Summit
Mt.
Shasta (Sunday,
June
30, 2003)
It
was a relief when the alarm went off at
3am,
because I wasn’t getting any sleep anyway. I turned on my headlamp and noticed
that the inside of the tent was covered in beautiful ice crystal patterns. Our
boots, which we had left outside the tent (but inside the vestibule), were
frozen to the ground and had to be cracked loose so we could put them on.
We
were originally concerned that getting up at
3am
might wake other campers in our immediate area. As it turned out, we need not
worry; half the camp had gotten up at
2am
and left for the summit. It took us a while to get dressed, have breakfast, and
pull together our gear. We didn’t get away until after
4am,
making us one of the last teams to leave camp.
About
an hour and thirty out of
Helen
Lake,
which can be seen below. Our tent is the dot farthest to the right, nearest the
mountain. The morning sun projected an outline of
Mt.
Shasta
on the other side of the valley.
While
we were still on the lower half of the slope we heard commotion and yelling from
the climbers above us. The yelling was being passed from climber to climber down
the hill until it was loud enough for us to hear them screaming “ROCK!”. A
watermelon sized rock, that apparently broke loose from the Red Banks, was
bounding down the slope towards us. We watched it intently until it passed about
30 feet to our left. Several smaller rocks also passed us on our way up to the
Red Banks.
Jeff
hoofing it up the long steep slope towards the Red Banks. The snow was hard and
very uneven, so you had to really watch every step. It had just gotten light
enough to turn off our headlamps.
After
five hours of climbing we had not yet reached the Red Banks, but we were close.
About this time we noticed several climbers gaining on us rapidly. They had left
camp probably a few hours after us. Several of them were carrying backpacks and
skis or snowboards. During a break for some water and a snack they passed us
like they were on a Sunday stroll, frontpointing all the way up the slope. We
were impressed, and I have to admit, a little depressed. We picked up the pace.
The
next two hours were the toughest part of the climb for me. Because the snow was
firm we went through the Red Banks instead of around. The gully up through the
Red Banks was very steep, often requiring me to plant the pick of my ice axe to
pull myself up to the next step of snow. We pushed hard up through the cliffs
and the long slope following.
At
the top of the slope we took a much-needed lunch break. It was almost
noon
and we had been climbing hard for seven hours. The wind was blowing strong,
cold, and constant from the west and we had a hard time finding someplace that
would provide shelter while we ate. We sat in the snow on the leeward side of
the hill, but it provided little comfort, so we ate quickly.
After
eating we headed for Misery Hill and immediately noticed a bare spot in the snow
where it looked like runoff had stripped away the snow. The depression had sides
about three feet high, which provided some relief from the wind. We climbed in
and laid down. We were so tired we immediately fell asleep and napped for about
15 minutes.
Napping above the Red Banks. Misery Hill is in the background, the last long
steep slope before the summit. Note the climber half way up the hill.
Jeff
on the summit snow field with the summit pinnacle behind. Less than 300 vertical
feet to go.
It
was nearly
1pm
when we reached the base of the summit pinnacle. Shasta actually has two
summits; the west summit is only slightly lower than the true summit. We took a
break in the col between the two summits. From here it’s a 200+ foot rocky climb
to the top. I had promised to call Shauney by
1pm
if we had not yet reached the summit, so I took this opportunity to do so.
We
took off our crampons, ditched them in some rocks, and headed up the summit
trail. By
1:30pm
we were on the top of
Mt.
Shasta,
nine hours after leaving
Helen
Lake.
We took the requisite summit pictures (below) and celebrated our success. We
called our wives to let them know we made it.
Bob
Lowell at elevation 14,162 ft. Immediately behind Bob is a several hundred foot
sheer dropoff, making this a thrilling place to pose for a picture.
Jeff
Wilson
at the top of
Mt.
Shasta.
The wind kept trying to blow me off backwards.
Jeff
signing the summit register. “6/30/03,
Jeff
Wilson,
Novato,
CA.
This is for Shauney and Lauren. I love you.” was my entry.
Bob
making his mark for posterity. |
