Mount Shasta Fun Guide
A Wonderful Resource for Mt. Shasta and Surrounding Areas
Backpacking in Lassen~Dusting on Mt. Shasta
Aug 29th
This week was a little backpacking here and a little bit there.
Snag Lake
A friend and I met at Lassen National Park and spent a couple days backpacking.
Rainbow Lake
We did a nice loop hiking to quite a few lakes. Fortunately, we didn’t have many mosquito problems.
Penny Royal also known as Coyote Mint
This very fragrant flower is in full bloom right now. Makes a great tea.
Penstemon
This beautiful wildflower come in many varieties. They are in full bloom too.
snake
I think this is a garter snake. Hanging out on the rocks.
Summit Lake
Another fun trip.
Base Camp at 50/50 Flat-9400 ft.
The past couple of days I lead a group on Mt. Shasta. We woke up to a nice dusting Saturday Morning.
Looking up Avalanche Gulch
Visibility…uhhh
Sunday Morning
Mt. Shasta’s first frosting this season-August 28-29
Have a great week everyone. Until next time…
Russian Wilderness~Bingham Lake Backpack Trip
Aug 13th
The past couple of days a friend and I went backpacking in the spectacular Russian Wilderness located in the Klamath National Forest. This wilderness has more conifer species (17) in a concentrated area than possibly anywhere else in the world.
Bingham Lake
We set up our basecamp at Bingham Lake, a short distance from the Pacific Crest Trail- A long distance hiking and equestrian trail that runs in Washington, Oregon, California between Mexico and Canada. A distance of 2,650 miles.
Hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail
We ran into a few through PCT hikers on the trail. They are hiking over 25 miles a day. Their goal for the day was getting to the Etna Brewery located in Etna, Ca. Can’t blame them for wanting to have a award winning and cold “ETNA BREWERY BEER”.
Statue Lake
We day hiked to another beautiful gem known as Statue Lake. Great place to have lunch and go for a swim. Not so great for camping opportunities.
A Newt...look closer
Newts are amphibians of the salamandridae family. Adults have lizard-like bodies and may be either fully aquatic living permanently in the water or returning to the water each year to breed.
Sunset Scenery at Bingham Lake~
Granite Rock Surrounding Lake
Water's Reflection
Getting ready to pack up and…
Kitchen Area
We heard something in the kitchen area. A very BOLD chipmunk starting running off with my water filter tube. He chewed through the plastic and next thing we see a tube moving slowly up the hill. I couldn’t believe it. Food…yes, I can understand. Anyways got the tube and was able to fix the chewed up section. Just goes to show how important it is to put everything away.
Happy Camper
Backpacking and hiking are in full swing. Time to get out there and enjoy the beautiful lakes, wildflowers & scenery, solitude, etc.
Have a great weekend!
Central Oregon and Everything In~Between
Jul 30th
This week I drove up to Bend and Eugene Oregon to do my slide presentations on Mt. Shasta at the REI stores. In between, I did a lot of exploring on the McKenzie River and Umpqua River. What beautiful areas. Lots of fun…hiking, biking, rafting, relaxing, etc…
Mt. Bachelor, Sunset
I drove up to the Three Sisters Wilderness to camp for the night.
Mt. Washington, 7794' Elevation
I drove the Mckenzie Pass Scenic Byway. Ancient and recent volcanoes, cinder cones, lava flows and old growth forests can be found along this route.
Dee Wright Observation
Lava Rock Structure constructed by the CCC in 1935. Named for their foreman. From the observatory, 6 peaks can be seen on a clear day.
Collier Glacier, Middle Sister
View of North and Middle Sister. Collier Glacier on the Middle Sister is the largest glacier in Oregon and over 300 ft. thick.
Proxy Falls
Trailhead to these falls are along the route. It’s a short loop hike with views of Upper and Lower Proxy Falls.
