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| rhyang | Route Comment | |
Hasn't voted | The angle of the left ice gully is 55 degrees at most. In August 2004 we climbed a ramp over the bergschrund. Shasta Mountain Guides (www.shastaguides.com) may have more info. | |
| Posted Jul 24, 2005 12:07 pm | ||
| PellucidWombat | The lower section of the route | |
Hasn't voted | I attempted the full route last Fall, and you might want to incorporate the following into the route description: The drive to Brewer Creek TH is straightforward and when we went it was actually easier to get to by car than North Gate. From the TH, follow a maintained trail until you have line-of-sight of Mt Shasta and the Hotlum Glacier (barely visible on the right slopes). From here pick your way on any of a number of faint use-trails, aiming for a canyon/drainage with a permanent snowfield below and left of the glacier. At the snowfield the use-trail is more defined and there are 2 options. The first is to ascend the right side of the drainage onto the (climber's) left medial moraine of the Hotlum Glacier. This is very steep and loose and probably less desirable than the second option. The second option is to follow a more faint use-trail that branches off to the right and enters a subtle hanging valley. This is sandy but not as steep. This route takes you to a nice plateau where you can make Camp. Turn left and pick your way up the steep and loose headwall. It isn't as bad as the first option, though, and keeping just to the right of the left spur seems to work all right. At the top of the headwall of option 2 (which is on the left medial moraine), follow the undulations of the medial moraine up and right. Take care not to climb unnecessary high points! A bivvy camp for a few bags can be leveled and cleared off on the dirt-covered ablation zone as high as about 10,600'. Water can be gathered from glacial melt streams nearby. From the camp, climb up and right. The lower part of the glacier is characterized by longitudinal crevasses and grooves. This makes for interesting routefinding folloing the grooves, which may be as deep as 7 feet! As you ascend higher, the grooves become shallow and the first headwall is climbed, aiming just right of center, bypassing the first icefall to the left, but avoiding other crevasses to the right. In the late summer this section is heavily suncupped. This section gains a headwall. Above the headwall the terrain levels off. From here you are even with the lower icefall, and the center icefall blocks the route. Head right to the saddle to meet up with the upper variation of this route. However, in summer I found this section to be a mess of small crevasses and ice fins. The more direct line is to bypass the icefall on the left and circle around behind it, threading the middle and upper icefall, which is passed on the left, and meeting up with the upper variation of the route. However, in September I was blocked from this direction due to a very large crevasse that intersected 2 other large crevasses radiating out from the lower icefall. I also had to climb in and out of several crevasses (requiring screws and tools) to reach the dead end. However, I'm pretty sure this is the route, though, as apart from these obstacles, the route appears clear from below, and we found a climbing wand just below the dead-end. Perhaps in earlier season snow fills the lower crevasses and there is a snow bridge over the larger crevasse? | |
| Posted Dec 30, 2008 7:09 pm | ||
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California Cascades
