IG: @radishuprooted
Mt. Shasta dominates the Northern California landscape at 14,179 ft above sea level. Our 2-day climb up this Cascade volcano follows the Avalanche Gulch Route, starting at Bunny Flats Trail Head, past the Sierra Club's Horse Camp Cabin, and making basecamp at the frozen Helen Lake around 10,500 ft. From there the route heads up the steep Gulch, past a rock cleaver called the Heart, up and over a band of cliffs known as the Red Banks, to the false summit -- Misery Hill. From there, there's a traverse across the plateau to the summit pinnacle. We brought our skis to skin up and get some fresh turns on the descent... But sometimes, the mountain has other plans.