Mt. Shasta

I finally made it to Shasta! Incredible place to be, it should be on everyone's list.

At 14,179 feet this is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California. Mount Shasta is the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.

The entrance to the trail is at 6300 feet where I slept one night to get acclimated to the altitude. The next day, I joined a group of mountaineers (met them for the first time) and began my journey at 12 pm, hiking in dense snow and carrying my backpack with almost 30 lb of camping and snow equipment. I arrived near Lake Helen (10,000') at 4:30 pm where at set camp. Most mountaineers sleep by 8 pm as the next trip begins any time after 1 am so the snow is not iced. I began to ascend at 3:30 am.

I would say there were over 100 other mountaineers besides me attempting to reach the summit before the sunrise. I joined the group and climbed Avalanche Gulch to Misery trail 12650' where unfortunately, felt sick with altitude illness; I began to shake, got sick to my stomach, could not breath and then almost passed out. I had to descend immediately to feel better. After I recovered, it was fun sliding down the hills on the snow.

It was indeed the most amazing adventure I had had. I learned many good mountaineering techniques and hopefully next time I reach the summit.

Enjoy the pictures!