Terwilliger (Cougar) Hot Springs
I took a side trip to these hot springs. I always wanted to check them out. There are a few pools along the creek and comfortably warm. There is a $5 fee per person to go to these. It helps keep them maintained and clean.
Susan Creek Falls
The next day I drove the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway known as the, “The Highway of Waterfalls”. Here’s a few more waterfalls I checked out along the way…
Fall Creek Falls
Toketee Falls
Watson Falls
Mt. Theilsen or Big Cowhorn
Very interesting looking extinct shield volcano. This hike was rated Oregon’s best hike in 2009.
Rogue Gorge
Just when I thought to put away the camera…more scenic viewpoints. Along the Rogue~
Along the Rogue
Natural Bridge Area~The Cave
Powerful
What a beautiful area. So much to do and see…
There are lots more waterfalls to explore, hot springs, hiking and plenty of mountain biking opportunities.
Looks like temps are back to normal here in the Mt. Shasta area. Get out, have fun and
Have a GREAT weekend!
Deadfall Meadows Wildflowers and Lower Deadfall Lake
Jul 23rd
Wildflowers are beginning to bloom.
Wildflower Seekers
One of those spontaneous trips came calling to me this morning. I was invited to go check out the wildflowers on the Deadfall Meadows Trail and we also hiked to the Lower Deadfall Lake.
Tiger Lily
The wildflowers blooming right now that we saw include the Tiger Lily, Mariposa Lily, Columbine Flower, Yellow Lupine, Larkspur, Scarlet Gilia and many more.
Lower Deadfall Lake
We stopped here and some of us took a swim. There are a couple good campsites around the lake.
Thunder and the snake
I couldn’t believe this. My cat is a hunter but who ever thought…a snake! I guess I’ve been watering my yard too much!!!
Looks like it’s going to be a scorcher this weekend-triple digit temperatures.
Stay hydrated, check out the beautiful lakes in the Mt. Shasta area to cool off and as always…
Have a great weekend!
Check it out~Mount Shasta Adventures
I will be at the Bend, Oregon REI Tuesday July 27 at 6:00 p.m. and Eugene, Oregon REI Wednesday July 28 at 7:00 p.m.
S. Cal and Mt. Whitney Trip
Jul 13th
This past week was traveling down to Southern California and back up Highway 395 to climb Mt. Whitney.
Adventure 16, West Los Angeles Store
I first drove down to S. California to visit my family and do a couple slide presentations at Adventure 16. It was a great success. I would like to thank everyone for coming and Adventure 16 for giving me the opportunity to show my powerpoint presentation of the beautiful Mount Shasta Area.
Red Rocks State Park
This is one of my favorite places to visit. Red Rocks State Park is in the Mohave Desert right off of Highway 395. There’s lots of recreation opportunities including hiking, camping and off-road vehicle fun.
Sunset Picture at Lone Pine, Ca.
First night I camped to get ready for the big Mt. Whitney climb!
Your Fun Guide
I was the assistant guide this past weekend on Mt. Whitney doing the Mountaineer’s Route. We had 3 very fun clients making this trip even more successful. For more information about this trip check out~http://swsmtns.com/sierranevada.html
Sunrise on the trail
We left for the climb around 4:00 a.m. from our camp-Upper Boy Scout Lake. We definitely had interesting weather throughout our trip.
Thundershowers, lightning, winds…making it that much more fun!
Mt. Whitney, Early Morning
The Mountaineer’s Route has some challenging terrain class 3-4. We climbed via the Mountaineer’s Route classic 2-3 climb. Mostly off-trail scrambling and the last section short-roping up to the summit.
Breath Taking
Looking back towards Death Valley.
Top of Mt. Whitney 14, 497 ft.
We only had a short window at the summit. Weather was moving in.
Views from the top~
Iceberg Lake
Surrounding Peaks
Stone Building at the Top
Getting Ready for the Descent.
Looking Back
One more glance before weather fully takes over.
