Mount Shasta Climb

[Rob]

WAs slated for Rainer this last weekend, but the Avy danger was too high.  So we decided to make a run at Shasta. 

Great trip.  Drove down and camped at Bunny Flat on Saturday.  The next day our group split to try two different routes.  One group of 5 did the Avalanche gulch route.  one threw his back out, and one suffered Altitude sickness and could not make it So three were able to summit.  They hiked to Helen Lake (just above 10K) and stayed the night.  Then went up the Gultch and onto the summit. 

My group of 3 took a slightly more technical route called the Casaval route.  This involved running a ridge line to the West of Avalanche Gulch to the summit.  Really pretty route.  Couple pretty steep places and some cat walks along the way.  We roped up for one portion, but decided the extra time involved doing a running belay on a picket line with a short rope would have allowed the snow to heat up and become less stable so we got off the rope and used pick axes and crampons to gain the 300 feet of 50 degree slope.  After that we intersected with the Avalanche Gulch route for the last 600-700 feet of climb to the summit.  We went down the Avalanche Gulch route back to the Bunny Flat trailhead and bugged out to Weed CA to get a hotel for the night.  Due to the fact we did a loop, the three of us on the Casaval route ended up carrying our packs to the summit.  Mine was 45#.  Drove home on Tuesday.

At 14,179 this was my first 14K peak.  Survived with minimal sunburns and pain.  (mental note:  apply sunscreen to the bottom of your nose if you are doing a climb like this!)

[Knocker of rocks]

Nice

[Rob]

Thanks, it was a fun route for sure!

[JLS]

Great pictures, looks like a fun climb.  I think that one just went on the bucket list.

[Solohunter84]

Good work! I attempted Shasta a few years back. Looked like a great day but was real windy and we got pounded by ice chunks just below the heart. I took a softball size chunk just above my left eye. Glancing blow off my helmet. Needless to say that ended my day with 16 stitches haha. Was lucky though because I hiked back down. There were 2 airlifts that day and 3 snow mobile rescues as well. I will have to scrounge up that pic haha. Again though good job. Sucks for the guy with altitude sickness. I had it on Adams. Weird feeling but pushed through to summit on that one.

[Rob]

Wow.  That does not look pleasant. 

We had some rockfall and some ice fall but nothing major.

The Mt had 100 mph gusts the day we arrived, but the two days we spent on the mountain we had no more than 5mph.  95% of the time it was dead still.  We were very fortunate.

[mfswallace]

Thanks for sharing!! 

[Solohunter84]

Nice rob. What a view. I always love sittin up there thinking bout how many people will never experience that awesomeness!


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[Rob]

I agree.  I feel very fortunate to have the health to be able to do this kind of thing.  I hope to be able to continue with adventures like this for a long time