Mount Shasta Summit

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We left on Wednesday after work about 5pm and sat in heavy traffic until we got out of Sonoma. The Motel 6 in Weed was calling our name - it’s only 10 miles north of Shasta City and a mere $45.95 per night. As it goes, we spend the evening dividing up shared items to carry, like the tent and kitchen and prepare our backpacks for the morning. Except for the mountaineering boots – those still have to be fitted with crampons.
We’re at the ranger station the next morning shortly after 8 obtaining our wilderness permits and summit passes. We review their Powerpoint of the Clear Creek route in respect to where we would go from below the Headwall, which is as far as we made it on our last attempt in July. The instructions were clear: go north, or climbers right at the Headwall, cross the glacier, head northwest across the saddle, around the back of the summit block, and up the hill to the summit. Got it!
Next stop - The Fifth Season to pick up ice axe and crampon rentals. Jacques fits our “Big Reds” with step-in crampons and goes over the latest weather report. 50-55 mph winds, increasing overnight and the next day, with possible precipitation moving in later Friday afternoon. Hmm. . . He shrugged and it was “do-able” without much gusto.
Away we go to McCloud down 10 miles of bumpy dirt roads towards the parking lot and trailhead. As we get closer, Shasta looms, growing larger and larger. There are 4 cars in the parking lot, which is more than last time. This is the only non-technical route still open so we expected to see people. We throw down a tarp and start making final preparations before heading up the hill to basecamp. As we ready to leave, a couple guys pop out of the woods with their packs, returning to their car. We say hello and ask if they made it to the summit. Clearly very disappointed, the answer was no. They camped at 11,700ft to get an early start but the winds were so high they were getting knocked off their feet. The turned around at 3am and 13,000 feet. The wind, the wind . . . I keep hearing about it and I am keeping it in mind, but choosing not to focus on this just yet.

We start the gradual but steady trek up to base camp. It’s a beautiful hike through the redwoods and perfect weather. Although I know we are somewhat sheltered and not yet that high, it’s hard to believe these crazy wind stories as it is perfectly temperate for this portion of the hike. As we climb we get glimpses of her, Mt. Shasta. So beautiful and so very big! Respect. We see where we made it to last time, just below the Headwall, and it’s hard to believe we ever got that far.

We stop for a break after about an hour and a half to eat the remaining ½ of our travel sandwiches for lunch. At about 7,000 feet we start to feel the wind. Not too bad, but we’re still pretty low. We pop out on top of a hill and can see the Springs in the distance, down and across the south side of the mountain to the west. Yay! Basecamp sort of in sight! Suddenly we hear a voice. It’s a lone camper heading down from the east. He was a bit distraught. He was hoping to spend the night at the Springs (basecamp) but had taken a wrong turn. Instead he spent a harrowing night on the rocks above surrounded by mountain lion tracks and bear prints. He was freaked out and anxious to get off the mountain. We had heard the mountain lion stories from Jacques, but the danger lies in the trek through the trees from the trailhead to basecamp.

As we approach the Springs we notice how different everything is from when we were here last. No snow fields to cross and we also notice there’s no longer a snow field up on the mountain for us to glissade down. That may mean a longer descent. We decide to head for the upper camp so we can start a little higher and also be right next to a water source. It required carrying the heavy packs up a steep hill, but avoiding this same hill in the middle of the night puts us one step closer to the top! We get up the hill and low and behold – there is a tent in “our spot”. Grrr. Also, the upper springs are no more. It hadn’t crossed my mind that these springs might not be here. We search around for another spot to camp and find a great one even a little higher up tucked into some scrubs. It’s fairly windy, but not cold. Yet.

Camp gets set up fairly quickly and now we need to hike back down to the lower springs to get all of our water for the climb tonight. Just as we’re setting out, we see a couple men descending from above. Most likely our only neighbors, the ones who are camping in our spot! They were two older Canadian fellows and we stop to chat about their climb. They were seasoned climbers and pretty bad ass fellas! They made it, but said the winds were real bad all the way up and all the way down. Hmm. . . One said it took them 7 ½ and the other said 7 hours for them to reach the summit. They too had seen the guys we met in the parking lot who turned around due to the wind. Apparently it was their 3^rd try, we certainly understood their disappointment.
Anyway – we told the Canadians about how we got as far as the Headwall on our last attempt and asked about their route choice from that point to the summit. They said the rangers recommended going north around the Headwall as they did with us, but the Canadians strongly advised against that. They went up that way, but after doing so came down a different way. They suggested climbing straight over the Headwall. I said “is it because it’s faster?” “No, it’s not faster” “Is it because it’s shorter?” “No, it’s not shorter, it just makes more sense. . .” Allrighty then!

