Hike Mt. Shasta

Mount Shasta laden with snow and the scars of a large avalanche visible.

While the winter thus far has not produced a copious amount of snow at the lower elevations, there has been a substantial amount of rain. Naturally, this has fallen as snow at higher elevations and Mount Shasta has developed a decent snowpack. The last storm system to pass through the area unleashed an incredible amount of precipitation, with the dichotomy of rain lower down and snow higher up once again prevailing. However, once the clouds cleared, Mount Shasta was revealed to have a large trophy from the latest deluge.

Avalanche Gulch, the great, glacier-carved valley on the mountain’s southwestern flank has not received its name for no reason. Once again, a substantial avalanche has raced down the layered slopes, breaking off around 11,000 feet and finally coming to an end below the treeline, at about 7,500 feet. These kinds of avalanches do not happen often, but Mount Shasta has produced two of this magnitude in the last few years.

Only a few have been able to visit the enormous track of the avalanche, as Everitt Memorial Highway has been closed since the storm. Nonetheless, sharp eyes can spot a lot of the avalanche’s track and the area it broke off from.

The avalanche began when a large sheet of snow broke off Sargents Ridge, near the center of the image. It then raced downward, weaving between the folded hills that occupy the center of Avalanche Gulch.

Breakaway zone and subsequent track illustrated.

A somewhat closer view of the source of the avalanche, just right of center. This is just above Helen Lake. The area that broke away looks to be nearly 400 feet high and maybe 600 feet across. It is hard to estimate how deep that sheet was but I would guess maybe 20 feet deep. If those estimated dimensions are correct, that would mean the avalanche contained about 5,000,000 cubic feet of snow.

I have no idea how fast the avalanche traveled, but I am sure it was not slow. I would have certainly hated to be in its fearsome path. The above image is a closer view of the track the event left. Overall, it looks like the snow traveled nearly 2.5 miles from the point it broke away from Sargents Ridge. Where the track disappears into the trees in the lower right of this image, the avalanche still had over a mile to travel down Avalanche Gulch. It really highlights the scale of Mount Shasta overall.

Meanwhile, life continues apace around the foot of the mountain. Winter persists, more snow, this time at lower elevations, looms in a few days, and spring draws nigh. The Shasta Valley, loaded with water from all the rain, continues to draw my attention, even in the few moments I can spare. I can’t get enough of the reflections in the fleeting time they are possible. However, it is good to remember the countless other vistas that grace this incredible land.