I figure that if you are still dead tired a full day after doing a hike, you know it was pushing you to the limits and beyond.
My friend Jon gets back in town a little while ago and asks who would like to go for a “hike”. I have some vacation time I can use, so I take the day off on Wednesday and go for a casual stroll up Mt. Baldy with Jon, Sean, and Bono.
A casual stroll? did I honestly think this was going to be easy?
At some point I must have convinced myself this wouldn’t be too bad, but I didn’t count on the ambition of my fellow hikers taking me far beyond my physical limits and quite a bit outside my comfort zone. Climbing mountains and busting cycles… oh yes.
Most mountain hikes (eg. Heart, Indefatigable) I have done in the past have had a bit of a preamble, a lead in to get you warmed up before the real grind begins. Not Baldy… 2 minutes from the car and it is 45 degree angle (only a slight exaggeration) switchback time! woo!
The nice thing is the route we took to go up was mostly in the trees, so we weren’t grinding it out fully exposed to the sun. We come out of the trees and the angle calms down quite a bit, but we have only a brief time on solid ground and ridges before the scree slope begins. Fortunately for me there were exposed points of solid ground, or I may have either started an avalanche or possibly still been up there today trying to reach the summit.
One step forward, slide back two. #$@#!!
The actual hike to the main peak of Mt. Baldy wasn’t too bad… physically it was a bit challenging for my current cardio / physical condition (and still fighting some sort of cough / illness) but nothing really uncomfortable in terms of what I am used to finding on other hikes. I could easily see myself doing this part again, possibly even alone if for whatever reason that would become necessary. On towards peak 2 and 3 (Baldy South and Baldy West) is a bit of a different story.
The ridge between main and south looked fairly easy, and much to Jon’s surprise.. relatively clear of snow (he had been told it was still snowy so we might not be able to go on from the main peak). The path is clear, we have had our lunch.. we must go on!
We have a fairly easy time of it until about 1/3 of the way when we hit a point where it goes straight down. With climbing gear I don’t doubt Jon and Sean could have done just that… but I have never rock climbed, and I doubt Bono knows how to rappel properly 
This would have been the end for me, but Jon finds a way down the back side of the ridge so we can go around and come out at the bottom of the rock face to a ridge maybe a foot or so wide. great! heh heh.. no problems here! oh crap! It was about this point when Jon asks me if this is too much. I hold up my two hands about a foot or two apart saying “comfort zone (right hand)… me (left hand index finger), but I don’t think I’m up here to stay anywhere near my comfort zone so this is ok”
to be continued…