the top of the mountain in a teammate’s pack but managed to get a picture at the trailhead. On we go!!
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