MTB/ Baldy Notch & Thunder Mountain

Wow, what a ride! Hillbasher talked me into riding up to Thunder Mountain from the Baldy Ski lift lots. First section wasn't bad at all but once we reached the upper sections it was tough. The loose rocks and steep road made for a difficult climb. It took some major energy trying to stay upright and keeping traction. Few tough sections but manageable. But once we reached Thunder Mountain, it was not happening on the bike. I was stopped in my tracks several times. After 6 attempts to start I called it a real live wall. I had heard others call some climbs a wall but this IS a wall for sure. We ended up walking the thing because there was no riding it ha ha! I believe we were at about 8400 feet elevation.

Once at the top, it was great. One direction we could see Cajon Pass. The other direction was a great view of GMR/GRR from the top. Wow, nice scenery! Nice little visit at the ski lifts but the bugs! These suckers have no mercy, they fly directly into your mouth if you open it for more than 2 seconds. Some of the mean little suckers bit HB so hard they drew blood.

It was our first time on the descent and knowing there were plenty of loose rocks, we babied it. On the way down we ran into Joe and Tony. Couple of cool guys that seemed interested in our trip. We ended up talking for a while as the two know plenty about the local mountains and surrounding areas. Not to mention they are cyclists themselves. It was a nice chat with the guys!

By the time we reached the bottom, our arms were TIRED! It's tough trying to hold back on a steep unknown descent but it's better than eating it ha ha!



Elevation Gain: 2,470 ft in 4.9 miles
Min Elevation: 6,206 ft
Max Elevation: 8,573 ft
4.5 average.......Hey, it was scary coming down!

Profile from HillBasher's Garmin