This TR is for this route, Holtgrefe Ridge.

This page also has some basic but rather good route info, as I tried to be professional on the route page, leaving out some character, if you will.

That damn list again?

My buddy Fritz and I had planned on doing a climb this weekend in the San Gabriels, and I picked one from my list of "new-ish stuff" to try out. After postholing in deep avalanche debris attempting to climb Telegraph Peak's West Face this week, I was in the mood for a ridge route.

Mount Harwood has a very nice looking Northeast Ridge. This ridge forms the Northern half of Harwood's large Northeast Face, another one on the chopping block. I figured it would be a good climb alone, and would allow me to recon the face from a closer distance to see if I really wanted to throw myself at it.

Fritz said he was go for launch, and my buddy Dustin was also stoked and ready to go, and told me he would include his buddy, Bert. We met at my place at 4am and got our stuff together. We arrived at the parking spot in Stockton Flat about a half hour past sunrise (I don't record times very often). We removed our gear after losing traction on the icy dirt road, and headed off.

The Route, and Going Home

We reached the beginning of the approach (see route page), and headed off into the wonderful backcountry. The wonderful thing about winter back here is that the snow covers up all the trash that has been collecting here since forever. I have yet to bring a rucksack to fill with trash.

I was to lead this climb, and so I lead us off through an area I was familiar with. One aspect of the area I'm most familiar with, is that it's easy to get lost here. I accidentally lead us up the South ridge of Dawson peak for a very short distance (35 meters or so), before we crested the beginning of this ridge and saw our route start in the valley below. Oops. In my defense, this was only the second time I accidentally climbed a portion of Dawson Peak's South ridge, as this area is a favorite of mine.

We downclimbed the other side of the ridge, and set off across the wash to the true ridge start. We started the climb. We stopped every so often, as this was the rest of the group's first alpine-type climb (that is, winter conditions, up to class 4, skillsets, etc etc).

The route is fairly nondescript until one reaches the really beautiful large flat on the ridge, which is now basically named Holtgrefe Flat. We took a break here, shared the one Asahi Kuronama (black ale, similar to Bass ale, not as strong) I brought, and made lunch. Afterwards, I walked over to a clearing and mentally divided up the remaining ridge into three parts, and talked this over with Fritz. The ridge appears to go left, then right, then back left where it meets the summit ridge.

We got our stuff together, and headed up. We passed what I think would've been considered step 1 of 3 from Holtgrefe Flat, and moved further up, where we climbed onto the First Step (rock band). This Step offers class 3 climbing, and the section we traversed and climbed was a fun, easy class 3 section. Just beyond that by a little bit (200m?) was the Second Step, which is larger. Fritz recon'ed around the side to find a non-technical method of ascent (which he did), while I climbed straight up a section that was loads of fun. By the time I topped that section, Fritz was parallel with me from the other side.

From here on out, the ridge is basically the same, eventually thinning out, getting into the wind, and then steepening and climbing right onto the summit plateau. The view on top was spectacular. I took some pics while the others came up the route and we all met on top.

Wee. Me at the top of the ridge.

After some talking, and taking in the views, we headed west to our planned camping spot between Harwood and Baldy. Lots of deep snowdrifts (crotch deep) on the summit of Harwood, and we went down into the saddle. We all set up in a wonderful, clear night, and had NO WINDS until later that night! What a relief, as this area is usually insanely windy. We cooked up some dinner, shared our food, and had a good time. Dustin fell asleep as soon as he got into his tent before we all cooked our dinner. He had been awake for a day prior to this. He slept for 12 hours straight until we woke up around 7am on Sunday.

I cooked up some chili, mixed with teriyaki ramen, mixed with a packet of tuna, and finally finished with some Hakutsuru Sake, to make it smooth. Quite tasty. Bert made Jambalaya, and Fritz made Chicken whatsitcalled (the thing I can never remember the name of). Fritz is our Mountain Chef, always bringing awesome ingredients and making food that you'd be proud to eat in the comfort of a restaurant or your own home (as opposed to my ghetto mixed Japanese-themed random crap).

The next morning, Fritz cooked some Jennie-O turkey sausages, which were tasty and did not give me insane amounts of acid indigestion (as pork so wonderfully does for me), and the two of us headed up to the summit of Baldy, since we were right there. Not long after being on the summit, we met Mark, who happens to be "hvydrt" on our San Gabriel Mountain forums.

We talked with Mark for a while, then we headed back to camp to clean up and head home. Dustin and Bert were to meet us at the Ski Lodge at Baldy Notch. Fritz and I cleaned up and headed down Devils Backbone. On one of the final ski runs, I found a Nalgene bottle which happened ot be Bert's, and talked with a guy I thought was Mark (even responded to the name Mark), who found a nice out-of-production Charlet Moser (pre-Petzl era) 60 or 65cm axe, very nice. I think it was the "Piolet" model, which I thought was a rather lame and general name for a Piolet.

We then went to the restaurant/lodge, and Bert and Dustin were waiting inside. We sat down and talked somewhat loudly, since we weren't there for tobogganing, or however you spell it. Dustin gave Fritz and myself some leftovers, since they were full. The prices there were positively rediculous, with Dustin paying something around $15 USD for a friggin' Pattymelt with fries, small nachos, and a small coke (no refills...). Thanks for the recon, guys! The food was OK. I mixed the fries with the nachos and chowed down. I can still feel the burning gutbomb as we speak. Eatin' good in the neighborhood.

From there, we began the relaxing 4.whatever mile walk down Baldy Notch Road (3n06, sorta) to our vehicles in Stockton Flat. This was a nice way to end the day, as it helped us cool down, and dry our sweaty clothes with body heat, since it was a simple walk. We got back, made our way through a convoy of Jeeps and other offroad vehicles bearing license plates from Sonora or Baja California (Mexico), and headed home.

Done. I apologise ahead of time for any grammatical errors.

What I Learned

-I began running again in October to get ready for the winter, and it has paid off. I didn't feel tired during the entire trip, and felt very strong and fast. This training is obviously essential, as it really removes a very large amount of the physical barrier posed by climbing, opening up more objectives to you. I used to run 30-50 miles per week in order to reach work in 2006. Jobs changed, I got a new vehicle, and I lost my fitness. I do not run as often now, but I usually run between 8 to 22 miles, on an average running night.

-I still do not like my Omega Pacific Titanium whatever ice axe anywhere near as much as my Black Diamond Raven. The adze is way too small, and I always find myself chopping a platform or spot whenever I carry the damn OP axe. It also has a negative-clearance pick, which has actually made an appreciable (negative) difference. The head design, however, is very comfortable to hold in the hand in Piolet Canne position for hours on end, plunging the spike. I believe that in my own case, at least, this is the only area the standard BD Raven could be improved.

-Bring more food! And more Sake. And more Asahi Kuronama! Worth its weight in gold. (I do not drink any alcohol unless I am settled in my sleeping bag. Lighten up, Francis.)

Naming the Route and the Ridge

I have studied Mt Harwood and nearly everything about it for a few years now, checking every single bit of information I can on it. To my knowledge, this ridge is un-named, aside form it obviously being Harwood Northeast Ridge.

Dustin and Bert had Steve Holtgrefe, a friend of theirs, pass away at an airsoft game (similar to milsim paintball, but more realistic), and when I asked the group what name they would like to give the route, they came up with Holtgrefe Ridge.

I have had several friends pass away during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and I feel that naming a new route or an unnamed feature after someone who has passed away is honorable. I hope this sticks.

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