Shaylee - Jul 5, 2010 12:31 am Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2010
Baldy
June 19 2010
Climbed with Dad, Mom and Kessler.
June 21 2008
Unsuccessful attempt with Dad, Mom and Kessler.
Kessler - Jul 5, 2010 12:29 am Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2010
Baldy
June 19 2010
Climbed with Dad, Mom and Shaylee.
June 21 2008
Unsuccessful attempt with Dad, Mom and Shaylee.
Scott - Jul 4, 2010 11:00 pm Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2010
Baldy
June 19 2010
Baldy Mountain, in the Flat Tops near Marapos Creek is a summit that has been on my list for a long time. Kimberly, Kessler, Shaylee and I tried to climb the peak in June 2008, but there was too much snow (without snowshoes). 2010 was a lighter snow year, so we thought we’d give the mountain a try.
From Marapos Creek, we started up a trail past some beaver ponds and made our way along a trail to the south side of Baldy Mountain. We then climbed the trail to the ridge east of baldy, hoping to climb some peaks along the Sleepy Cat Ridge. We did manage to get over one peak before lots of snow and downed timber turned us back. We then climbed over the ridge to the north and made our way down to the east ridge of Baldy Mountain which we followed over the summits of Baldy itself.
We then tried a steep route on the west face of Baldy, but it was harder and more time consuming than expected. On the way down we saw a big elk herd of around 100 head, including mothers and calves. Since we didn’t know it was there, we accidentally startled the elk herd and they headed up the mountain, but left a calf behind. The calf began to follow us rather than the herd for a little bit and I became worried. I attempted to direct the calf towards the herd and hoped that I was successful since the elk calf was calling for its mother.
After some bushwhacking we made our way over to the trail which we followed back down to the vehicles. It was a long day and I figured (after we got home) that we covered 11 miles, much of which was off trail terrain.
June 21 2008
After camping overnight at the Morapos Creek Trailhead (8200 feet), Shaylee, Kessler, Kim and I headed up for Baldy Mountain in the Flat Tops. We didn’t know if we would make it because of snow. After passing many beaver ponds, seeing many frogs along the way and hiking through some muddy areas we got to more and more snow, especially above 9200 feet. We found a dry meadow to eat lunch at. While the kids and Kim were eating lunch, I thought I would give Baldy Mountain a try since it wasn’t that far away. After the first attempt, I thought I could contour over to the top of the peak to the dry south slopes, but I ran into lots of snow and downed trees so I headed back since I told them I would only be 45 minutes. Even though we didn’t reach the top, it was a great hike and the weather was perfect. We completed 7-8 miles (6 hours including lunch), but since the map doesn’t show the trail we were on, it’s hard to measure.
Shaylee - Jul 5, 2010 12:31 am Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2010
BaldyJune 19 2010
Climbed with Dad, Mom and Kessler.
June 21 2008
Unsuccessful attempt with Dad, Mom and Kessler.
Kessler - Jul 5, 2010 12:29 am Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2010
BaldyJune 19 2010
Climbed with Dad, Mom and Shaylee.
June 21 2008
Unsuccessful attempt with Dad, Mom and Shaylee.
Scott - Jul 4, 2010 11:00 pm Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2010
BaldyJune 19 2010
Baldy Mountain, in the Flat Tops near Marapos Creek is a summit that has been on my list for a long time. Kimberly, Kessler, Shaylee and I tried to climb the peak in June 2008, but there was too much snow (without snowshoes). 2010 was a lighter snow year, so we thought we’d give the mountain a try.
From Marapos Creek, we started up a trail past some beaver ponds and made our way along a trail to the south side of Baldy Mountain. We then climbed the trail to the ridge east of baldy, hoping to climb some peaks along the Sleepy Cat Ridge. We did manage to get over one peak before lots of snow and downed timber turned us back. We then climbed over the ridge to the north and made our way down to the east ridge of Baldy Mountain which we followed over the summits of Baldy itself.
We then tried a steep route on the west face of Baldy, but it was harder and more time consuming than expected. On the way down we saw a big elk herd of around 100 head, including mothers and calves. Since we didn’t know it was there, we accidentally startled the elk herd and they headed up the mountain, but left a calf behind. The calf began to follow us rather than the herd for a little bit and I became worried. I attempted to direct the calf towards the herd and hoped that I was successful since the elk calf was calling for its mother.
After some bushwhacking we made our way over to the trail which we followed back down to the vehicles. It was a long day and I figured (after we got home) that we covered 11 miles, much of which was off trail terrain.
June 21 2008
After camping overnight at the Morapos Creek Trailhead (8200 feet), Shaylee, Kessler, Kim and I headed up for Baldy Mountain in the Flat Tops. We didn’t know if we would make it because of snow. After passing many beaver ponds, seeing many frogs along the way and hiking through some muddy areas we got to more and more snow, especially above 9200 feet. We found a dry meadow to eat lunch at. While the kids and Kim were eating lunch, I thought I would give Baldy Mountain a try since it wasn’t that far away. After the first attempt, I thought I could contour over to the top of the peak to the dry south slopes, but I ran into lots of snow and downed trees so I headed back since I told them I would only be 45 minutes. Even though we didn’t reach the top, it was a great hike and the weather was perfect. We completed 7-8 miles (6 hours including lunch), but since the map doesn’t show the trail we were on, it’s hard to measure.