February Adventures, Part 2: Mt. Baldy

If you can recall this post, I've been wanting to go hiking in the snow since Christmas/Winter Break. Well, my wish had gone unfulfilled for two months...that is, until last Thursday, when Mt. Baldy finally got enough snowfall (but not so much that we needed chains on my tires).

Here I am posing in front of a fallen tree close to the start of the trail. Do I look a little bulky to you? It was 32 degrees that day (which is FREEZING to a Southern California girl like me) and I was wearing my boyfriend's spare snow jacket and two pairs of pants. Once again, fashion and figure flattery came second to comfort and warmth.

Here's Lucas, looking like a stud. :) I always joke with him and tell him that he could be a model for L.L.Bean or REI.

The Ice House. This would be such a lovely place to rest and enjoy the warmth of a campfire (even though I'm pretty sure that's illegal).

This was the giant rock that we climbed on top of and ate lunch on when we came here last spring. As you can see, it was covered in snow and ice, so there really wasn't any safe way to get on it. Still, visiting meaningful places is always fun.

This is probably my favorite picture of the day. Just look at all those amazing colors and trees. It reminds me of William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey":

--Once again

Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect

The landscape with the quiet of the sky. (Lines 4-8)

Pardon my literary nerdy-ness. :)

Anyway, after the hike, we were too tired and too lazy to make a full sized snowman. Instead, we made a cute miniature one to put on top of my car. His name was Herbert. It was so cold that Herbert actually stayed intact long enough to enjoy a scenic drive with us.

I really like this picture too. Don't you just love how my dusty windshield makes it look like it's snowing outside? Notice the ice on the road. Just to be safe, we turned around to avoid driving here. And about Herbert: sadly he melted long before we made it back home. Orange County was at least 30 degrees warmer than up here in the mountains.

I wish I could say that we made this awesome snowman - er, snowbear - but we didn't. We found it by the side of the road close to one of the mountain lodges. We just had to pull over and take a picture.

A gorgeous sunset to end the day. Lucas took this picture because by this time, it was so cold that I didn't want to get out of the car anymore. Strangely though, I was craving a snow cone or a slush drink. We stopped by a 7-Eleven on the way home to get me a cherry Slurpee.