To the top of Mt. Baden-Powell

Today I hiked up higher than anywhere I've been in the US. Mount Baden-Powell, named after the founder of the Boy Scouts, has an amazing summit at 9,399 feet above sea level. The shot below doesn't really do it justice, as I was at about 7,000 feet when I took that shot, you can't really see the valley below. I started early at about 7:40 am and hiked the 4 miles and 2,900 feet to the top by 9:14 am. The views of Vincent Gap, nearby Mt. Baldy (at close to 10,000 feet) and the surrounding desert and mountains remain some of the best I've seen, ever. It was a beautiful day.





The shot above is looking over to Mt. Baldy from the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell. The clouds were part of a huge cloudbank covering the whole LA basin. It was a remarkably clear day, and due to the rain, if there hadn't been any clouds, I would have been able to see the ocean. The next shot is looking southwest towards Los Angeles.



The next shot is of a signpost close to the top.



All in all, a great day of hiking. I was very pleased with my progress and the fact that my lungs and heart were up to the challenge. I mean, I parked the car at around 6,600 feet. My heart was racing just walking across the parking lot, not to mention ascending close to 3,000 more feet. The last shot is a last look into the valley.