Special Instructions
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NF Adventure Pass Req'd
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: Hiking |
Last
Updated on 09/14/2003 |
| RATINGS |
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Mount Baden Powell
via PCT from Vincent Gap parking lot |
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Location: San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forest, Southern California
Region: Mount Baden Powell Region
Wilderness: None
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Total Distance:
8 Mi
Elevation Gain: 2,834 Ft
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Season: April-Nov
Type: Out & Back |
Start Elev: 6,565 Ft
Peak Elev: 9,399 Ft
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Total
Time: 2.5 hr
Time In: 1.3 hr
Time Out: 1.17 hr
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Peak List |
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Peak
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Elevation |
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Mount Baden Powell |
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9,399 Ft |
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| Driving Directions |
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From I-15, exit at Hwy 138 N. Take this to Hwy 2, make a left. Take hwy 2 a few miles past Wrightwood to Vincent Gulch Parking area. Park here. |
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| Route |
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Start hiking up the red-colored dirt of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Hike 4 miles back & forth on switchbacks up the side of Baden Powell to the top. Very very simple to follow, no forks, no branches; one trail, one direction - up. GO. |
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| Details |
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This didn't start out as a Baden Powell hike; I intended to hike up the PCT making Baden Powell my first stop. My goal was to get to the top of Baden Powell in 60 min or less. I had then planned to continue on the PCT for a total round trip distance of about 22-30 miles. It didn't happpen. About 3 miles up Baden Powell I was attacked by what seemed to be 30 bears and 22.5 mountain lions. I fought hard and fought bravely but ultimately lost the battle, or so I thought. Then, without warning, a giant tsunami swept over the San Gabriels from the Pacific and carried me back down the mountain. I landed right next to my truck, drove over to Guffy and hiked Mt Baldy instead. Well honestly there ain't much to tell except my plans were cut short because of some new boots and some big **m* blisters. So I stopped at Baden Powell. I hiked pretty good though, even with the blisters, I didn't stop once the whole way up & had an average up speed of 3.07mph. Looking over the cities was pretty cool. There was a thick layer of clouds hovering over them but where I was it was perfectly clear, so it was like I was on top of the clouds looking down on them. The weather was heating up quickly & I was soaked by the time I had gone about 1/4 mile. It was fairly warm at the peak at 9:20am too. I was taking it easy coming back down the trail & I actually stayed on the trail the whole way down as opposed to last time I hiked Baden Powell where I barely remember touching the trail on the way down. I passed up two people on the way up and passed the same two people (still going up) on the way down. Pretty uneventful overall. Case you didn't catch it, the bear/mt lion thing surprisingly didn't really happen. It seemed like every wooden sign I saw along the way was broken and just laying on the dirt. At the halfway point (2 miles from the start), there is a wooden sign that says (from memory):
<-- Lamel Spring 1/4 mile
--> Baden Powell 2 Mi
--> Little Jimmy Spring 9 Mi
--> Islip Saddle 11 Mi
--> Crystal Lake 12 Mi
My ultimate goal on this day hike was to make it to Cooper Canyon and see the waterfalls there but that probably would have been about 40 miles round trip & whell whho khnows.
The recommended items below are things that I referred to before the this hike or things that I used during the hike. Enjoy!? |
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| Trail Condition |
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Excellent secion of PCT |
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| Forest Details |
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White fir, Jeffery Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Limber Pine |
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| Notes about this hike report |
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The information above is also based on the same hike taken on 06/24/2000. On this day, the hike took 2 hours up and 1 hour down. This is a more reasonable time allotment for the average hiker. |
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| Updates |
| Added on 09/13/2003 by TractorUp |
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Hiked up from the parking lot, the first half on the trail, the second half off trail... just another day up Baden Powell... 5X. 1.5 hours up, 1 hour down. |
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| Added on 08/22/2003 by TractorUp |
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We took a relaxing hike up Baden Powell. Started at 7:50pm, got to the peak at 10:19pm, and back at 12:30am. It was windy and pretty cold on the peak. Great view from up there at night. No moon but the lights from Lancaster made it bright enough to see the trail. We were walking up the trail and heard something behind us. I looked down with the flashlight and first I thought it was a deer... but the legs were too long. Then it became clear... it was an ostrich. The legs were treking poles and the body was a big backpack... it was funny... I swore it was an ostrich. |
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