This hike represented for me the epitome of what a hike can provide as far as the mental and physical challenges and benefits. In the southern California hiking world the Mt. San Antonio trail is considered the mother of all hikes and one that is a must on the bucket list of hiking trails! Although the numerous hikes that I had done in San Diego over the past 5 months were challenging and I did see tremendous “hiking growth” take place, hiking to the summit of a 10,064 foot mountain was a dramatic change from the nearest challenging hike of Mt. Woodson, itself just over 2000 feet in elevation. After doing this hike I now know why people climb mountains, the sense of accomplishment is beyond words!
When I first considered doing this hike with my son, I must admit that the intimidation factor was high and did not lessen the more I researched this hike. Anytime you are reading about something called the “Devil’s Backbone” and its drop offs on either side of the trail at 9000 plus feet, its time to stop researching, I decided to stop researching! Having said that let the adventure begin! 
The drive from Encinitas to our destination of the Manker Flats campground in the Angeles National Forest is about 117 miles or 2.5 hours. As we approached the San Gabriel Mountains we saw off in the distance the ominous silhouette of Mt. San Antonio or as Southern Californian’s fondly call it Mt. Baldy, so named due to its spareness on top, quite an impressive sight, since we were still miles away. We even saw the ridge line of the Devil’s Backbone, which leads to the Baldy summit.
Arriving mid-afternoon at the Manker Flats Campground, which was to be our home for the next two nights, we set up camp. The campground is set in a very peaceful, serene pine laden forest with gorgeous mountain views at 6000+ feet. Not only was this a great place to camp but also the trail-head start to Mt. San Antonio was right across the street. As far as creature comforts at Manker Flats, there are flush toilets, running water, no showers. Our first night we had diner at the Mt. Baldy Lodge , very good food in a rustic setting in Mt. Baldy Village, which s downhill from the campground.
After a good nights sleep we set out at 7:30am. Besides a hearty breakfast, I would highly suggest an early start when doing this hike, not only due to the time it takes to complete but if you are attempting this hike in the summer months it can and does get hot. On the day we hiked, the daytime temp was low 80’s, although the 14 mph winds kept it very comfortable. The best time of year to do this hike is May-June and October-November, other times of the year it can get hot, cold, windy and snowy.
There are numerous trails to the top of Mt. San Antonio, each offering their own unique challenge, the one we choose included the infamous, “Devil’s Backbone” on the ascent and the Ski Hut trail on the descent. The trail is an 11.2-mile loop with nearly 4000 feet of vertical elevation gain to the 10,064-foot summit of Mt. Baldy, the highest point in Los Angeles County. It’s a good idea to print out a map of the loop to give you an idea of the trail. When my son and I had convinced ourselves, he was doing much of the convincing, that we were going to do this hike we had two goals in mind. #1″We are going to the summit of Mt. Baldy!” and #2, “We are crossing the Devil’s Backbone to get there!” 
As mentioned earlier, the trail-head start was right across from the campground on Mt. Baldy Road. There is a white gate and blue porta-potty to landmark the start. The trail is wide and right away gets your heart pumping as the road begins a steady incline ascent. Soon we heard the rushing water of San Antonio Falls, a yearly flowing waterfall. There was only one other hiker on the trail and she strode past us pretty quickly. The trail continues its 2.7-mile ascent up to Baldy Notch. The trail is made up of compact gravel and is very wide. By now the legs and lungs have grown accustomed to the steady ascent and hanging in there very well. You will start to see the ski lift on your right and as you look up the ski lodge marking Baldy Notch and the 3.6 mile point of your hike.
As we continue hiking we came across the lady who tore past us earlier sitting on a tree stump, as we engage her in conversation she says she thought she lost us to another route along the trail. She says she was late to join up with a group of friends at the start of the hike. We ask her if she would like to join us, she does, but not too far along the trail she says she doesn’t think she is going to make it, and turns back. We continue on and as we do my son announces his need to climb one of the 40-foot ski lift pylons. Apparently an 11.2-mile hike is not enough for his 22-year-old body! After he conquers the pylon we continue on to Baldy Notch and soon arrive. From the trail-head start to this point we covered the 3.6 miles in two hours with an elevation gain of 2000 ft. From Baldy Notch you get a very clear, vivid and quite frankly intimidating view of your destination, the ridge line of the Devil’s Backbone and off in the distance the summit of Mt. San Antonio. From Baldy Notch, you take a very steep trail up towards the beginning of the Devil’s backbone.
