While attending a seminar for English Department Chairs sponsored by the Association of Departments of English (ADE), I decided to skip the tame stroll around the Huntington Library gardens and instead go boldly where no ADE Chair had dared to go: Mt. Baldy. Better known as a winter ski resort, thus testifying to its sheer drops and rugged terrain, Mt. Baldy is situated in the Angeles National Forest and offers dozens of scenic hiking trails, including the Icehouse Saddle Trail.
When word of my intrepidness leaked at the conference, three other Chairs begged to join me, no doubt to prove their virility in the face of such an audacious female Chair. With thoughts of Campbell in my head, I took pity on them and agreed to hike with them, provided they could keep up.
Normally I would have simply driven to the trailhead and begun my hike, but my fellow hikers were a bit more nervous than I, so we checked in with the ranger. He warned us about the difficulty of this hike, and informed us that a bear had been caught two days before; "please," he urged, "take every precaution." A mild panic set into my fellow hikers' eyes, and I knew it fell to me to help them conquer their fear. "Onward and upward!" I cried, hiking poles lifted high above my head. And so we were off.
What a trail! Canyon walls rose steeply and craggy peaks seemed to touch the rich blue sky. Pine, cedar, and oak trees formed a canopy near the creek, and wildflowers dotted the sides of the trail. The sheer cliffs beckoned me and I led the group higher and higher until finally we reached the saddle--a 2655' elevation gain in 3.5 miles. Spectacular! I pressed to go further, but my companions were too tired, so we descended. We ended the 7 mile hike by bathing our feet in the glacial creek at the foot of the mountain. My hiking companions were so grateful for my intrepidosity that they bought me drinks and dinner that night.
Cool points: 8
Intrepid points: 7
