Mount Shasta Avalanche Gulch - TR 5/31/19 - 6/2/19

[davidsheridan]

Route: Avalanche Gulch
Trip Duration: 3 days (with 1 rest day at base camp at 50/50 flat)
Trip was guided by SWS Mountain Guides (highly recommended guide service)
Most interesting thing: We saw 5 slab avalanches come down from Casaval ridge

Climbing for Kids season kicked off with glorious snow-covered Mount Shasta. The mountain was big and scary, but the team persevered and everyone found their personal summits and stayed safe. It was truly an adventure of a lifetime. These climbers are part of a bigger group, working to raise $80,000 for Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT)! BAWT’s mission is to create equitable access to outdoor experiences for youth of color and low-income youth. Onward to Half Dome and Mount Baker!

David, Kay, and Matt at the top of Mount Shasta! The team overcame their fears and pushed on to the summit of Mount Shasta, a very difficult climb, but very rewarding! Most importantly, the fundraising portion of this adventure will help many youth have outdoor adventures of their own! Let's Help Get Youth Outdoors!

The climbing team, Kim, Matt, Kay, Gary, Matt (guide), David make their way up to base camp on day one of their 3-day Mount Shasta trip. It was snow all the way from the parking lot! Here they are pictured approaching tree line on the mountain.

The cozy base camp set up high on Mount Shasta at just under 10,000 feet. The team spent 2 nights and a rest day here, including a mountaineering skills course lead by SWS Mountain Guides. The team was treated to perfect weather during the day, followed by some amazing storms that came in in the early evenings.

The team, happy to reach base camp, at 50/50 flat on Mount Shasta. The team spent 2 nights and a rest day at base camp, including a mountaineering skills course led by SWS Mountain Guides.

Matt and Scott, two guides from SWS Mountain Guides had tons of experience and guiding credentials. They helped the team in so many ways and were focused on keeping the team safe, efficient, and teaching the skills needed to ascend a snow-covered volcano!

Kim, pictured here going through pre-trip gear check. SWS Mountain Guides leads the Climbers on the Mount Shasta trips, and you can see the climbers’ bunkhouse in the background. The climbers’ bunkhouse is a great place to stay before and after your Mount Shasta adventure.

Sunrise on summit day, the climbing team had climbed through the darkness high on Avalanche Gulch. At day break Mount Shasta casts its shadow across the valley to the west.

All smiles on Mount Shasta summit pinnacle at 14,179 FT in elevation! David, Kay, and Matt. The team is so proud to have supported Bay Area Wilderness Training and their mission to help low-income youth and youth of color have an equitable access to the outdoors! Let's Help Get Youth Outdoors

All smiles on Mount Shasta summit pinnacle at 14,179 FT in elevation! David, Kay, and Matt. Thanks to SWS for getting us up and down safely!

Team Fundraising website: https://bawt.salsalabs.org/aaaandaoncli ... index.html
Full Photo Gallery: https://link.shutterfly.com/vDCOULtqeX

[davidsheridan]

Lots of Snow on Shasta - I don't know how many feet greeted us at Bunny Flat trail head (road was clear and plowed)

Horse Camp Cabin under snow, but the entrance was dug out

The Spring at Horse Camp was flowing, although you had to down climb a snow tunnel to get to it.

One of the 5 slab avalanches that came down in about a two hour period. I should have taken more pictures, although it was hard to capture

Selfie on Summit Plateau

[c9h13no3]

You saw 5 slab avalanches?!?! Or just avalanche debris? (I assume the latter)

Pics of the Valentines day avalanche are appreciated if you have them

And all the guided groups I see tend to camp at 50/50 flat, rather than Helen Lake. Why is that?

Nice report

[davidsheridan]

We witnessed five slab avalanches occur in close proximity. All coming down from casaval ridge between Helen and 50/50 on our rest day (6/1/2019). Saw 'em, heard 'em. Really quite un nerving. A few of the started off as point avalanches on the ridge and came down 30 feet and spread into slab avalanches.

Guides rationale for choosing 50/50 over Helen Lake is sanitation tends to be better at 50/50.

I didn't get any pictures of the Valentine's avalanche (historic sized avalanche on Vday 2019), but it was quite amazing to see the snapped trees along it's perimter as it melts out. It extends to Bunny flat, but not quite as far as parking lot. It makes the winter trail bypassing horsecamp, and skiers and boarders use it as an expressway back to parking lot The guides estimate that it is so big it won't fully melt out this year.

[davidsheridan]

Mount Shasta is a mythical place, there's a lot of strange stuff going on on and around the mountain.

Would you believe me, if I told you, that I saw a live skunk on a summit Pinnacle last year in May on Mount Shasta?