Mt. Shasta 2006

In the summer of 2006 I traveled to Northern California and climbed Mt. Shasta.   This was designed as a warmup for the climb of Russia's Mt. Elbrus later that summer.   Mt. Shasta did not disappoint.   Much of the climb above 10,000 ft. was on snow and ice, and it was fun to use crampons and ice axes.   We spent a night near the Sierra Club cabin, and another night on the snow-covered slope of the mountain at around 11,000 feet before climbing through the early morning darkness toward the summit.   That same day we returned all the way to the bottom of the mountain. I was incredibly tired, but happy with our accomplishment and the experience.

One of my enduring memories of this trip is of sunrise on the final day, as I watched the shadow of Mt. Shasta spreading across the valley far below.