The views are spectacular, the hiking is strenuous! As you approach the devil’s Backbone portion of the trail you immediately get a sense of just how much the elevation gain takes it’s toll on your breathing, after all you are at nearly 9000 feet in elevation, your breaths get shorter and quicker! Oddly, my son seemed to suffer none of the same effects!
I started to notice something else as we ascended towards the backbone, I realized how much I was in the moment on this hike, how I hadn’t thought about the regular concerns of the day, life’s worries, the what if’s and the “I should of, would of could of’s” that most of us contemplate in our daily lives. My son even brought up how this hike is a great reminder to enjoy the journey and everything along the way, and to stop and smell the roses, worry less about the destination. I am constantly reminded how much a hike is done one step at a time, much like in life, we are only given one-step or one day at a time! Hiking is like mindfulness which teaches us to experience that which we are doing “right now!
Speaking of right now, the hour of reckoning was here, the anticipated “Devil’s Backbone” part of the hike was upon us. This part of the trail immediately under goes a change of scenery, the alpine feel of the hike, although somewhat present gives way to the sparseness of the ridge line, and the breathtaking views of the mountainside giving way to the vast canyons far below! Even before making the trek across the backbone, its fear factor kicks in big time! However, the fear turns to exhilaration mixed with vast shots of adrenaline, not too mention for me a spiritual awakening!
As you begin this portion of the hike, the trail seems to narrow down to a mere crossable path as it takes a roller coaster feel to it, bending, turning, dipping even slanting to what seems like a 45 degree angle.
The beauty of the near and far mountains and canyons is magnificent! Its one thing to see this beauty from the safety of distance, it is quite another to “feel” it and experience it as you hike right through it crossing on this hairpin trail!
As the summit of San Antonio draws closer, the geography turns from sparse vegetation and greenery to the starkness of small rocks, gravel and what the surface of the moon must look like. The Baldy Bowl appears on the left and the trail to the summit with patches of leftover snow straight ahead. Perseverance and sensing the top is near motivates and drives you past your screaming calves and thighs and airless lungs the final 1/4 of a mile.
At the final push up the mountain three hikers who were just starting the descent from the summit of Mt. San Antonio greet us. One of the guys yells out, “Are we having fun yet?my son asks, “Are we close?one of the guys points up and says, “Right there!
Soon we crest the top of the mountain and my pain and breathlessness turns to shear joy and a remarkable sense of accomplishment as we reach the summit of the mountain. After hiking 6.8 miles and nearly 5 hours to ascend Mt. San Antonio there are two things at this point I want to do: #1, drop my backpack, hiking stick and water bottle, and give my son a huge hug and congratulate us both! He does the same, and as we do, the emotions of the day take over and I choke up as my son says. “We did it Dad!” We made it! The feeling of accomplishment is like none other! The other thing I wanted to do at the summit is find the coveted MT SAN ANTONIO BALDY 10,064 plaque and have my picture taken with my son standing hovering over it. At this point one other hiker was at the top and we asked him to take our picture.
It is quite an experience, even a spiritual one, to be on the summit of this magnificent mountain. The views are unreal!
You can see the desert and the city of Barstow, Los Angeles in the distance and I have been told on a very clear day, the island of Catalina. For me just seeing the splendor of the surrounding mountains, including in the distance, San Gorgonio and San Jacinto both higher than Mt. San Antonio, is reason enough to take in the view!
Another “perk” of climbing to the summit of Baldy, is the camaraderie you enjoy with total strangers who share only one thing in common to this point, hiking to the summit of Mt. San Antonio. During our time on the summit there were five other’s that we met. One of these five really made an impression not only on us but everyone else who met him as well. His name was Sam,
a 74 year old Korean man who makes the trek to the summit of Baldy two times per week. This man had more energy than the rest of us combined. If he wasn’t taking everyone’s picture with his own camera, he was offering us Korean foods he had brought to the summit with him as snacks. He was very much intrigued with my son Sam, interestingly same name, his life and his motivation to climb Mt. San Antonio. Sam, the 74 year old, was also very impressed with our hiking sticks, two pine poles that my Son had carved from a past Christmas tree as well as a Torrey Pine branch he had found! Sam the 74 year old kept complementing my son on his creative use of pine by saying, “Very Strong”, your boy is “Very Strong.” He would say this to everyone in fact even telling me that I motivate him! He’s 74 and does this twice a week, I say he’s the motivation!