Reflection...
What a great trip.
Thanks everyone for making it a success!
Happy 4th of July!!!
Jul 2nd
Here it is the busiest weekend and party in Mount Shasta. The 4th of July celebrated here since 1888. Come on over and check out all the activities here over the weekend including the famous walk/run, parade and incredible display of fireworks over Lake Siskiyou.
Hotlum/Wintun on East Side
A couple friends and I escaped the first day of madness and went to harvest the last of the goods.
Skiing into July…
Road is quite open yet to the Brewer Creek Trailhead
We began our journey hiking for about 2 miles before skinning up. On our return, someone had plowed through the snow burm and now it’s drivable to the second switchback making it a bit shorter to the snow. Oh yeah, whoever switched the beers for my cold ones in the snow, excellent trade.
I love Mt. Shasta Ale~They were good and cold!
We starting skiing from here 10,500 ft.
The skiing is good from about 9500 ft and up. We got a good 1200 ft. of good skiing and then it became…
Suncupies-yuk!!!
It wasn’t too bad. In a few days, it will not be fun at all.
Hotlum/Wintun Route
Wintun Glacier on the left. Hot-toon Snowfield in the middle. Hotlum Glacier and Hotlum Icefalls on the right.
Kangaroo Lake
I took a drive this week to Scott Valley and stopped at Kangaroo Lake. The road is completely clear of snow and only patches around the lake. It’s beautiful right now. An excellent driving tour for this weekend. Check it out in my book, “Mount Shasta Guide to Fun”.
Ummm...
I couldn’t resist this. As I was driving home, a motorcycle passed me with a wooden box attached to the back. Then I realized he had a passenger who looked very happy!
Everyone, have a great and safe 4th of July!
Check it out~
I will giving powerpoint presentations on Discover Mt. Shasta at the Adventure 16 stores located in Southern California.
July 6 at 7:00 at the Tarzana Store and July 7 at 7:00 at the West Los Angeles Store.
Rafting on Klamath River, Skiing Lassen Peak
Jun 25th
Tuesday I went rafting on the Lower Klamath River on a run known as Tree of Heaven.
This run is a Class 2-3 run. Great for beginners or anyone who wants to go on a mellow run. There are a few fun rapids along the way.
River Dancers Leading the Crews!
Thanks Mike and Linda for a great day of rafting!
Lake Helen, Lassen Peak
Thursday I headed to Lassen for some more Turns! The road is now open to Bumpass Hell. The road is plowed to the summit trailhead parking lot but not open yet. Not sure when it will be open. They are still working on the clearing snow on the road beyond that.
Climbing up Lassen
Booting it is the way to go with the soft snow.
Almost at the Top
Ed cruising to the Summit.
Linda at the Summit Block
Whoo-Hoo!
S.E. Slope of Lassen
Great coverage on all aspects. Skiing is pretty good but get it early with these warm temps. Getting mushy.
Ed and Me
Thanks Ed for another great trip!
Have a great weekend Everyone!
Anaconda Ski and Hotlum/Bolam Part 2 on Mt. Shasta
Jun 20th
A excellent ski weekend with great friends.
West Face Route-SW Side of Mt. Shasta
Friday a few friends and I got together and skinned up to Anaconda. It’s over towards Hidden Valley and the West Face. Here’s a picture I took of the West Face. It’s still in great shape for climbing and skiing! Unfortunately everything below 9,000ft. is pretty much toast-Suncups and rain runnel snow.
Looking towards Hidden Valley and Shastina-SW Side of Mt. Shasta
This area holds snow for a while. Good skiing and climbing!
Route on the way to Hotlum/Bolam Ridge
Saturday my friend Ed and I headed over to the North side of the mountain. Second time for me. This time we were able to drive right to the trail head.
Skinning up to 10,700 ft.
Saturday we skinned up pretty high and got great turns. Very smooth and no sun cups on the north side.
