T606: Climbing Mt Shasta

There are some Scouting adventures where the beauty and majesty of nature hit you the moment you step out of your car. Without exertion, you step to the viewpoint and see the grand vista of Yosemite valley, the setting sun refected on the red spires of Joshua Tree, the sparkling blue of the Pacific. Climbing Mount Shasta, it must be said at once, is not such an adventure. Ryan J., Ryan A., Mr. Adrig and I earned every bit of glory that nature had to offer!

Last Thursday, we drove 600 miles north to Lassen National Park and spent our first night under the big trees and stars. The next morning, we completed a quick acclimating hike -- the 7 mile trail to Brokeoff Mountain (elevation 9,235'). The hike surprised us with some steep snow on most of the upper slopes. From the summit we could see volcanic Lassen Peak just 4 miles away and our towering goal for the next two days, Mount Shasta (14,162'), 75 miles to the north.

By afternoon, we were back on the road and at Shasta's base in time to pick up rental gear -- crampons, ice axes, mountaineering boots, and gaiters. It was starting to look serious!

Another night at a trailhead and we were on the mountain -- heading up Avalanche Gulch towards Lake Helen at 10,400 feet. There is no trail to the top of Mount Shasta though most routes are about 14 miles round trip. With more than 15 feet of snow covering the mountain, any trails you see are just the boot prints of climbers passing before you. We made our snow camp by 11AM and spent the afternoon building a platform for the tent (Ryan J. and I just slept on a ground tarp), and resting for the big summit day on Sunday.

3:40AM -- the moon had set, and we were dressed and starting up the slope to Red Banks. The pre-dawn morning thermometer read 33F -- July?! With headlamps and climbing gear, we got our first taste of "real" mountaineering. The slope here starts about 30 degree and tops out at 43 degrees. By kicking into the icy snow crust we slowly made our way up. Near the ridge, the ground rose to right in front of our faces. We had to use the ice axes picks to reach up and provide a third "leg" of stability.

7:00AM -- Misery Hill. Well named. Just when you think you're near the end, you have another 2 miles and 1000' to go!

9:30AM -- Summit at last... The very top is rocky and free of snow. We celebrated with other climbers and waited for the sun to soften the snow and make our descent a little more fun (more on that later). While we sat waiting, a small group of backcountry adventurers strapped on their skies and jumped off the steeper back side of the mountain. No matter how accomplished you think you are, there is always someone with grander ambitions!

10:30AM -- The best part of the descent of a snowy mountain is "glissading". Imagine the water slides at Wild Rivers frozen -- in 500 foot sections dropping nearly a mile in elevation. Mr. Adrig, Ryan and Ryan mastered the art of the "almost freefall" glissade in a sitting position using the ice axes as brakes. I proceeded a little more cautiously.

3PM -- Back at the parking lot. I sank to the ground in the car's shade in grateful exhaustion. Ryan and Ryan started planning their next adventure.

How hard was it? If it were an office building, the climb of Mount Shasta would be about 600 floors. Try that some day... with a backpack... in blinding sun... on ice...