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Climate
Mt Shasta, the eight highest mountain in California,
is a glacier, so the mountain is snow-capped year-round, and the
hike is chilly even on a sunny summer day. In July and especially August
you are likely to find days when the temperature stays warm enough most of
the hike, but the top will still require at least a sweater.
Best time to hike for people who use crampons is late spring (usually, second half of june, but it depends
on how much it snowed), when the snow is not
too icy but still holds the rocks together, and you can glissade
down the slope on your butt! Later in the year the rangers advise against it because the
danger of avalanches increases dramatically (although i have done three times
in august and didn't see a single rock falling).
Picture of Avalanche Gulch in may
Picture of Avalanche Gulch in august
Picture of Misery Hill in may
Picture of Misery Hill in august
Warning.
Shasta is 1,000km north from the most famous Sierra mountains. Thus it
is a totally different kind of mountain.
This is the Mt Shasta "hike":
click here.
You walk straight up on snow. Unless you are as irresponsible as me,
you need crampons. There is nothing but snow all the way up
(no lakes, no waterfalls, no creeks, no wildlife).
The view at the top is just a view of mountains:
this one.
And not as pretty as the mountains of the Sierras
(that have lots of lakes and lots of green).
And usually there is no view anyway because it is cloudy.
I must admit that Shasta itself (viewed from the freeway) is an
impressive view, but once you are on it, the view is pretty much the same
all the way to the top.
There are snowstorms even in the summer (again, it is 1,000 kms
north of the Sierras, same latitude as the Alps) and avalanches.
Most people start "hiking" before sunrise, which also means that the
snow is icy.
all in all, Shasta is much more dangerous than the Sierras (where the
snow usually melts by july, and avalanches are extremely rare).
And i am the only person i know who has done it without crampons.
Therefore, i wouldn't call it a "hike".
Directions to the trailhead
Entering Mount Shasta town,
turn right into Lake St and then left into Everett Memorial Hwy.
Continue up on Everett Memorial Highway until you reach the end of the road,
the "Bunny Flat"
parking lot. You can self register at the "Bunny Flat" trailhead.
Trails are only partially marked. Follow directions for Horse Camp, a very
popular destination, and Helen Lake. Once you are on Helen Lake (it's covered
with snow most of the year), you just go up vertically.
Spring/Fall
Wear a three layer clothing with something wind proof on top.
Hat and gloves are a must. Above 3.400 meters it is recommended that you use
"crampons" (spiked shoe which is tied
on to your boots) and a iceaxe.
What to bring
- three layer clothing (avoid cotton)
- flashlight and batteries
- snow boots
- sunglasses
- sunscreen lotion
- hat or, better, helmet
- at least 3 liters of water
- 3000-6000 calories in food/powerbars etc
- wind/rain jacket (no matter which season)
- long waterproof pants (to protect from sun and for the cold part)
- a kayaking foam cushion for glissading down
- gloves (no matter which season)
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The Trail
(in parenthesis the 2003 and 2006 intermediate times)
- Bunny Flat trailhead (2300 m)
- Horse Camp (2600m, 3.5 kms), last drinking water (30', 41')
- End of causaway (x, 58')
- 50/50 Flat (1h 30', 1h35')
- Helen Lake (3169 m, 3hrs, 2h50')
- Head straight up Avalanche Gulch to Red Banks, but bear right of the "heart" as if aiming for Thumb Rock (usually, you can see a groove for glissading: just follow it up)
- when you are about to hit Red Banks, turn right and head for Thumb Rock (3962 m, 5h30', 6h5') (if you have crampons, you may go straight up the ice and head for any of the rocky chimneys, a shortcut that may save you some time, but it will be much steeper and icier: the chimneys to the right are the shortest ones) - be careful there might be bergschrund past Thumb Rock (although a popular route for people who don't feel like going up the chimneys)
- whichever way you go up (chimney, Thumb Rock or bergschrund), scramble your way up Red Banks (x, 6h55')
- the view south: Castle Crag park, Black Butte, a lake
- hike up Misery Hill (4200 m, 6h45', 7h38')
- the view from here: the summit (finally!) and (other side) Lassen all the way east
- cross the 1km snow field which is relatively flat (4200 m, x, 7h50')
- at the end of the snow field on your left is the sulphuric area and on your right is the rocky summit, reached through five steep switchbacks (4317 m, 7h 6', 8h6')
- The total hiking distance is 13 kms.
(This is probably an exaggeration, since the elevation
gain is 2 kms and your "trail" is basically the height of the mountain at a
very steep grade).
- Coming down takes about 4 hours: 45' to Thumb Rock, 30' to the bottom of Red Banks (this takes a while because it's so dangerous), 1h to Helen Lake, 1h15' to Horse Camp, 30' to the parking lot.
- By far the most difficult part is getting on Red Banks and then getting down from Red Banks. There are three main ways, and a lot depends on the snow/ice conditions. First, you can just head straight for one of the chimneys. If it's spring, they all have snow. If it's summer, it is likely that the easiest one to climb (my favorite) has no snow, and it's easy class-2 climbing. Second, you can coast Red Banks till you get to Thumb Rock, then (keeping Thumb ROck to your right) turn left onto the glacier and walk about 50m until you can easily walk up Red Banks (needless to say, this is a bit scary because you are walking on a glacier, but this is probably the most popular route because it involves no rock climbing). Third, you can walk to Thumb Rock but climb the rocks on your left (at any point). I usually hike in the summer when there is little snow on Red Banks: going up i use the first chimney with no snow, that is easy and safe to climb, and going down i use the little hole at the very eastern end of Red Banks and then go down to the same chimney.
