Mt Shasta- May 23-24, 2015

Campsite

Taking a break at camp

Tents galore at Lake Helen

Climbers heading up

Red Banks

Trinity Mountains

On Summit

View of Lake Shastina and valley below

Back at Bunny Flat

I had a great climb up to Mt Shasta over Memorial Day weekend with a group. We camped at about 9,000 feet and started the climb up to Shasta at 3 AM. We summited at 10:30 AM and stayed for about 15 minutes enjoying the views and sunny, warm conditions. Glissading part of the way down was fun. After breaking down camp, we arrived back at Bunny Flat at 4:30 PM. It was an ideal 2 days to be in the Mt Shasta Wilderness.  

My favorite hikes:

1. Half Dome: 6/11/2006

I stayed in a cabin in Yosemite Valley and started at the trailhead at 6AM. I arrived at Half Dome at 10:30. It was windy going up the cables and there were quite a few people that turned back. I stayed on top for an hour and arrived back at the trailhead at 3:30.

Hiking Background

Growing up in Washington State, I never really took to hiking. I went on a few minor hikes when I was in my 20's with my 2 cousins, but that was about it until moving to San Diego.

For my first few years in SD, I went on a few local hikes from time to time like Cowles and Iron Mt. They were easy and close to where I lived and I enjoyed being outside and getting some good exercise.

It wasn't until I was laid off from my job in 2006 that I discovered my passion for hiking. I had heard of Half Dome from some friends that it was a "must do" hike. Since I now had ample time, I scheduled a trip to Yosemite in June.

It was tough and took 4 1/2 hours to get to the top, but once I was on top marveling in the great views of the surrounding beauty of Yosemite, the hard work it took to summit was all worth it. I was hooked! That night back in Yosemite Valley, I was dead tired, but I realized that I had found a true passion.

I followed the Yosemite trip with trips to Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches, Zion, Sequoia NP, Kings Canyon, Grand Canyon., and ended the year on my final state that I had yet to visit, Hawaii.

In the years following I have been on over 400 hikes, climbed the highest point in 31 states, 128 county high points, and 18 14,000 foot peaks. Outside the US, I have been on top of Kilimanjaro, Fuji, Olympus, and hiked the Inca Trail in Peru.

I was a late bloomer, but I'm just now scratching the surface of my hiking destinations and goals. I'm happy that I found a great hobby that I can enjoy wherever in the world I happen to be.