So down we go to the lower springs to fill up all our containers for tonight and tomorrow. Boy do we love the Steripen! After all the efforts of having to melt snow for water, filling up directly from the springs and purifying with a quick wave of the Steripen is a true delight. We get back up to camp and decide to prepare a backpackers dinner as it’s now approaching dusk. It’s pretty darn windy too and I have to climb into a little rocky area to light the stove. Something about the altitude makes you lose your appetite so the choice is mine as to what to make and I pick mac n’ cheese, thinking that would be a pretty safe bet. Boy was I wrong – Gross! But we’re loving our spot! What gorgeous views from 8,991 feet! Looking out we see endless expanse and looking up we only see a steep wall which we’ll be starting up in just a few hours.

Now it’s time to transfer everything we need to the smaller summit packs and prepare for tonight’s climb. Our tent is already filled with sand. There is so much to think of. So many things we need or might need. The wind and cold add another component as well. We lay down around 7pm with a plan to get up at 11:45. Sleep does not come to me. Nerves? Anticipation? I’m not sure, but I’m relaxed and resting at least. The wind blows against our tent and I wonder how it will be up high if it’s this windy at just below 9,000 feet. We are both awake at 11pm and decide to rest just a little longer before getting up and gearing up to go.

Once we step out of the tent I realize we have a problem – we need goggles. Badly. The wind is blowing and so is the sand. But what to do? We have to try. A power shot, a Gu shot, a piece of jerky, some water and we start up the mountain around 12:16am. It’s hard to see and the sand is hurting my eyes. I try to wear my sunglasses, but it’s too dark to see the trail with them on. Time to man up or give up and we’re not ready to quit before we even get started.

What an amazing sky! The climbing is such hard work but I make sure to look up as often as I can to appreciate how close I am to the stars. It’s really cold. As we climb, I see familiar landmarks from last time. The wind is getting stronger. Our noses are running non-stop. Our eyes are caked with dirt and it’s hard to breath because of the wind and sand. I try to use my sunglasses again, but no go. We take our first break a bit higher this time, about 10,000 feet just above where the old ice field was. A quick piece of jerky, blister pad adjustments and we’re back on our feet.

There’s been a lot of work done on the trail since we were here last in the way of trail markers. About a mile below mushroom rock, the trail is blocked and veers east, or climbers right. Previously we went straight up which was one of the worst parts so we were pleased to be taken around the east side of the mountain on a less sandy, less steep switchback trail.

The switchbacks weren’t that long, maybe 40 feet, but with each turn the wind got stronger and it got colder and colder. When we headed east, we were dealing with vertical sand spray in the eyes. The particulate matter highlighted by the headlamps was disturbing and painful to say the least. When we switched back heading west we had to walk in a crouch to stay upright. It was brutal. The wind was not gusting either, it was constant and unrelenting.

I desperately wanted a break from the wind, however short, but there was nothing there. So we kept going up. I looked down I see the headlamp of a solo climber a switchback or two below Jennifer. Cool! I couldn’t wait to see who it was. As we continued to climb the wind got so strong I feared I would get knocked over and down, way down.

The light is starting to show on the horizon and boy is it gorgeous! We’ve been climbing for almost 7 hours now. I sit down and think, maybe if we just wait until the sun comes up, perhaps the wind will stop. Jennifer joins me and we discuss. She points out that although we are starting to see color, sunrise won’t be for at least another hour and we are quickly freezing. My hands hurt from the cold. I look down and see no sign of the climber behind Jennifer, they have turned around.

The decision is made, let’s go! We get up and push for mushroom rock where we know we can get out of the wind for a few minutes. Finally, we get there and huddle around the northeast side of the rocks. We are out of the wind for the most part but still so cold. This is nuts. Now the sun is rising and never such a gorgeous sight have I ever seen! It is awe inspiring and truly breathtaking. The color is changing and deepening. Seeing sun rise at 13,500 feet was a privilege and a sight I will never forget. Snack time, a few minutes of rest and gear adjustments that seemingly never end, and we’re back on the trail. From here is where the Canadians suggested heading straight up and over the Headwall. As we climb I see the trail fork and veer right, which is where the rangers advised us to go. The sun is up and we can now wear sunglasses which help immensely with the blowing sand. We climb on a visible little path straight up towards the face. Then the trail fizzles out and it becomes a very loose sand and scree scramble climb. The terrain changes again and we are now on an unexpected hand and foot rock climb! The rocks are big and very loose. It was pretty precarious, but more dangerous to try and go down and around at this point. So carefully and slowly we pull ourselves up rock by rock, being as careful as we can. It’s slightly less windy during this portion of the climb and although we are really taxing our muscles, it is a welcome reprieve.

