Intense Mt. Baldy Hike in Summer - Highest Point in Los Angeles

From what I've heard, the devil's backbone is where you want to pay particular attention, but you know, anywhere on this trail is loose. You could fall and die really easily. I did not sleep well last night. I am not feeling good about this. It probably didn't help that I had peanut butter cups for breakfast, but what are you going to do? Today, we're tackling the highest point in the San Gabriel Mountains and the highest point in LA County, Mount San Antonio, otherwise known as Mount Baldy. So we're starting at Menger Flats. We're going to be going up Baldy Bowl, past the ski hut, and then up and then back down Devil's Backbone. And if you do it this way, you can kind of cheat and take the ski lift down, depending on how tired you are, but we are getting a late start today. So who knows if the ski lift will be running by the time we get there. It's about almost 4,000 foot elevation gain, about 11 mile round trip. If you take the ski lift, it cuts off a couple miles at the end. Some people like to do it in the wintertime with ice axes and crampons and micro spikes and all that stuff, but it's very dangerous, especially crossing that Devil's Backbone section. So a good time to do it. There's a ton of cars at the trailhead. So I imagine that the trail is going to be packed full of people. So this was one of the first hikes we did before we even moved to LA. We came out to visit a year before we moved here and it was on, you know, all the lists of all the hikes you have to do. So we did this. We only brought like one liter of water a piece and we ran out of water just past the ski hut there and we didn't have any filtration with us. So we decided to turn back. A long time coming for us to get back up here. Last time I was up here was when I shot that video, snow to surf. I went skiing and surfing in the same day a couple years ago on the last day of the ski season at Mount Baldy. But I got to be honest, I did not sleep well last night. I am not feeling good about this. I'm going to keep going slow and steady, but definitely not in ideal shape. Been sticking to a lot of canyons lately. So got some jiggle happening. I'm not in peak bagging shape. That's for sure, but slow and steady. I'm not going to do anything dangerous, but I'm sure we can do it. Even if it takes 8 or 10 hours. I mean, we got our headlamps. We got time. From what I've heard, the devil's backbone is where you want to pay particular attention. But you know, anywhere on this trail is loose. You could fall and die really easily. So just taking it slow and steady. Got plenty of food and water and water filtration and headlamps and first aid and geared up properly. Got an extra layer in case we get stuck after dark. We'll see what happens, man. It probably didn't help that I had peanut butter cups for breakfast, but what are you going to do? So we're at the ski hut now, which means we've come up 1,800 foot elevation gain. Now we're going to go through the Baldy Bowl to a ridge and then take that up to the summit and then we're going to go down devil's backbone to the notch. This is the last stop to fill up water because the rest of the way is pretty dry. So we're just going to top off our bladders to make sure we don't run out of water again. Almost up to the top of this ridge here, which takes you to this false summit up here, which I believe that false summit is about 9,800 feet. So then we have 800 feet more to go after that. So not too bad. Almost there. Of course, the views are absolutely stunning. A little hazy down there in the valley, but the skies are really blue up here. Blue and hazy. I have not pushed myself this hard in a while. So my legs were just cramping up real bad, but we are almost there. Maybe like 100 feet to the top. You can see it in the distance. Baldy Summit. Only took us five hours to get up here. But that's okay. Go at your own pace. Bitchin'. First time on Mount Baldy. You'd think that a guy like me, who they named Mount Baldy after, would come up here a lot. I just met a 74-year-old guy who comes up here once a month. Okay? So step your game up, guys. Seriously. You can see off in the distance there, Mount Baden-Powell, which is one of the only other mountains that I've done in this area. The Cucamonga Wilderness over there. Off in the distance, you see Mount Gorgonio, Mount San Jacinto, I believe. Also, you can see off in the distance, the beginning of the Mojave Desert, right on the other side of the San Gabriel Mountains. So it's been an intense day. We got to go back down now. I'm hoping the restaurant is open, because those French fries are calling my name. So right now, we're getting ready to head down, pretty much what generally is considered the most dangerous part. They call it Devil's Backbone, because there are sheer drops and loose scree on both sides. So Devil's Backbone, down to the notch. Feeling good. Hike the rest of the way down, but it's been a crazy adventure today. Hope this inspires you guys to get out there, find your own adventure. You know, I didn't think I was going to make it, but I just went at my own pace, stayed hydrated, had some rehydration salts, and ate a snack, took breaks, one step at a time. And if I can do it, you guys can definitely do it. The only thing I would say is, I don't recommend eating peanut butter cups for breakfast. I don't think they're the best fuel source. Anyway, they were vegan. But get out there, find your adventure, and be infamous. Infamous.