Friends That Hike - Mount Shasta via Avalanche Gulch

5/11/2019 - 5/12/2019

Trailhead: Bunny Flat
Route: Avalanche Gulch
Distance: 12.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 7,411’
Summit: 14,179’

Fyi this is not a hike, winter mountaineer skills are required. There was lots of snow on Shasta this year so crampon, ice axe, glissading, and navigation skills are needed. Right when we set foot on the trailhead we saw a search and rescue helicopter land right next to the trail. Once we got to Helen Lake we had found out that a guy had slide 1,500' down the mountain and gashed his forehead with an ice axe. He was lifted off and taken to the hospital with a slight concussion but fortunately he was ok. Please be aware of the risks before attempting this climb.

The route begins at the Bunny Flat Trailhead where they have pit toilets, wag bags, and self issuing wilderness and summit passes. Summit passes cost $25. Due to the amount of snow accumulation this year there is no clear route and because of that we unintentionally bypassed Horse Camp and 50/50 camp and just followed the gulch all the way up to Helen Lake (10,400’) where we set up basecamp. The climb from Bunny Flat Trailhead to Helen Lake was roughly 3,611’. Sunday was our summit bid day, we had an alpine start and made our way up from Helen Lake to Red Banks, which is considered the crux of the climb. From the start we gained over 2,500' in about a mile. We passed Red Banks and climbed straight to Thumb Rock. There’s a pretty gnarly bergschrund crevasse on the Konwakiton Glacier that we were not expecting, so watch your step if you plan to go up this time of the year. We followed the ridge to the base of Misery Hill (13,000’), made our way to the summit plateau and up the summit pinnacle to the summit. From basecamp to basecamp it took us 8 hours total, 6 hours up and 2 hours down. As you can see in the video we had the perfect weather window.

Thank you to Robin, Mido, Sonia, and Vanina for being such wonderful team members and friends.
"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." - Helen Keller

Enjoy!

Видео Friends That Hike - Mount Shasta via Avalanche Gulch канала Friends That Hike