[TR] Mt. Shasta - West Face Gully 6/28/2008

[Ptown_Climber1]

Trip: Mt. Shasta - West Face Gully

 

Date: 6/28/2008

 

Trip Report:

Mt. Shasta has long been one of my favorite Cascade peaks.....this gentle giant south of the Oregon border offers that big mountain high altitude one can't find in our Beaver State, spectacular alpine settings, classic 'Sierra-esque' ecology, drier weather, and of course its share of weirdo mytholgy. It had been 5 years since my last visit to mystical Mt. Shasta.....I was definitely due!

 

So it was with great relish that my climbing partner Dean, along with a relative newbie coworker of his laid out the plans for this climb in the cold dreary days of a Portland Spring.....Our true desire was to climb Shasta's famed Casaval Ridge, but with the low snowpack down there and schedule constraints we opted to wait until early summer when we could climb what would be a new route for all of us-West Face. June seemed to be a sure thing, but despite near record snow depths on Shasta this year, a windy and dry Spring has decimated all of that. We would be fortunate that our route was intact with a long, albeit skinny, gully of snow, shooting nearly 4,000 feet up from our high camp at Hidden Valley to just over 13,000 feet.

 

Dean and I left Portland Thursday morning with great anticipation.....our long waited trip to Shasta was finally here! The drive was largely uneventful; We made a pit stop in Grants Pass for cold beverages....pasta salad and beers on the banks of the Rogue River on a hot summer day-good times. Arriving in Mt. Shasta City some time after 4:00, we met up with the third member of our climbing party, Clifton, who made the drive up from San Fran......after some reconnaissance at The Fifth Season (why can't all outdoor stores be this cool and friendly??) we headed up to Bunny Flat Trailhead. The plan was straightforward.....hike in to Horse Camp (7,800 feet), set up camp, gawk at the sunset shadows on Shasta's south face, enjoy more cold beer, and just generally relish being alive and in such a beautiful setting. The caretaker at the Sierra Hut was inviting and conversational as she regaled us with some of the history of Shasta's early days, namely the story of Ray Olberman and how he built the "Olberman Causeway" in the thirties, that crazy stone path which leads from the hut up to Avalanche Gulch climbing route.....wow.

 

The night was a mostly sleepless one....the Milky Way shone in full glory; the mosquitoes were relentless....tales of the Lemurians and other Shasta spirits danced in our brains. The next morning, after oatmeal and coffee, we packed up and headed to Hidden Valley (elev. 9,500 ft.).....I had never ventured to this side of the mountain, but had heard great things about it. We were not disappointed. The trail is a steep, dry, and rocky one, but holds a stunning view down of Black Butte (name?), the Trinity Alps, Castle Crags, and the I-5 corridor back up to the Siskyous.....the fires in NorCal clouded up some of the view on this day, however.

 

Fortunately for us, there were still as yet few people camped in Hidden Valley. That would later change. Shasta Mountain Guides represented a bulk of our neighbors up there. While there wasn't much snow left around, there was no lack of running water. Coming crisp and clean straight out of the snowfields up high, we didn't bother even filtering it...what a treat that was! One major drag about our high camp was the flies and bees.....they were a constant pest.....in fact I was stung by one ornery bumble bee, and harassed by scores of other throughout our stay.

 

The nighttime offered some respite, but then the mosquitoes come out....we soothed our nerves with a little Patron, and again sat in silent reverie as we gawked at Shasta's West Face in the twilight, studying our route....this is about as religious as I get.

 

2AM came late...Dean and I were awakened by the stirrings of the Shasta Mountain Guides group across the gully at 12:30....Despite that, we stuck to plan and crawled out of bed at 2, an hour after they departed. It was an amazingly warm night, the star show again brilliant. The silhouette of Shasta's West Face and Shastina loomed. It was time.

 

The first hour was spent making our way to the base of the gully. At that point we put on our crampons, as the snow in the gully was quite firm, and made for excellent climbing. Surprisingly the guided groups opted for the right gully starting out. We headed up the left, more direct approach. We moved quickly and efficiently, with few stops. At around 12,000 feet however, Clifton peetered out. This being his first climb on a relatively big mountain, he'd had enough....no shame there; at 12,000 feet he had already gone beyond his previous high of 9,800.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, we topped out of the gully at 8:35 AM. There we were treated to the taunting visage of Misery Hill and the summit block, an agonizing distance away-still. We suck down more water, a couple of Advils, and energy gel pack, and push on. The traverse over to Misery Hill truly is misery, but winds are calm and temperatures pleasant......it's the most idyllic conditions I've encountered on any of my 5 previous Shasta climbs.

 

Misery Hill is bare of snow right now, and still a pain in the ass. But ultimately we do top out and are treated to views of the summit ice plateau and its rocky crown. Dean and I are pretty much alternating between 'hitting the wall' and adrenaline bursts at this point, but now our goal is in reach! We will ourselves up the final rocky scramble to the summit of Mt. Shasta....we meet one group that came up from Hotlum Bolam Ridge, and a solo climber from Seattle who had just climbed the Hotlum-Wintun Ridge...she highly recommended this route-we'll keep that in mind!

The requisite pictures are taken, and small talk with our fellow climbers at the top. I smile when I open the summit register box and see that someone has left behind an OSU Beavers orange flag there......I wonder which one of you that might of been??? Go Beavs! Nice.....and we're in shirt sleeves at 14,000 feet.

 

The descent is slow initially....getting back to the top of West Face is a bit of a post-holing nightmare, and the sun is getting intense. The first glissade track down the gully is a little steep and icy for my taste. Not to mention the rocky crap that awaits you at the bottom of it. So we wait to glissade down a little lower.....This part of the climb was particularly fun....I'd award the Cascades' "Best Glissade Run" to either Shasta West Face or Mt. Adams South side, no doubt. The final run is steep, slick and will most certainly challenge your self arrest skills- have at it!

 

Dean and I stumble into camp at around 1:30.....we rehydrate, regale Clifton with our exploits, pop more Advils and begin the painstaking pack up and hike out....the flies chase us the entire way.....

 

Back at Horse Camp our friendly caretaker recommends a great place for grub and cervezas, which I also will pass along: The Billy Goat Tavern.....meet some of the quirky locals in Mt. Shasta City; it's got an outstanding outdoor patio with views of the mountain, and of course, friendly service.

 

One last thing....on the way to the car from Sierra Hut (or shall I say 'death march'?), Dean and I independently think we hear children's laughter in the woods, and hallucinate rock forms that look like people...we meet an elderly man alone in the woods, who says he's "waiting for somebody".....chills run up my spine. ..we're delirious of course, but with all the weird stories we hear about Shasta, who knows? Perhaps there is a little something magical about Mt. Shasta....Go find out for yourself.

 

Some pictures to come soon......

 

[NShighlander]

This was a great trip! Lots of interesting adventures were had including the three dents that were put in my car from the nasty hail storm while driving south of Grants Pass!

Still worth it though!

 

Here are some photos of the trip!