Throop Peak (9138) Mount Burnham (8997) Mount Baden-Powell (9399) Ross Mountain (7402) 11/8/03 When the HPS description says "Very Strenuous", believe it! The difficulty with Ross is that you have to climb up and over Mount Baden-Powell to get to it. Thus, by the time you get to Ross you're pretty wore out and then you have to climb all the way back up and over Mount Baden-Powell again just to get back. And since the trail between the two peaks is pretty steep it ends up being more strenuous than you expect. As if this wasn't challenging enough I decided to also do Throop and Burnham though fortunately these were short detours along the way. What really added an extra level of difficulty was the snow. I wasn't expecting any significant snow, but there was quite a bit. It started down around 7000 feet on the drive up. At least 80% of the trail was covered by snow which was about 6 inches deep above 8000 feet (or at least that's how far my feet sank into the snow). Where the trail followed the ridge there were drifts up to several feet deep. What I didn't realize was how much this was going to slow me down and how much more stenuous it would make hiking. Everything went fine up to Mount Baden-Powell. The hiking was a bit slow but I didn't have any trouble. On the way down to Ross however I knew it was going to be a challenge on the return. I was already running a bit short on time so I didn't have any time to lose. Unfortunately, there's an obstacle you much overcome on the way to Ross. Although a recent fire has burned off much of the brush, there is one spot (marked 7,407 on the map) just North of the peak which was not burned and is extremely dense. To make matters worse, the Fire Department cut some of the brush in the area and piled it up here. The solution is to go to the Left side of the brush once you reach it. Do NOT go to the right. I did and regretted it. I first tried to find a way through the maze and then when I got as far as I could I tried to force my way through. This was not a good idea. The brush here is of the thorny variety and you're just not going to get through it. I eventually reached a point where I simply get go no further and had to turn around and backtrack. All this can be avoided if you go left. On the left side there is a faint trail that works it's way throuh the brush (going under a fallen tree at one point) to the other side. After going the correct way through the brush I soon found myself on the summit and began contemplating the return hike. As expected, it was brutal. By the time I got back to Baden-Powell I was completely exhausted. The soft snow had really taken it's toll and I still had quite a ways to go to get back down. I knew I would probably run out of daylight and I did. My final challenge was trying to stay on the trail as it worked around to the North of Throop Peak. Since I had hiked directly up to Throop there were no footprints in the snow on the part of the trail that works around to the North side. By the time I reached this point it was quite dark and I was using my flashlight. It's easy to follow footprints in the snow by flashlight, but trying to find a trail that's completely covered in snow is a bit more difficult. Fortunately I didn't have all that far to go and even by flashlight was able to make out the slight depression in the snow where the trail was. Eventually I met up with my footprints from the hike up and finally reached my vehicle at 6:15pm (one hour after dark). Notes and Tips: - The hike back up to Baden-Powell from Ross is steep and brutal. - Go toward the left (East) when you reach the dense brush that lies just North of Ross. - There's always more snow than it appears from a distance! Other: Temperature at vehicle upon return was 38 degrees. Consumed one liter of liquid. Log: 08:39am - Hit the trail from Dawson Saddle 09:41am - Reached Throop Peak 10:57am - Reached Burnham 12:05pm - Reached Baden-Powell 02:06pm - Reached Ross 04:22pm - Returned to Baden-Powell 06:15pm - Arrived back at Vehicle Stats: Miles RT: 15.37 Total Time: 9 hrs 36 mins Elev Gain: low point between throop & Burnham: 8471 low pt between Burham & Baden: 8769 1200 up to Throop 526 up to Burham 630 up to Baden 1997 from Ross back to Baden 132 back to Burnham (staying on trail) 379 back to throop (staying on trail) = 4864 total gain RT Driving Time: Bakersfield to Wrightwood via Palmdale & Mtn Top Junction: 2 hrs 20 mins Bakersfield to Dawson Saddle via Palmdale & Mtn Top Junction: 2 hrs 45 mins Return via Mile High Cafe North to 138: 3 hrs 10 mins (includes probably 30 minutes of stops and wasted time)