From SLC to Shasta (11 to 13 June 2012)
(Last Updated On: July 20, 2012)
There’s something about a good road trip that always gets me excited, especially when I have the opportunity to travel to knew places. Before voyaging on to Shasta, I spent a couple of days with my good friend Jen and her husband, Jonathan, in Salt Lake City.
On day one, we rode our bikes and within the first 15 minutes I felt a bee buzzing into my helmet. Before I could whip the helmet off my head, the bee stung me. Yes, it stung me in the head. Right in the scalp actually. It resulted in a headache like I’ve never had before. But, we persevered through the ride anyway. The next day, Jen and I hiked up to Dog Lake. What a beautiful spot!
But then, on Wednesday, it was time for me to head out. I left Salt Lake City early, knowing I had to pick up my friend Kim at the Reno airport. From there, we would continue on to Shasta with hopes of skiing it the next day.
Although I’ve been to Nevada before, my time there had been limited. In driving I-80 across the state, I began to see that Nevada really wasn’t the waste-land that so many people think it is. It actually is quite beautiful.
After about 8 hours, I arrived in Reno. I don’t know what it is about Reno- I’ve only been there two times. But, both times I couldn’t wait to get out of that god-foresaken city. There’s just some kind of bad vibe that emanates from the city. The city seems to live and breathe evil.
So, I picked Kim up at the airport and whisked her off to Northern California. I was so much happier when we got to this.
As we drove, we kept looking for the volcanoes- Lassen which would be to our left, and Shasta which would be straight ahead. But, they remained hidden for what seemed like hours. Then, all the sudden, I spotted a glimpse of white through the trees. Bam. There she was in all her mightiness, towering like a queen over the land. Shasta!
And shortly after we would set our sights on Lassen.
Kim and I with Lassen behind.
About four hours after leaving Reno, we arrived in Mount Shasta City. There, we stopped to pick up a few miscellaneous groceries. The clerk said, “So, what brings you here to Shasta?” Well, duh, I was thinking. SHASTA of course! But, I replied, “We are going to ski Shasta.” The clerk raises his eyebrows in both surprise and disbelief. “You you mean…. there is still snow to ski up there?”
Really? I mean really? Are you blind? Do you not see all that glorious white stuff? I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.
We arrived at the Bunny Flat trailhead as the light was fading. We caught a skier as he was returning to his car and pumped him for information. “The skiing was really bumpy and not smooth.”
“Did you do it as a one-day?” I asked.
“No, not very many people do it as a one day. It’s REALLY hard. Only SOME people can do it. We left Lake Helen at 5 am because you have to climb when the snow is hard. We skied at noon, and we are now just getting back….. So, what brings you here to Shasta? Are you gals hiking around?”
“Well, yeah. We’re going to ski Shasta tomorrow. As a one-day.”
A look of disbelief…. “Oh. Well good luck then.”
We set up our camp among a handful of other tents at Bunny Flat.
And then we registered for our climb, getting both the summit pass ($20, good for 3 days, necessary for climbing over 10,000′) and the Wilderness Permit (free).
We organized our gear for our alpine start as we cooked dinner. And, as the last glimpse of sun left the sky, we piled into the tent for a few hopeful, but not probable, hours of sleep… while visions of this danced in our heads 🙂
Links to Other Reports from this Trip:
Volcano-Bound!
From SLC to Shasta
Shasta Ski (14 June 2012)
Shastarama Ski (16 June 2012)
Lassen Peak – Closing a Volcano
Oregon Days Off
Mount Hood (19 June 2012)
Mount Adams (20 June 2012)
Mt. St. Helens (21 June 2012)
From the Gorge to Craters
- Mount Buckskin (17 May 2020) - May 28, 2020
- Horseshoe Ski (14 May 2020) – The mountain whose journey nearly killed me - May 27, 2020
- Sayres X-Rated Ski (10 May 2020) - May 19, 2020
What a tease!