climbing the mountain by rcasterline
Climbing Mount Shasta is quite the undertaking. You’ve got to be fit, and then you’ve got to have your mind wrapped around that idea that for around 12 hours you’re going to suffer. Getting to the top of the 14,162’ mountain is no easy task – you’ll need special equipment, a guide and an intense desire to keep going. There will be times that you’re bent over sucking wind while somebody passes you by. But there are also the striking views, the exhilaration, the profound sense of accomplishment. You’ll bond with the people you climb with, and learn new things about yourself along the way.
Even if you don’t want to get to the summit, hiking up to treeline, where the scraggly pines drop away and you’re faced with the stark, rock strewn slopes shooting up towards the sky is a worthy endeavour.
Go with a guide if you want to attempt the summit – check it out at Shasta Mountain Guides (shastaguides.com) or Sierra Wilderness Seminars (www.swsmtns.com).
