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| Hiking | 10.00 Miles |
4,000 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.00 Miles | | | |
| 4,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I had to go to a jobsite on Friday that is located south of Tucson and about 12 miles from Madera Canyon, so I decided I would camp Friday night and then hike up to the summit of Mt. Wrightson on Saturday morning. Starting up on the Old Baldy Trail on Saturday morning, I ran into three gentlemen from the Green Valley Hiking Club and hiked with them to Josephine Saddle. At the Saddle, we went our separate ways and I proceeded towards Baldy Saddle, with reports of the trail being covered with snow and ice and recommendations for crampon usage. I trudged on figuring I would check it out and go as far as I could.
Just before getting to the Baldy Saddle, the trail was covered with snow and ice and because I was not familiar with the trail, did not have crampons, and had a real fear of sliding several hundred feet down the mountain, I decided to stop and assess the situation. I waited a while hoping someone might come down from the top with a report and realized that because of the time of morning, there was probably no one ahead of me. Assuming that conditions would only get worse the higher up I went and with much disappointment, I decided to turn back and started heading down the mountain.
A few hundred feet back down, I ran into Bob, a 75 year old solo hiker on his way to the top. He said he had hiked to the summit a couple of times recently including once during the past week and he offered to loan me a pair of crampons and guide me up to the top. It was an offer I could not refuse. The use of crampons and following someone familiar with the trail definitely elevated my confidence level. We made it past the most difficult icy areas and the last push to the summit was high and dry. On top, the conditions were perfect with only a slight breeze.
Heading back down, we ran into a few groups on their way to the top. One girl, who did not have crampons and had made it past roughly half of the iciest spots joked nervously that she had seen "her life flash before hers eyes" and that she had had "near death experiences" on the icy trail. Honestly, I would not have attempted the summit without crampons, and would have been nervous even with them without following someone familiar with the trail. My sincere thanks go to my guide, Bob of Green Valley. Overall, it was a great day. |
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