43. Mount Shasta Summit

Length:	12 miles round trip
Hiking time:	12 hours plus or 2 days
High point:	14,162 feet
Total elevation gain:	7,300 feet
Difficulty:	very strenuous
Season:	early May to late September
Water:	none reliably available beyond Horse Camp except for snow
Maps:	USGS 7.5' McCloud, USGS 7.5' Mt. Shasta, USFS Mt. Shasta Wilderness
Information:	Mount Shasta Ranger District, Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Looming 10,000 feet above its surroundings, Mount Shasta reigns as the dominant peak in Northern California. This Cascade volcano draws high-summit aspirants from around the country to attempt to reach its summit.

Avalanche Gulch provides the easiest route. Do not take a casual approach to this climb. For starters, you need to be in good physical shape. You also must have the proper equipment and supplies: some form of shelter, such as a tent; boots; crampons; ice ax; warm clothes; food; water; a stove for melting snow; a wide-brimmed hat; good sunglasses; sunblock; and a topographic map. Check the weather forecast before your ascent (call 530-926-9613 or 530-926-5555) and quickly head back to the trailhead if the weather changes for the worse. You'll also want to get a predawn start so your crampons will have frozen snow to grip; as the snow warms you'll sink into the slush, not good for climbing. Regulations require that you pack your feces out; special bags are available at the trailhead and at the Mount Shasta Ranger District office in Mount Shasta.

You'll also need a permit. They're available at the trailhead or from the Mount Shasta Ranger District or McCloud Ranger District. Dogs are prohibited. Note that you'll also need to purchase a pass for being above 10,000 feet on the mountain; check with the same two ranger districts.

Take the Central Mount Shasta exit off I-5 and stop at the Mount Shasta Ranger District office for a permit and advice if you're doing the climb over 2 days. Head east on Lake Street and curve onto Everitt Memorial Highway for the final 11 miles to Bunny Flat.

The first 1.8 miles travels through open area and some red fir forest to reach Horse Camp. Here you'll find water, an outhouse, a Sierra Club caretaker, and a place to camp (fee charged).

Resume the journey on a series of flat stones known as Olbermans Causeway. After it ends near the tree line, follow faint trails northwest. Put on your crampons once you reach snow. You'll soon be climbing along the west side of Avalanche Gulch, reaching Helen Lake at 4 miles. This flat snow field, elevation 10,443 feet, is a common overnight site for those doing the 2-day climb.

The tough part lies above Helen Lake as you labor up Avalanche Gulch, which increases in steepness as you gain elevation. The area is true to its name, so keep an eye open for falling rocks. Near 12,000 feet you'll reach a bare area called The Heart. Skirt to its right and climb through the gap between Red Banks and Thumb Rock. Konwakiton Glacier lies to the right and Red Banks to the left as you continue.

Misery Hill, just above Red Banks, takes you from 13,000 to about 13,800 feet. If you've survived this long you've nearly reached the goal. Continue northward, passing east of Sulphur Springs. A short stretch east brings you to the long-awaited summit.

A top-of-the-world panorama is now yours, limited only by atmospheric conditions and the curve of the Earth. Cascade volcanoes march north to Mount McLaughlin, Crater Lake, and beyond, and also south to Lassen Peak, after which the northern Sierra begins. Range upon range of forested mountains lead south to the Sacramento Valley. The Klamath Mountains hold the west, with Castle Crags, the Eddy Range, and the Trinity Alps most prominent. To the east, volcanic mountains and plains give way to the desert peaks of northwestern Nevada.