The camaraderie of joining a select few who have hiked to the summit of Mt. San Antonio also offers the chance for the group to consult with one another as to the best route down the mountain. As there are a few routes to take, we choose the Ski Hut trail back down. Although it is only 4.4 miles in distance the Ski Hut trail proved to be as challenging if not more challenging than the route we choose to ascend the mountain over the Devil’s Backbone. Most of the challenge in the descent is presented in the form of very steep terrain with a trail made up of loose gravel, small and large stones and trail dust, or as it is fondly called, “Cree.”
In fact the first 1.5 miles down the mountain proved much more hazardous than the previous 6.8 miles up as I lost my footing twice. As we hiked the trail we came across the hiker who had taken a picture of my son and I on the summit. He had done this hike many times before, appeared very experienced, and was kind enough to hike with us to show us the proper route to take back down. As we hiked along he told us of hikers who take this route in the winter months, hiking through the snow. At one point the trail branches off and down into a valley. Some hikers choose to go this route in order to find a WWII fighter plane that had crashed in the mountains after getting lost in the fog during a training mission back in he day. However, as our Sierra Club friend pointed out, a few of these hikers got lost due to the snow covering the trail and have died due to exposure to the elements while being lost in the wilderness of the valley. Needless to say we were glad we came across our friend. He guided us to the proper route along the trail and hiked off ahead of us down the mountain.
As we trekked along our buddy Sam that we met on the summit called out our names and soon was striding past us and down the trail. This man is totally amazing, never mind for a 74 year old, but for anyone who takes on Mt. San Antonio!
Although very steep, the Ski Hut trail offers very scenic views as you hike through a forest of pines,
huge boulders, a stream
and the trails namesake, the Ski Hut.
Hikers can actually stay at the Ski Hut which is operated by the Sierra Club. The Hut also serves as a landmark and denotes that we are a little less than half way to our final destination and starting point at Manker Flats.
As we came upon the Ski Hut, the trail at this point had “leveled’ off a bit and although still had dips and turns, it was not nearly as steep or “Cree” covered as the previous part of the route had been.
My son and I both commented how this part of the adventure had been the toughest which I attribute to the fact that we had been hiking for nearly 9 miles, with a little more than two to go. My legs were weathering the hike fairly well, it was my feet that were taking the pounding and definitely felt every mile we have done to this point.
We continued our winding descent through this beautiful mountain scenery
stopping along the way to take it all in, not to mention to rest. Soon we were hearing the roar of San Antonio Falls, the same falls we had first encountered on our ascent.
We took in the picturesque view and sounds of the falls for a second time, and as we continued on, off in the distance we started to see Mt. Baldy Road come into view, a reassuring sign to our tired feet and bodies that we were almost home!
Connecting with the same path we started on some 9 hours ago and seeing the white gate that signified the beginning of our journey brought with it a very satisfying feeling that we had completed what we had set out to do, hike to the summit of Mt. San Antonio and back!
As we approached our campground walking back along Mt. Baldy Road somewhat exhausted, but at the same time exhilarated, the thought that entered my mind was that this was one of the, if not the, most mentally and physically demanding experiences I have ever had, I was also thinking that it is one of my lifetime and that I am very grateful I could share this experience with my son.
This hike is all about the psychological. Don’t let it intimidate you. Much like life this trail has lot’s of ups and downs and is done one step at the time. Keep your eye on the prize and when needed the trail! You can do it!
Total Hike Distance: 11.2 miles
Date & Time: Thursday May 17, 2012 7:30AM to 5:30PM 10 hours
Hike-ability level: Difficult but doable!
Food and Water: Each of us brought 150 ounces of water, a bottle of Gatorade, lunch, energy snacks, 2 oranges.