Windy at the Summit
It was windy up high. Talked to a few people who summited in 40+m.p.h winds!
Skiing It!
Carving turns!
Hotlum Glacier in Full Glory
It was so good we return Sunday. Our friend Rick joined us.
Tailgate Party
Another excellent ski on Sunday. We did have to boot up around 200 vertical ft. and then skinned up the rest of the way. Get it while it’s good. It’s going to go fast with the warm temps.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad!
Have a great week everyone!
Hotlum/Bolam Ski-Northgate Trailhead
Jun 14th
Sunday morning a couple friends and I drove over to the north side of Mt. Shasta to Ski.
Northgate Trailhead
We were able to drive within a 1/2 mile to the trailhead and began skinning from trailhead. With these warm temps, snow down lower will melt fast. Route was easy to follow from climbers and skiers the previous day.
Firm and Icy
My friends had crampons for their skis. I decided to boot it from here. We stopped at 9500 ft. and waited for the CREAMY CORN!
The Decent
Lots of snow at treeline and above.
Local Yocal Shastafarian
We saw another skier skinning up not to far behind us. When we skied up to him, it was one of our ski buddies. We all skied the rest of the way down and had a well-deserved beer.
Our Tracks
Looking Back at our tracks. Only a few cars on this side. Not like Bunny Flat which has been a zoo all weekend.
Hotlum Headwall
Zoomed in on the Hotlum Headwall. Climbing the Hotlum/Bolam route looks like it’s going to be in good shape for a while.
There have been quite a few rescues (12) on the mountain this weekend.
Please be prepared for climbing this mountain-
Climbing Advisory-
***Update 9pm, Saturday, June 12: Not quite sure how to sum up today… 6 climbers were injured today with 5 requiring rescue. 4 climbers fell and slid 1000 to 1800 vertical feet suffering multiple fractures and a variety of injuries. 2 climbers were injured by falling ice chunks. 5 occurred in Avalanche Gulch and one near the Clear Creek route. What can I say… If an ice axe self arrest is not second nature, either take a class, go on a guided trip, or practice, practice practice. The snow is smooth and firm and high winds today helped knock over a few people. Wear a helmet. Ice is a rock, and when chunks are travelling downhill at 50 mph, they can do some damage. Look uphill; listen; yell to warn climbers below. And, oh ya, WEAR A HELMET! ***
Sunday there was another 6 rescues on Mt. Shasta. Fortunately no fatalities.
Exploring Bray and Tennant,Ca~ Giddy, Giddy Gulch- Mount Shasta
Jun 11th
Finally sunshine is here and it looks it’s here to stay…for awhile!
Bray, California
I took a drive up Hwy 97 to Butte Valley on Thursday to check out two small towns practically off the grid-Bray and Tennant. It’s like going back in time. I found some very interesting places.
Orr Lake
This hidden jewel is located in Bray. It’s down a 1.8 mile well-graded dirt road. There are campsites and a picnic area there.
Tennant, California
Population 63 from 2000 Census. I bet this building has seen some action. There’s lots of work going on right now on the main street with the district water system upgrade going on.
Aspen Groves
Goosenest Adaptive Management Area is a Aspen Restoration Site managed by the Klamath National Forest. Aspen is a valuable ecological component of the forest ecosystem. It is very limited locally compared to other places. Isolated stands such as this one provide very important habitat for numerous species of wildlife including birds and mammals.
Skinning Up Giddy Giddy Gulch
This morning (Friday) we decided to head up Giddy Giddy Gulch.
Top of Giddy Giddy Gulch at the Saddle
We skied down from here-1:00 p.m.
Yum, yum...
Stayed on the north aspect. Looks like temps are going to WARM up this weekend.
Bunny Flat Parking Lot
Parking is already down the road from Bunny Flat. It’s going to be a busy weekend up here in SHASTALAND!
Happy Climbing, Skiing and Having Fun!
