Claws: Mt. Baldy | Backpacking & Ecology (Oct 8-10)

Join us for our first CLAWS trip of the season!

Trip Info: 

Our 2-night backpacking trip will take us into the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains where we will make our way to the summit of Los Angeles county’s highest peak – Mt. Baldy!

Join us for an epic adventure where we’ll start our journey at Manker Flats and climb nearly 4,000 feet in elevation to the summit of Mt. Baldy (10,066 feet high)
Friday night we’ll camp at Manker Flats where we’ll get acclimated to the elevation, have a big dinner, and vibe out before our big day on Saturday. We will set a nice moderate pace to enjoy our surroundings and make it to our summit before sunset!

This trip will be a fantastic way to connect with like-minded peers and the diverse ecology of the San Gabriel’s. As we climb in elevation we’ll make our way through a variety of biomes chaparral, pine-oak woodland, sub-alpine, and alpine. Below you can find many of the species we can encounter. This challenge will be an amazing trip for everyone!

Common Flora & Fauna of Mt. Baldy area

Trees:

California Bay Laurel, Chaparral Yucca, White Alder, CA Incense Cedar, Bigcone Douglas-Fir, White Fir, Canyon Live Oak, Sugar Pine, Greenleaf Manzanita, Western Sycamore, Big Leaf Maple, Coulter Pine & the very special Sierra Lodgepole Pine!

Mammals:

Western Gray Squirrel, Bighorn Sheep, California Ground Squirrel, Coyote, Mule Deer, American Black Bear, Desert Cottontail

Birds:

Steller’s Jay, American Dipper, Acorn Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, American Robin, Purple Finch, Band-tailed Pigeon, Canyon Wren, Band-tailed Pigeon, Downy Woodpecker, Great Horned Owl, Hutton’s Vireo

Reptiles:

Western Fence Lizard, Western Whiptail, Striped Racer, Western Rattlesnake, Common Sagebrush Lizard

Plus so much more!

Trip Itinerary: 

Friday

4 PM – Depart from Bette Davis Park -> Mt. Baldy Area

6 PM Camping and Dinner at Campsite

Saturday:

7 AM – Breakfast, Gear Dispersal, Trailhead Talk

9 AM – Backpack up to Mt. Baldy

12 PM – Lunch on the trail

12:30 PM – Continue Hiking

4:30 PM – Set-up Camp & Chill Time

5:30 PM – Dinner Prep

6:30 PM – Dinner, evening programming, and games

Sunday:

7:30 AM – Chill wake-up, breakfast, pack up camp

9:30 AM – Hike down to Baldy Bowl and explore nearby surrounds

1:30 PM – Lunch Break at or near the trailhead

2:30 PM – Break down gear, pack up and roll out!

4:00 PM – Pick up from Bette Davis Park

Trip Logistics:

Click here for your Gear List -> Mt. Baldy Packing List

Departure: Friday, Oct 8th – 4:00 pm

Return: Sunday, Oct 10th  ~4:30 pm

(Will update specific ETA upon departure in vehicle)

Meeting Location:
Bette Davis Park
1528 Rancho Ave
Glendale, 91201

Registration Includes:

1. Round-trip transportation
2. Permits, Fees, Gasoline
3. The following meals cooked by staff and participants -> Fri: Dinner | Sat: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Sun: Breakfast, Lunch  | Snacks for all three days | *Feel free to bring some of your own snacks if too!
4. Professionally lead backpacking/camping trip
5. Ecological & Cultural instruction
6. Experience of a life-time
7. Amazing views and big fun!

Please reach out to Benny@biocitizen.org with any questions regarding prep for the day, curriculum, and possible discounts/scholarships.

Join us for our two-night backpacking trip to Mt. Baldy and the San Gabriel Mountains.

Leader Team:

We’ve got an awesome lineup of leaders!

Benny – Biocitizen’s Program Director,  maintains over a decade of professional backpack guiding experience, is a certified Wilderness First Responder, and lives and breathes the outdoors!

Marysia – As our Assistant Director, Marysia has several years of backpack leading experience and is an exceptional leader with a passion for bringing groups to outdoor spaces!

Dominic – Has 3+ years of outdoor hiking/backpacking experience and recently completed his 2nd year as CIT for Biocitzen. His knowledge and passion have been instrumental in the planning and logistics of this trip. We’re excited to have him!

Trip Notes: 

We will be camping in tents/on a tarp under the stars

The trip has noteworthy elevation gain, anyone prone to altitude sickness may not be a good candidate for this trip. We will of course go slow and acclimatize, but please be warned we will be hoping to reach 10,000 feet in elevation.

This is an inclusive group experience, meant to steward confidence, resilience, and appreciation for ourselves, community, and the surrounding ecology

We need a minimum of 6 participants for trip to run   If we do not hit this by Oct 5th trip will be refunded in full

Financial Options:

Payment Plan – broken into 2 payments over 2 month period. Contact Benny if you’d like this option

Scholarship – We have (1) – 50% scholarship available

Apply here -> https://la.biocitizen.org/scholarship-application/