Mt. Shasta hiking photographs

Photographs taken during a climb of Mt. Shasta in 1984.

Mt. Shasta and the smaller Shastina are volcanoes in Northern California.

I attempted to climb Shasta several times. The shortest trip to the summit and back took only 6 hours. One memorable trip, we failed to reach the summit during the day, but at 9 PM in camp that night we heard cries for help, which launched a nighttime reascent to the snowline and a descent carrying an injured climber on a metal stretcher. The longest trip was 18 hours, lost in fog and then in the dark. It is very exciting to be lost on a mountain of this size with no moon in the sky and only a "C"-cell flashlight. The good news is that you don't have to light the mountain. You only have to light where your next step will fall.

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Dawn.	Shasta and Shastina from town.	Panorama.	Shastina close-up.
Shastina, emphasizing the lower flanks.	Shasta half of the panorama.	Topographic map, reference to features in next photo. (412 KB). Hint: do not follow the penciled route. I was trying to reconstruct our wanderings when we were lost in fog.	Scenic view of south side, from camp. Compare to topo map.
The trail begins as a stone stairway...	...but they don't last long.	We will go right of the Heart (top right) and up Red Banks.	Panorama, summit barely visible at center, above Red Banks.
West side is rugged. (Left side of panorama.)	At right is Sargents Ridge. Behind it is Konwakiton glacier. (Right side of panorama.)	Sargents Ridge looks ominous in fog.	Hills and ravines between here and there.
We get a sunbreak where we are standing, where we don't need it. The way ahead doesn't look too good.	Fog rolling in.	Looking to the left.	Fog over west side of Avalanche Gulch.
Fog over the Heart and Red Banks.	Looking back down Sargent Ridge spur. The volcanic soil has an amazing richness of coloration.	Almost onto the snow.	A busy day on the mountain. There are at least 5 people in this picture.
Near the Heart. Steeper than it looked! It would be nice to get back below cracks like this before it gets dark.	Ascending Red Banks. Steeper than it looks, it's the only time I've used the front points of my crampons.	Looking down from Red Banks. Ascending this channel in Red Banks is not normally a required part of the route.	The summit was fogged in. No view. A picture OF the summit will have to suffice. Summit views from an earlier trip are below.
Campsite.	Our water bucket froze.	Camp spring water, with ice all around.	On the previous trip we carried the injured climber back to Horse Camp Lodge, where she was evacuated by helicopter next morning.
Looking around from camp. In the glare of sunlight, the colors are amazing.	Hills and ravines wide view. Easy to get lost in the dark and walk right past the campground.	Even wider view. Sargents Ridge looking unfriendly. Beyond its top, on the north side of the mountain, are glaciers.	A butte seen on the way to glimpse Shastina. Possibly Black Butte, but there are many buttes.
A glimpse of Shastina.	A little closer...	...and Shastina disappears in fog.	Looking back to town.
A mountain range and a large peak in the distance.	An old lightning-struck tree.	The purple flowers are lupine.

Views from the Mount Shasta summit area

From our 1980 trip. Shot with a Kodak Instamatic 110 camera, and showing that film does not improve when it sits in the camera for a couple of years before use.

Before reaching the summit plateau. Winds on top can reach 100 mph. One trip, we crawled to the top, unable to stand. I put my ice axe down on a rock and it was blown several inches before I caught it.	Approaching the summit. There is an easy trail around to the left. On our first trip, we didn't know that, and having approached from the right, did a short bit of climbing to get to the top.	Fog on the summit plateau. Following the trail in the snow is a good idea. Going off to the right is not.	Steep snowy ridges viewed from near the summit plateau.
Valley view and distant peaks.	On some sides of the Shasta summit, the dropoff is very steep.	Shastina summit and surrounding geography viewed from Shasta summit.	On the plateau, looking back at summit.
Valley view from summit plateau.	Looking southwest toward town of Mt. Shasta.	On all but the south side, the mountain is rather steep.	Looking back where we've been.