“Heyy Dalton, this is EPIC BILL BRADLEY here, um, give me a call. I am looking for a camera guy who is a bad ass. Can you climb mountains with camera gear?” Bill teases me with this voicemail back in February. Now, it is May and we have three more weeks until gear check in Talkeetna, Alaska. Bill and I had not met until this point, but I was intrigued to shake is hand, see if his height matched his energy, and get on a mountain with him.
“Show up and suffer” Bill’s favorite slogan and most likely hat on a training day on Mount Shasta, CA. Photo by Dalton Johnson
“Hey Bill, it’s Dalton Johnson. Are we still on for a little training on Mount Shasta?” I ask
“Heyy Dalton!! Great to hear your voice. Yup, yup, we are good to go and I am excited to meet you.” Bill responded.
Arriving at 9:00am to Bill’s hotel room, he greeted me with a massive smile, more energy than a group of six-year-old kids, and a booming voice. “Well, are we hungry? Should we go get a bite to eat?”
Fueling for the day and quickly packing our bags after breakfast, we piled into his Toyota Prius and headed for Bunny Flat.
After a quick decision, we tossed 45lbs in our packs and headed up Mount Shasta. Unclear how far we would go, we set a time. Six hours in total. Four up and two down. To be quite honest, the miles and time didn’t matter, we where training to learn about each other, especially as we were going to be roped together for three weeks on Mount Denali.
“Whoo Hoo!” Bill shouts, “We are in the arena. There are no bad days in the arena!”
Hoping around the mountain, I snap images and record video as the two of us get in the flow. Training is always a little bit different depending on the company, but this trip was unexpected. Bill was cheering for everyone coming off the mountain, regardless if they were day hiking, going for an FKT, or gave a summit attempt. Bill didn’t care, he was happy. He was in his element. He was ready to show up and suffer.
Two days of training came and went, quickly. The two of us got along well and the excitement was high for what is to come… heading to Alaska to climb Mount Denali, North America’s tallest mountain.
Bill almost at the turn around point of our six hour day on Mount Shasta, CA. Photo by Dalton Johnson
Climbing Mount Shasta Details
Typical route: Avalanche Gulch
Trail Head: Bunny Flat
Trail type: Out and back
Elevation Gain: 7,230 feet
Distance: roughly 11 miles
How difficult is climbing Mount Shasta?
Mount Shasta is a mountaineering mountain. While climbing Shasta is considered an easy mountaineering route, you do need technical skills to climb the mountain.
What skills are required to climb Mount shasta?
If you are planning to climb Mount Shasta, you need to be proficient in the following skills:
winter camping
cramponing
ice axe
self-rescue
What gear is needed?
This mountain and route are known for mountaineering. So, a full mountaineering equipment is needed, but there are no glaciers on Avalanche Gulch:
Ice Axe
Crampons
Winter boots
Tent
0 degree sleeping bag
Rain Gear
Puffy bottoms and tops
Thick socks
Backpack
Winter camping and cooking gear
Do people sleep on the mountain?
Yes! There are three typical spots to sleep while climbing Mount Shasta: horse camp, 50/50, and Helen Lake.
Are permits required to summit Mount Shasta?
Yes. You need a summit permit (they cost $25) above 10,000 feet.