In this video we give you the secrets of climbing the northernmost California by its least technical route, Clear Creek. Without snow covering the trail above Mushroom or UFO rock this can be a class 3 scramble between 13,000 and 13,500 feet. The rest of the route is class 1 or 2. I climbed it by camping at the Springs Camp at 8,500 feet of elevation. The parking lot which is at the end of a high clearance or 4X4 sand road is at 6,800 feet. I camped on the way up and down at Springs Camp. Some folks can do it in one day, but camping the first night is recommended since over 7,000 feet of elevation gain is tough for all but the ultra fit. I departed Springs Camp at 2AM summitted before 11AM and got back to Springs Camp before 8PM because my mountaineering boots were too tight on the descent. The route has tiny switchbacks and tons of scree when not covered in snow. There was only a little snow at the summit. It was not necessary to have ice axe and crampons in June 2021, but I had both and used my ice axe at 13,400' to climb up to the summit plateau. The summit plateau to summit castle hike is strenuous, but not technical from 13,500' to 14,176'. Be careful to not cross onto other faces lower down as I did when cross trails intersect the narrow switchbacks of the Clear Creek route. If you go into a gully backtrack to the intersection. Springs Camp should be visible for miles on a clear day. The Mouth Shasta summit castle. You should treat or filter water because the Clear Creek is heavily used by hikers.
You can self-issue permits and get poop bags at the trailhead. The climbing and wilderness permits are $25 + $5 at the trailhead. Permits should be carried at all times during your up to 3-day climb.
Mount Shasta is rated as middle difficulty among the California 14ers. It is harder than Mt. Whitney and White Mountain Peak and should not be underestimated. It is one of only two 14ers in the Cascade Range. The other Cascade 14er is Mount Rainer (and its sub-peak Libery Cap).
On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Gone with the Wynns, MJ Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Zatara, Adventures of an Old Seadog and many others.
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Copyright Linus Wilson, Oxriver Publishing, Vermilion Advisory Services, LLC, 2021