Mount Shasta Solo Summit
- Kristin Jones
- Jun 26, 2020
- 6 min read
After covid disrupted my national park plans and water damage impacted my RV road trip, I purchased a Toyota 4Runner and made new plans. And, with a cousin's baby shower and friend's birthday coming up in Washington, I decided to start looking north. Between Placerville and Seattle are many beautiful mountains and the thought of standing atop some of them was calling to me.
Having summited Mount Rainier twice, I knew I was looking for a non-technical route that would allow me to solo safely without having to be roped to a buddy or crossing crevasses. After significant research I determined Mount Shasta, standing a14,179 feet, had solid route options and is conveniently just off I-5 heading North. Then it was a matter of waiting for the National Forest to open up the mountain, the local outfitter for rental gear to open, and a weather window that worked around my trip schedule.
I took summiting Mount Shasta very seriously and went through many moments of doubt if I should do this as a female solo climber. I did not want to put myself in a situation where others had to save me. I researched the gear I would need, trip reports and different routes almost daily for a month. About a week out from 19-20 June the weather window was looking promising, and the guides were leading groups up via Avalanche Gulch again, the popular route I had settled on, and I decide to commit to my plan.
As my summit attempt got closer, I honed my gear. I decided to buy my own Grivel ice axe as I also obtained a permit for Mt St Helens and figured there will be more mountains in my future if I’m successful. I also splurged on an Outdoor Research parka that was 40% off at REI. I decided to rent leather mountaineering boots and the Grivel crampons that fit them as my feet run cold and I’d be at freezing temperatures and to ensure I had the best traction on ice and snow compared to my Grivel micro spikes.
For water, I made two choices that are atypical. First I decided to carry in all my water, 5.5 liters or about 12 pounds, which is about half a liter per mile instead of hour. I typically never run through all of my water and decided I’d rather carry the extra water weight instead of gear and spend more time relaxing versus melting snow. I still had 1/2 a liter of water left by the time I got back to my truck at the trailhead. Secondly, I brought 2 of my liters in a hydration pack which is typically discouraged as your water can freeze in the hose. I kept track of the temperatures though and only the summit had freezing temperatures so I took this risk which did not become an issue. Back up options were that I could pour the water in my hydration pack into the other containers as they emptied, and with Helen Lake as a mid point with lots of other hikers camping there, I could have asked for help to melt water.
On Friday, 19 June, I started driving North at 6am, while listening in on conference calls for work via my trucks Bluetooth, and made it to The Fifth Season outfitter store in Mount Shasta after 10am. I apparently showed up just after the traffic jam of all the guiding company climbers and didn’t have to wait long for service. I ended up with a pair of women's size 9.5 Lowa boots that felt great in the store and passed the toe kick test with flying colors, and crampons sized by the staff for them. After a working lunch in town where I wolfed down a halibut burger, sweet potato fries and Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout I drive up to the Bunny Flats Trailhead to start making my way up to Helen Lake.
The hike up to my base camp at Helen Lake starts at 6950 feet and is 3.5 miles up to 10,400 feet. I hit the trail around 1:30 pm and had to stop at Horse Camp to tape up my ankles that were quickly being worn raw from the structure of the mountaineering boots. Fortunately, I got ahead of the blisters before they were too painful and my heels were only mildly tender the rest of the trip. After 3.5 hours with minimal stops - using my hydration pack and snacks to fuel without stopping - I made it to base camp.
Helen Lake is not currently a lake, though trail reviews says a lake does appear at some point in late summer. Instead it’s a lovely snow field, somewhat protected from the wind, with amazing views of the valley back to the town of Mount Shasta and of the hike to come up to the summit. On my arrival there were many tents already set up in dug out sections of snow with built up snow walls to add additional wind protection. I was not prepared for this! I had researched setting up my tent in the snow for staking it down, but somehow the digging out a spot and building up walls didn't stick in my brain. I watched others at the camp to get the gist of what to do and then dug in. Literally. I used my ice axe to start scraping the snow and building walls with the slushy sticky snow. After an hour I had a lovely walled off flat spot that my ground tarp fit in nicely. Unfortunately, I should have made it slightly bigger to handle the tent poles, but I made do and also buried my tent stakes and it felt secure enough to not blow away.
Another item I hadn't thought about... did I need to pack up my rent at 2am when I hiked up to the summit, or could leave it there until I got back. After some googling with the Internet I found on the ridge and eaves dropping on other climbers, I determined I could leave my tent, which made me so happy! Time to relax, until I had to leave dark and early for the summit.
I only dozed about an hour Friday night, but have long ago learned to listen to podcasts or read to distract myself and enjoy my time when I can’t sleep. Finally, 2am arrived and I started to prepare for my summit attempt. I had slept in my layers and was mostly packed, so I ate a bean burrito, finalized my gear, went pee and started up to the summit at 2:20am along with many other hikers. I easily followed other footprints ahead of me to the steep snowfield, to the right of the heart, towards the thumb. The going was slow but steady and I took many opportunities to look back to see the lights of other hikers strung out behind me.
After about two hours climbing the snowfield, I made it up to the thumb at 12,500 feet and turned left to cross the ridge and head towards Misery Hill. And misery it was - a little - the winds had kicked up to 25 miles an hour and definitely impacted my balance, and there are multiple false summits. I had quite a few other climber ask me if we were at the summit finally and I just help telling them to assume not. But, it was all made worth it for watching the sunrise and cool lenticular cloud formations.
The summit itself was not what I expected, and very different from Mount Rainier. It was very steep on the last section of snow and would have been impossible without crampons. The final push was quite rocky and I needed three points of contact to get up to the top. After four hours I stood atop the summit of Mount Shasta at 6:22am. I found a spot out of the wind and celebrated with other hikers including a bean burrito and a splash of whiskey.
After signing the log and a couple more photos, I started my descent back to my tent at Helen lake. As I was one of the first 10-15 people to summit, and first few to head back down, I spoke with many climbers still heading up and encouraged them while they congratulated me. On getting back to the snow field, where you can glissade down, it was still early and quite icy. After trying to slide down and starting to bruise my bum, another climber advised to wait until later in the day when the sun start to soften the snow. I put my crampons back on and safely and slowly hiked back down to my tent. I decided to pack up after only a short break and was able to enjoy some softer snow glissading on the way back down to my truck.
I feel very empowered with my decision and completion of summiting Mount Shasta as a solo female climber. I did my research, was cautious with the weather, and made smart choices to set myself up for safety and success. 10 out of 10 I would do it again. I don’t think I would change a thing in my gear or plan.... except... I didn’t bring any caffeine on the mountain with me and immediately went to Starbucks once I was in my truck.
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