#icehousecanyon

[beyondlimitsonfootphotography]

It’s raining and you know what that means... Waterfalls, snow in the mountains... What’s the first thing you think of when you hear rain? Be safe out there! ⛰ #beyondlimitsonfoot ⛰ #timbermountain #icehousecanyon #socalmountains #socalhiker #snowhiking #snow #winterwonderland #getoutside #wilderness #outdoors #adventuremore #hikinggirls #girlswhohikela #womenwhohike #hikeit #exploremore https://www.instagram.com/p/B5py_rGFiCs/?igshid=f9agpyqflohg

[relevantirreverence]

#icehousecanyon #cucamongapeak #angelesnationalforest #california #hikingviking #hikingvikings #hike #hiking #hikingadventures #hikeitout #getyourassintonature #jump #justjump #inlandempire #theview (at Cucamonga Peak)

[tubbyandpuff-blog]

#tubbyandpuff go #hiking in the #snow with #microspikes at #icehousecanyon (at Ice House Canyon Trail)

[tubbyandpuff-blog]

#tubbyandpuff go #hiking in the #snow with #microspikes at #icehousecanyon (at Ice House Canyon Trail)

[fernwehhiker-blog]

Timber Mountain

Sorry this has taken me forever.

Icehouse Canyon is always steeper that I remember, but there’s never a time when we weren’t hiking uphill.  It was early in the morning but there were actually a lot of people there.  Probably because the area had just opened back up for hikers--several people died this winter hiking on Baldy, and one woman died when she fell in Icehouse Canyon.  It was still snowy on this day.

^not as snowy as it had been, but I would not want to be on Devil’s Backbone right now

At Icehouse Saddle there are four or five different trails you can take, to Ontario Peak or Cucamonga Peak or the Three T’s or to places further away.  The Three T’s are Timber, Thunder and Telegraph Mountains; we were going to Timber Mountain.  We ate breakfast at the saddle, finding at spot in the sun where there wasn’t any snow.  There was a group that had camped up there so we watched them make breakfast and pack up their tent.  It was actually very crowded on the saddle!  There was a Japanese tour group and another hiking group going to Timber Mountain, a couple people with dogs, the campers, and some other people going solo.  

^up above Icehouse Saddle

From the saddle we went up a fairly steep trail, and it was pretty sunny which was nice.  The ground was covered in brown pine needles until we got to the top of the switchbacks; then the snow returned.  It was nice though, not too slushy or slippery.  

^I’m not sure what’s going on here honestly but it looks like there’s a trekking pole coming out of my dad’s face

The summit was crowded but fun.  There was a large group there that was sliding down a small slope covered in snow.  A lot of people were hanging out and talking and one guy let me pet his dog.  Dad and I wrote in the summit register and then headed back down, but not before I found this poem in one of the notebooks.

The rest of the trail to the other T’s was blocked with snow.  We weren’t going to attempt the whole thing but someone else was and that’s what they told us.  I really liked being on the summit.  There was a nice hiker energy and everyone we talked to thought it was super cool that we’re doing the JMT together.  The way down was rough on our feet and knees.  I’m having a hard time with my feet; they go numb towards the end of the hike and my toes are numb and tingly.  Going downhill just sucks in general I guess.  We had lunch in Mount Baldy Village after and I got my celebratory soda.

Just for the record, this brings us to 5 peaks my dad and I have summited.

[the-rosegirl]

Gotta love the snow 👌🏼❄️⛄@ahuskynamedshasta #winter #beautiful #shasta #mtbaldy #icehousecanyon (at Icehouse canyon... MT. Baldy)

[pennonthetrail]

Saturday was fun | Fall is nice #pennonthetrail #icehousecanyon 👍🏼

[fernwehhiker-blog]

Icehouse Canyon, or How Socks Saved My Hands

I think I woke up at 4:45.  I’m not sure though because I kept waking up worried that I had slept through my alarm and my dad had left without me (which he wouldn’t even do).  Whatever happened, the sun was not up.

I like waking up before the sun.  There’s something magical about feeling like the only people in the world (until you get on the freeway, then nevermind).  Once we got into Mount Baldy Village though, it was completely quiet except for Yo-Yo Ma playing the theme from The Mission, which is the best pre-hiking music ever.

My dad and I had just gotten Patagonia down jackets and were eager to try them out.  Well, I was.  He’d already tried his in Barrow, Alaska.  It was good we had them, since it was maybe 45-50 degrees the whole time.  

So anyways, we had to fill out a wilderness permit at the ranger station because we would be hiking in the Cucamonga Wilderness.  If you get there before sunrise you just leave it in the box outside the gate and you don’t have to worry about getting a signature, and I guess that’s ok because we didn’t get a ticket.

After a couple of false starts, we were finally off.  Icehouse Canyon is so beautiful, especially right now, after all the leaves have fallen.  Also it had rained recently so the creek was very healthy looking.

Okay, that picture is kind of a trickle, but I promise it was full!

There were also some cabins scattered along the trail, including some ruins.

The trail quickly starts heading up.  It’s not super steep but I needed to stop a couple times to catch my breath.  We watched the clouds the whole times, because we weren’t sure if it was going to rain, and they looked a bit like storm clouds.  There was this amazing wind that kept sweeping through the trees in the canyon.  It actually sounded like waves at the beach.

There was also this beautiful view.

That’s Mount Baldy!  We were on top of that and you can’t even see the top!!

I bet the people hiking up were freaking out a little.

See the ridge that curves around that bowl.  We were hiking straight up that.

OKAY, back to the canyon.

We stopped to eat at Icehouse Saddle.  We finally had a cookset for our stove, and a wind barrier (which is tiny and looks like a coaster), and I had gotten dehydrated Kathmandu Curry from REI, so it was time to try this.  We had amazing success.  For those who don’t know, you pour the boiling water into the pouch the food comes in and ziploc it closed for about 15 minutes, depending on your elevation.  Then you pour it into your dishes and it actually looks like food that’s edible!

So now you can see the socks on my hands.  We didn’t have gloves.  It was about 45 degree on the saddle, because that incredible wind that was coming down through the canyon had to start somewhere and that apparently was on the other side of the saddle.  I have poor circulation in my hands and feet (I actually don’t know that for sure but people like when you sound like you know what you’re talking about)(plus it’s probably true), and I already had socks on my feet so obviously I needed socks on my hands.  But really we just didn’t have gloves.  I’m not sure why that didn’t occur to us before we left the house.

We had to keep moving when we finished lunch so that my fingers didn’t fall off.  We decided to take the Chapman Trail back to the trailhead rather than going back through the canyon.  If it’s beauty you’re searching for, stay in the canyon.  If you like adventure, the Chapman trail is for you.  It’s pretty of course but in a different way.  We hiked a lot through a rock slide area.  

I definitely plan to go back to Icehouse Canyon.  It was so beautiful and peaceful.  And, at the saddle there are a bunch of trails that go to summits, like Cucamonga Peak, and the Three T’s, Timber, Thunder and Telegraph Mountains.  I’d like to get to all of those.