- Pictures and Maps (click on Shasta)
Permits
As far as i understand, hikers
don't need to pay anything if you are only hiking. Just fill the form
at Bunny Flat and keep the green copy. Only climbers must pay $15.
(2003)
Warnings for summer hikers
In the summer months the snow melts but the hike to the top of Shasta is tricky.
- This is a technical hike, that requires some skills and presents some
obvious dangers.
- Falling rocks all over the place (in August 2001 it was impossible to
hike beyond Helen lake, in july 2005 a huge avalanche covered most of Avalanche
Gulch). When you are hiking up, you can see the rocks falling,
but when you are coming back down the rocks will be behind you.
- The "trail" lends itself to all sorts of serious injuries if you are not
careful. Besides some permanent snow, it is extremely steep. You will have to
climb up Red Banks, and whichever chute you choose it will be tough both
climbing up and climbing down (the further east/right you go, the lower the gap
to climb to get on Red Banks). Once on Red Banks, the trail is slippery
because of very loose gravel.
When walking down, walk backwards on every stretch that is very steep and
slippery.
Almost nobody can go all the way up and come down without slipping and falling
at least once. Since the terrain is mainly a mixture of snow and gravel,
you will not break any bones, but be prepared for cuts and bruises.
- Without crampons, you can hike up Avalanche Gulch to Red Banks only in
the summer, and, of course, it is not easy. Unfortunately, this is also the time
when falling rocks are the main danger. So you have to be lucky enough to
find a day when you can already hike without crampons but falling rocks are
not yet a serious risk to your life. The trick is to use footprints (that
freeze during the night) as steps to go up: look for the groove that people
use to glissade down, and most likely you'll see steps made next to it.
This generally works all the
way to Red Banks. Later in the summer, the long straight Avalanche Gulch is like
terraced by the rocks, so you can work your way up using the rocks as steps.
The only tricky part is getting on Red Banks. Whichever route you decide
to follow, you have to climb up rocks (chimneys) or gravel (Thumb Rock), which is a lose-lose proposition.
- Until the end of May it is very popular to glissade down on your butt (you
will see grooves created by previous sliders), and you can come down from
Red Banks to Helen Lake in minutes instead of hours, but after May this gets
dangerous because the groove is melting and may end suddenly: you will
slide down at very high speed for a few minutes and then end up against a
rock.
- Sunscreen is essential as the snow reflects light. You will get badly
sunburnt even if you have a good hat.
- For most people, three liters of water are needed to get to the top.
In the summer, there is drinkable water at Horse Camp (very beginning) and then a little bit
of flowing water at Helen Lake, but the rest is barren. Eat snow that is still
white white white if desperate.
Food depends on how hungry you get.
But water is essential because your body consumes a lot of
water at high altitude.
- All considered, the best time to hike Shasta should be june/july, but
it really depends on how much snow the mountain gets. If it gets a lot of
snow, then august may be the best month. If it gets little snow, then
june is the best month. You want enough snow to keep the rocks from falling
but not too much to require crampons all the way.
Idiots abound. People have almost died of dehydration (there are no creeks,
waterfalls, lakes on this mountain), frozen to death (it is a glacier,
1000 kms north of Whitney), been hit by falling rocks (when the ice melts,
rocks are loose) and risked their lives in
thunderstorms. Watch for falling rocks during summer.
If it gets cloudy in summer, remember that this is a bare mountain
(not your typical Sierra hike with plenty of forests): you are the only
electrical object on a mountain that is famous for lightning. Your chances of
being hit by lightning are colossal during a thunderstorm.
The only way to minimize chances of all these incidents is to start hiking
early, way before sunrise. The sooner you are out of the mountain the better.
Campgrounds
List of campgrounds
Plenty of lodging in Mt Shasta town.
Piemont Restaurant is a celebrated Italian restaurant.
The Black Dear diner is a very popular old-fashioned diner.
The small Mexican restaurant Lalo's is my favorite.
Phone numbers
Mt. Shasta Ranger District, (530) 926-4511
House of Ski, (530) 926-2359
Fifth Seasons, (530) 926-3606
Rangers
Unlike Mt Whitney
(that features some of the worst rangers in the world),
Shasta is blessed with reliable and experienced rangers. Trust what they
tell you. Every ranger has a vested interest in exaggerating the risks
(if you get hurt, he's the one who has to rescue you), but I found the
rangers on Shasta to know what they are talking about.
Getting There
Directions from San Francisco to Mount Shasta town.
This map takes you to Mount Shasta the town.
When you take the exit for Mount Shasta the town, eventually you have
to turn right into Lake St and then left into Everett Memorial Hwy.
The Everett Memorial Hwy in this map is the road that goes to Mount Shasta the
mountain.
(You have beautiful views of the mountain from the road BEFORE entering
Mount Shasta the town).
Camp at the trailhead which is at the end of the Everett Memorial Hwy.
( Map of downtown).
Berkeley to Vacaville: 80 kms
Vacaville to Williams: 100 kms
Williams to Red Bluff: 120 kms
Red Bluff to Redding: 50 kms
Redding to Mt Shasta: 110 kms
In the vicinity
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