Mt. Shasta and Yosemite National Park

June 1- 9, 2019

Mt. Shasta, CA 14,179'

Yosemite National Park

Ethan, Isaac and I planned to go to California to do some climbing and since I am working on climbing all the 14,000’ mountains there, I suggested Mt. Shasta be our goal. Early in the year, we all agreed and set an early June date to climb via Avalanche Gulch while conditions would be best. We arrived in CA Friday evening and rented our car for the week. Heading out from Sacramento was easy and we stopped for food and supplies at Walmart on the way. Making the 4 hour drive to Mt. Shasta, we arrived tired and were looking for a comfy spot to sleep for the evening but much of the parking area was full. Wow, we thought this is a popular place! We drove down from the parking area and trailhead and found a flat spot to toss pads on the ground and were quickly asleep around 2 am.

Waking the next morning around 6, we packed our gear and headed to the trailhead to complete permits before hiking the 4 miles and 3,000’ to Helen Lake where we would camp that night. The weather was beautiful, but the sun caused the snow to soften making our hike more strenuous than it should have been. After several hours of hiking, we all reached our camp area for the evening. I was lucky enough to grab a tent site that was already dug out making set up easy and requiring very little shoveling of the snow! We relaxed around camp for the afternoon, melted snow and hydrated as much as we could. Retiring for the evening, we set a 1 am wake up time hoping that moving at night would mean firm snow and easier travel. 

Rain, wind and hail hit during the night and just moments after closing our eyes the alarm was blaring. Up and at it the three of us went and we were moving up the steep snow slope ahead by 2 am. The snow was not great and the hail had left a layer on top as well. The three of us struggled for several hours up the initial slope leading from Lake Helen and eventually guiding us through the Red Banks. After climbing through the Red Banks, we all took a rest before starting up the final steep section on the mountain called Misery Hill. I knew this was the last push so I set aim and didn’t stop until I crested the hill. Taking a break once again, I waited for Isaac and we headed off on the short road to the summit. It was 8:40 am when I stood on the summit and Isaac soon joined me. We celebrated and had some laughs as we awaited Ethan’s arrival. Before long, Ethan was at the top as well and we were laughing as a group once again. The descent went quickly as the snow was softening. I glissaded and was back in camp within a few hours. When the guys arrived, we relaxed for a few minutes, packed up camp and were once again off hiking, this time the bottom was the destination! We reached the car and uncovered our beer buried in the snow, having a cold one to celebrate our accomplishment and the first trip the three of us had been on together in 3 years!

Leaving Mt. Shasta and after stopping for a large mexican food lunch, we drove to Laura’s fathers home near Sacramento. After a round of much needed showers, we all ate once again and retired for the evening. The following day Stan, Laura’s dad and the three of us went rock climbing at the Consumnes River Gorge just 10 minutes from Stan’s home and had a relaxing day on the rock. We had a great dinner once again and the next morning headed off to Yosemite. While in Yosemite we hiked many trails including Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point, Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls, Mirror Lake, Sentinel Dome and several others. We spent a day climbing at the base of El Capitan and enjoyed looking up the massive stone trying our best to pick out specific climbing routes. On Thursday, Laura and her dad arrived and we climbed Royal Arches before heading out of the park the next day. One more night at Stan’s and we were all off to home once again. I am thankful for great friends and for sharing these adventures with people who make life fun!