Ski Hut to Mount Baldy

Date of Hike: Nov 30, 2025

Core Metrics

  • Peak Elevation: 10075 ft
  • Elevation Gain: 4058 ft
  • Distance: 8.6 mi
  • Duration: 5:56

Environmental Inputs

  • Weather: Cold
  • Terrain: Alpine, Snow/Ice, Exposed — winter conditions and technical sections
  • Special Gear Used: Microspikes

Metabolic Setup

  • Fasted State: true
  • Time Since Last Meal: 17 hours
  • Sleep Quality: Good
  • Autophagy Outcome: Deep

Instrumentation

Environmental and physiological data verified using wearable telemetry and metabolic sensing devices.

Data Source

TrailGenic proprietary tracked information recorded per hike. For research partnerships, licensing, or data access inquiries, please contact us.

Ella’s Physiological Interpretation

Prolonged ascent to ~10,000 ft under freezing conditions induced a strong hypoxic stress signature, reflected by a sharp ketone elevation at the peak (~4.0 ppm). The fasted state and continuous climb load produced a deep autophagy response by the finish, with final readings more than doubling the peak marker. Snowpack and traction gear reduced stride cadence, shifting the physiology toward power-driven climbing rather than tempo efficiency. Despite limited sleep, the combination of cold, altitude, and technical microcrust terrain created a high-efficiency metabolic state that is consistent with strong mitochondrial adaptation and deep autophagy activation under high-elevation stress.