Hiking Mount Shasta via Avalanche Gulch
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00:00What's up guys, Josh from CaliforniaThroughMyLens.com. Today we're hiking Mt. Shasta.
00:11Mt. Shasta can be a deadly mountain. Please be very careful if you attempt to hike it.
00:18After months of training on local mountains, planning the hike, and gathering up and testing our gear,
00:23we headed to the town of Mt. Shasta to start our adventure.
00:28Going to grab our boots!
00:30Arriving the night before our start date, we went to the 5th season first to get fitted for our mountaineer boots and crampons.
00:38We grabbed our permit here as well and then headed back to the hotel to sleep before our hike.
00:46We planned on getting an early start so we went to Seven Suns, which was the only place that was open at 6am for breakfast,
00:52and then headed up to Bunny Flat to meet up with the rest of the crew and begin the hike.
00:57What's up guys, we are setting out at 7.30am on the hike to Mt. Shasta.
01:02I've got Amy, Jeff the SoCal Hiker, and John, Mr. Moosefish.
01:07It's me!
01:08And we're heading out.
01:10The climb begins easy enough with lush tree cover and lots of views of Mt. Shasta in the distance.
01:19We've already made it one mile. This is mostly the flat, not steep part, so enjoy it while you've got it.
01:260.7 miles to Horse Camp.
01:28Horse Camp is the first point of interest and it's where John Muir started his hike.
01:35Doing that good elevation.
01:42Made it to Horse Camp!
01:46This lodge is owned by the Sierra Club Foundation and it was built in 1923.
01:53This is Horse Camp. It's the last place for a bathroom stop.
01:59They have a library here and you can even play some chess while you're hanging out.
02:07Horse Camp is also the last place to get water without melting snow.
02:12Fresh spring water.
02:22Leaving Horse Camp behind, onward to Lake Helen which is where we're camping.
02:28From this point on you'll pretty much only be going up the rest of the hike.
02:32You do get some amazing views behind you though every time you turn around.
02:38This is also why you want to leave early as you're out of tree cover and there's no more shade.
02:44We got a helicopter coming in to do a rescue. Do not underestimate this hike.
02:53If it's a clear day you should be able to see Mount Lassen out in the distance.
03:02We made it up the first hill.
03:05Only a little bit left to go to Helen Lake.
03:08When I say a little bit though, it's probably another hour.
03:12Depending on how fast you hike and the conditions, it's probably more than an hour
03:16as this is where we started to hit the snow and progress became a lot slower.
03:23There's Amy right there.
03:26That's our destination for today, our campsite at Helen Lake.
03:30The climb here gives you a little test of what you're going to experience tomorrow.
03:34We are almost to Helen Lake, but this part is tough.
03:44Helen Lake is your home away from home on Mount Shasta.
03:47It's where everybody pretty much camps and there was 30 other tents there when we were there.
03:52If you're lucky when you get there you can find a spot already carved out in snow,
03:56flatten it a little bit and then that's where you set up camp.
03:59Water is the next order of business and it takes forever to either boil it or melt it
04:03so it can go through your filter.
04:05I recommend getting started on this early.
04:10In case you're wondering, there is a bathroom.
04:13It's not a bad place for a bathroom either.
04:18We're going to head to the next spot.
04:20We're going to head to the next spot.
04:22We're going to head to the next spot.
04:24We're going to head to the next spot.
04:26It's not a bad place for a bathroom either.
04:32We've been at Helen Lake for about four hours now.
04:34We got up here a little early, got our stuff set up,
04:37picked out our tent area in the snow,
04:39but it is super exposed and hot so we've been in the tent most of the time
04:43just trying to stay out of the sun.
04:47At Helen Lake everybody pretty much just hangs out,
04:49boils water and waits for the sun to go down so that they can go to sleep.
04:57So with the sun going down, it's time for bed.
05:00Super early morning, 2am to start the hike to the summit.
05:09We just got up, it's 2.30 and we're about to start the hike to the summit.
05:16Next stop, Red Banks.
05:19To say the hike to Red Banks is difficult would be a crazy understatement.
05:23You gain about 2,200 feet of elevation in less than a mile
05:27and it's going up the entire way.
05:30This is where your crampons and ice axe come in handy
05:32as it gets steeper and steeper as you go up.
05:35And a fall could easily make you slide down at least 1,000 feet if you can't self-arrest.
05:49We came from all the way down there, the sun's coming out.
05:52Been hiking for about an hour and a half.
05:54It is crazy steep up here.
05:57When the sun finally came up, it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had while hiking
06:02as you got to see the triangular shadow of Mount Shasta casting out into the distance.
06:08It almost made me forget I was climbing a 2,000 foot ice wall.
06:17Almost to the top of Red Banks,
06:19but this is the first place you can sit on this entire hike up,
06:22so I'm taking a break for a minute.
06:25Three and a half hours later, we finished the most crazy part of the hike.
06:30We made it to the top of Red Banks.
06:33Red Banks sits at over 12,000 feet, it looks down on a glacier,
06:37and it gives you views of what the rest of the hike to the Mount Shasta summit is going to look like.
06:45It's also a great place to take a break and have some food.
06:50After crossing the glacier, the next push is just as steep, but luckily not as long.
06:58More steep uphill.
07:10It is super windy, but we only have 900 feet left to the summit.
07:19This section we're on is called Misery Hill, I believe, definitely lives up to its name.
07:24Misery Hill is where your endurance comes into play,
07:26as it's not as steep as Red Banks, but you're higher in elevation and you just want to get it done.
07:39Made it to the top of Misery Hill, next stop, the summit.
07:43After cresting Misery Hill, you'll finally see the summit in view.
07:47Hopefully it's not like when we went, where we had 30 mile an hour winds,
07:51and it was crazy to get across to the base of the summit.
07:56From there, it's a short push up switchbacks to get to the rocky crag that is the Mount Shasta summit.
08:18The wind didn't allow us to stay long,
08:20but it was amazing to be able to stand at the summit of the 14,180 foot Mount Shasta.
08:29Don't forget to grab a picture at the official high point and to sign the summit register.
08:34Remember, the hike is only half over though,
08:36and you still have to descend 7,000 feet over five miles to get back to your car.
08:44Glissading.
08:46Luckily, when there's good snowpack and it's melted a little bit,
08:49you do get to glissade, which is basically sliding on your butt on the snow,
08:54all the way up to the top of the mountain.
08:56Luckily, when there's good snowpack and it's melted a little bit,
08:59you do get to glissade, which is basically sliding on your butt on the snow,
09:04all the way down the section from Red Banks to Helen Lake.
09:16It's amazing how fast you get down when you get to do this.
09:21When you get back to Helen Lake, you get to pack up all your stuff,
09:24put back on the heavy backpack,
09:26and hike all the way out to the car, completing your time on the Mount Shasta Trail.
09:32Hiking down the mountain was so tough today, we forgot to film an outro.
09:35We're at the Best Western in Mount Shasta, recovering.
09:38Thanks for watching this video.
09:39Be sure to like and subscribe and check out CaliforniaThroughMyLens.com for more.