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Avalanche Gulch Ethereal

November 9, 2021

Daybreak over Avalanche Gulch, Mount Shasta

I’d been climbing since midnight. A group of guided climbers were heading up Mount Shasta’s Avalanche Gulch, same as me, and we’d been leapfrogging each other all night. Just as the sky began to lighten I took this picture. The climber looks like a tired old ghost. The light on Sergeant’s Ridge looks otherworldly. When […] (more)

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Avalanche Gulch Trip Report

July 10, 2006

Avalanche Gulch Trip Report

I’ve saved the best for last: a summit ski descent of Mount Shasta via Avalanche Gulch. Despite the route’s poor reputation (for snow quality and crowds), this trip easily ranks among my most memorable. It was also an unexpected challenge, as the combination of travel, no sleep, and altitude nearly took me out around 10,500′. […] (more)

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Shasta Windstorm

June 15, 2006

Shasta Windstorm

The weather looked promising…and then came the wind. Huge contrails of snow curled overhead like giant fingers reaching out over Avalanche Gulch. The sound of it was like a thousand jet engines. No one summited that day—no one even tried. We scrambled about on hands and knees at Lake Helen to avoid being knocked to […] (more)

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