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Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 5:50 pm
by mrchad9
Last weekend took a run up the Whitney-Bolam Ridge for fantastic high camp at 11,700 feet and then an interesting night bivy on the summit as the storm rolled in.

Camp at 11,700 feet overlooking the Whitney Glacier. We had rockfall on the slope to the left about every 1-5 seconds.

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Whitney Glacier before sunset

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Shastina

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Playing around on top. We were surprised to see others so late in the day, but many were doing dayhikes to get up ahead of the storm.

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The view from the summit camp ahead of the storm

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Night falls on the summit area leaving the place all to ourselves

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Just before sunrise… heading down the Hotlum-Bolam Ridge... in the dark... in a storm.

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Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 6:03 pm
by Burchey
lulz patrolz!

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 6:23 pm
by clmbr
I saw you descending the snow just above my camp and then checking for ice worms before drinking the water from "my exclusive source" at my camp but it was too rainy and I was too sleepy to get out of my tent. I did not expect you to descent this route but the tall guy in blue looked familiar. :D

BTW, I hate rain while mountaineering (all my stuff in my backpack was wet.). :(

Great adventure and great pictures.

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 6:33 pm
by mrchad9
Thanks both of you.

I don't know how exclusive that water source is... it was right in the middle of the route! Yeah descending that route was a last minute decision, but quite worthwhile. Too much talus on the upper Whitney-Bolam ridge now for that to be a nice descent.

All you had to do was ascend about 1000 feet and you could have had wet snow instead of rain.

; - )

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:57 pm
by MoapaPk
This may be my year for Shasta. I hope Clear Creek is nothing but crappy loose talus by mid-summer.

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:25 pm
by mrchad9
MoapaPk wrote:This may be my year for Shasta. I hope Clear Creek is nothing but crappy loose talus by mid-summer.

I hear it already is if that is what you are looking for. You have to zig zag around if you want to follow mostly snow.

I'm going to head up it this September. I'll be leaving my crampons and ax at home!

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 11:51 pm
by mrchad9
Last weekend we were off to the backside of Shasta for a run up what is probably the least climbed route on the mountain, though not deservedly so.

Nice meadows and springs en route to the mountain. The spring water was ice cold as it emerged.

In one of the moraines we came across some bones. I thought I had seen about everything on Shasta, but this was pretty bizarre. For a moment we wondered what sort of creature it must have been… there were TONS of bones there. Finally we found a horseshoe to solve the mystery. But how a horse could have gotten there was beyond me. Extremely rough terrain, and I did suppose anyone would be taking one out there when it was snowcovered.

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We had a great camp surrounded by glacier runoff right on the moraine. Rockfall was everywhere, but we were well protected.

Beginning the climb on the first broken up bit of the glacier the second day.

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View of the highest waterfall on Mount Shasta… few have been there.

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Open crevasse between the second and third icefall.

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Working our way up. The block of ice in the background made for a nice play area in the morning, about 12 feet high maybe.

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Wide ramp in the middle of the third icefall, the bergshrund still out of view above. We did a lot of zigzagging around and playing on the features on the way. A great benefit to the bulk of the glacier being below 12000 feet.

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Looking down on the bergshrund and the glacier below. We crossed right in the middle, placed one picket to protect those that followed (it was a few feet of vertical ice) but otherwise didn’t deposit any gear.

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Finally the full crew makes it to the summit. One of the most spectacular days I have had on the mountain!

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Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 5:20 pm
by clmbr
Nice trip, it looks like the snow was quite hard and comfortable. Nice pics and the narration too. Man these bones, what creature did that?

Thanks Chad for the report. It makes me wanting to go there. Next time invite me too please.

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 7:51 pm
by mrchad9
Thanks as well clmbr. Sure I would love to go back to that area… one of my favorite trips on the mountain. Really enjoyed it… lots of features, but also nice and secluded.

You gotta bring me along on a trip too though! There is some chance I may be headed to Whitney Glacier again in August… we will see. Interested?

Here are just a few more shots as we ascended the glacier, mostly taken by my partners...

Posing at one of the crevasses near the second icefall.

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Another shot somewhere near the second icefall.

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Climbing up to the ramp of the third icefall.

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Crossing the top of the snow ramp.

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Several shots as we climbed above the bergshrund (well… technically not the bergshrund, but the highest icefall… the bergshrund itself on this glacier isn’t all that significant).

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And finally a pee break...

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Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:47 pm
by Daria
That was a GREAT freakin' trip!!!

And those are some awesome pics I took haha

We should have free soloed the route!

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:59 pm
by mrchad9
Yeah most of the above are Daria's. She had amongst the best action shots taken.

Max got the pee shot though!

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 2:55 am
by Bubba Suess
Those are awesome images. Nice job on getting that route. How was the road into Cold Springs? OK or pretty rough?

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 3:20 am
by mrchad9
Some rough spots but certainly passable by cars. Far better than Brewer Creek even.

At one point there is a fork and you can go either left or right, ending up at the same place near the end. Both are doable but the right (heading in) is a bit better.

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 3:25 am
by Bubba Suess
Hm. Good to know. I thought the road into Brewer Creek was in decent shape. Was the point you referred to where it split near Pilgrim Creek?

Re: Beautiful SHASTA Current Conditions

PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 3:34 am
by mrchad9
Yes on the split, and yes this is better shape than Brewer (I last did Brewer last year). Btw Pilgrim Creek is dry.

And Cold Springs is so called for good reason. Dipped my water bottle in at the source and that water is ICE COLD. No humidity and still had instant condensation on my bottle.