We reach the top of the hand and foot section and the trail picks up again. It looks like the top of this hill is just right up there! Riiiiight. Mountain games, but we know this. As we reach the crest of the next hill, it is as expected. Another set of hills. We’re still not at the saddle yet. The wind is still relentless.

Finally we get to the top of the Headwall proper and can see the saddle and summit box! It looks like it’s just right there! But we know better. We cross the saddle, looking down the west side of the mountain towards the Red Banks. Gorgeous! And no one in sight. On the other side of the saddle is another “small” hill and then we either have to cross a very large sun cupped snow field, or climb the rocks up and around it. We’re tired so we choose to climb around the snow field as the crampon work doesn’t look easy. There is a large metal object up here – possibly the fuselage of an old plane. Once we get around the snow field, we’re on the west side of the summit box. We hike down and around the summit, north and then east. There are some hot springs here, mentioned by John Muir during his climb of Mt. Shasta. From this point it’s one last push up the hill to the summit!

We made it!! Once we were there, actually there, we hugged each other and cried. It was such a difficult journey it’s hard to describe the emotions that come with it. We shout into the air and feel such gratitude for being able to be at that spot at that moment in time. I call my hubby and my Dad, Jennifer texts her husband to let them all know that we made it. We have a snack, look around, snap a couple photos and take a short rest. We check the time and it’s 10:14! We made it in 10 hours! We are super stoked on the time. Due to the high winds the suggested turnaround time was 8am, but we thought it was much later and were pleased regardless.

Now it’s time to head down. We have a long way to go and the weather isn’t improving. The wind carries all the way to around 10,000ft. We can sort of slide-step, or rock-ski down a couple sections of the mountain. We went down the way the rangers recommended we go up, and were so happy we climbed over the face of the Headwall instead. The conditions were horrible. Huge loose scree and far too steep to go down standing up. It would have taken forever to climb up that way. We slid on our booties down this steep scree section, creating and guiding mini rock avalanches, making sure to keep the rock slides in front of us and not let them get going too fast or far ahead of us.


We’re making good time. We bypass the switchbacks and climb down the way we had come up in July – straight down. My knees hurt horribly now and we’re not even a quarter of the way down. It takes 4 hours to get back to basecamp, which was pretty quick! Our suffering increased with every step. We try to adjust how we are walking and moving, but eventually there’s nothing to do but take it and carry on. And breathe. . . Finally, finally, we get back to basecamp and it’s hotter than heck. We are so tired from just having climbed 14 hours, but also want to get off the mountain and have a shower and some real food.

We take a 10 minute break and begin breaking down basecamp. Our big packs are stuffed and we’re ready to pack out. Boy does it suck to put that weight on my back at this point in time. The 3.5 miles to get back to the car never seemed so long.


We say a fare thee well to our beloved camp site and head down to the lower springs to get more water for the hike out. Oooh, owww. The hike back to the car is rough and it’s this portion of the adventure where I need control of my mind the most.
We didn’t have a hotel reserved as we weren’t sure we would get off the mountain that night or not. Jenny calls around while I drive and we end up at our old haunt, Finlandia in Shasta City. When we arrived we are greeted by our friend Penny. When we tell her we’ve just come from the mountain summit she congratulates us and gives us a deal on a lovely upgraded room. She also gives us the key for the hot tub after hours as it now 8:30 and Shasta City shuts down early. We still need to shower and get food, but desperately need a soak as well. We’re thrilled to be able to have it all!

A shower and we head out for dinner at the Goat Tavern, a local favorite with good food and nice people. We get there just in time, they are closing in 30 minutes. A great meal of burgers, fries and fish tacos but we’re still not that hungry and eat much less than normal. My knees hurt so much I want to straighten my legs, but my feet hurt to touch the ground so it’s difficult to figure out how to sit. It’s wonderful to eat something that doesn’t come out of a wrapper though! Back to the room and we hit the hot tub for a much needed soak. Oh it is painful to move. Our necks and shoulders are screaming at us and my ankles are covered in sock/heat/wool rash. As we continue to examine our bodies, there isn’t a spot that isn’t angry with us. After our soak we lather up with arnica and hit the hay. There is no one in this section of the hotel so it is blissfully quiet. We both sleep well and are up and out the door by 8am the next morning, heading home. It’s been a long couple of days.

On the climb down we said we were so glad we made it this time because we were never doing it again. It’s just too damn hard. By the time we reached the bottom, however, we were talking about taking a technical ropes class so we could climb the other side of the mountain. 😱

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