After school ended for me up in Redding, CA, Dave began his conquest. Mt. Shasta is 14,179 feet tall, and is one of the most difficult mountains to climb. Dave has climbed Mt. Whitney (14,505 ft) and he says the two don't even compare. The level of training and physical exertion it takes to climb Shasta isn't for the faint of heart. Dave, Bill (brother in law), and Mike (Bill's brother) had been training for weeks. After conquering the mountain last year, they were determined to tackle another side of the mountain. Shasta is so unique that climbing a different side is like hiking a completely different mountain. Ice axes and cramp-ons are needed as the mountain is iced over year round. Helmets are worn at all times since the ascent is a 40 degree incline for a large portion of the hike, and ice chunks tend to fall from up above, coming flying down the mountain at dangerous speeds. The boys slept in ice coffins to keep the wind down (see picture). The trip was 3 days long. Day one consisted of hiking up to base camp at 9,400 ft. Day two began at 3am as they began the trek to summit. Shasta needs to be summited by 1pm because of afternoon storms. Day two landed them back at base camp to spend the night. On day three they hiked out. The winds on their trip were so intense that standing a foot a part required yelling just to hear each others' voices. At points the winds were up to 50-60 mph. The descent was the fun part. The boys were able to glissade (slide on their bums) down the mountain for about 3,500 ft of elevation descent. I'm just glad they're back, safe and sound.
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