Ascent of Thunder Mountain on 2009-10-17| Others in Party: | Jimi D.
| | Date: | Saturday, October 17, 2009 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Peak: | Thunder Mountain | | Location: | USA-California | | Elevation: | 8587 ft / 2617 m |
Ascent Trip ReportI hadn't got out hiking since my trip to Utah in August so I was anxious to get out of L.A. and get back up into the mountains again! My hiking partner for this day was Jimi D. who was turning 19 later in the week. He is a cross country runner at El Camino College in Torrance so I ended up slowing him down all day! He was kind enough to "wait" for me at every junction and photo opportunity so it was nice to have somebody in the photos today! We left Torrance at 6:15am, made good time on SoCal freeways picking up our permit at the Mt. Baldy Visitor's Center (posted on their board outside - called in advance!) dropping off Jimi's car at the Ice House parking lot before heading up to Baldy Resort parking lot by 7:50am! Unfortunately the $12 one way lift ticket to Baldy Notch wasn't the only shock of the day! The chairlift was "temporarily" out of service while three guys fixed it - with a snowplow, rachet device and a large wrench!! Not a very good confidence builder to start the trip! We went to get a refund but they wouldn't give us our money back! Thus we were either out $24 and in for a long 1,300 ft. climb to the notch or were going to have to wait and take our chances on the "repaired" lift! (Neither were very good options!) After an agonizingly long 1 hour wait we were the first customers on the lift for the day! The coldest part of the trip was riding the chairlift in the shade (I thought we would never get there!) however the weather for rest of the day was spectacular and the scenery was equally rewarding. The following times were achieved during the rest of the trip:
8:00 am Mt. Baldy chairlift
8:57 am delayed start
9:11 am Mt. Baldy Notch
10:05 am Thunder Mountain
10:17 am Three Tee's Trailhead
11:19 am Telegraph Peak
1:25 pm Timber Mountain
2:26 pm Ice House Saddle
5:02 pm Ice House parking lot
Originally we were going to try for Cucamonga and Etiwanda Peaks as well but the late start and my physical lack of conditioning left my feet unable to continue. Our time was limited as I needed to be home by 7 pm and I didn't want to walk out in the dark. Thus those last two elusive peaks will have to wait for another hiking day! The walk down Ice House Canyon was magical with all the fall colors ablaze in the trees - the rich colors were amazing and beautiful! Another wonderful day in the SoCal mountains!
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| Summary Total Data | | Grade/Class: | 1 | | Quality: | 2 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Road Hike, Maintained Trail | | Gear Used: | Ski Poles | | Nights Spent: | 0 nights away from roads | | Weather: | Pleasant, Calm, Clear
Bludebird day - nice temps but hotter in the afternoon | Ascent Part of Trip: Three Tee's Adventure
Complete Trip Sequence:
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