Advertisement: Lots of views of Sargent Ridge to the east and Avalanche Gulch and Casaval Ridge to the west from Green Butte Ridge, a much more scenic but also more difficult route up than the standard route up Avalanche Gulch.
More photographs.
Difficulty: Roughly 3500 feet of elevation gain over 3 miles to the lake. Possibly a little bit more, as there are some ups and downs on the ridge. At some point one will be faced with the choice of a traverse along the ridge slopes or a somewhat steep ascent and then descent. Depending on snow conditions, the traverse may be the more difficult option. Note that descending takes far less time than ascending (we made it out in roughly two hours).
Preparation: This was part of an attempted summit of Shasta which was aborted due to weather. If one only wants to go to the Lake, one can forego much of the gear, and even more if one makes this a day trip. If not, one requires the full range of mountaineering gear. We did not require snowshoes at this time of the season. Beware of loose falling rock.
The route starts at Bunny Flats. The trail to Horse Camp veers off to the climber's left; to take Green Butte Ridge, ascend the ridge straight ahead or to a slight right. The rest of the way is somewhat obvious once you break tree line; you can choose when to traverse off the ridge into Avalanche Gulch.
Summary: Great views from the ridge made up for the fact that we did not summit. 5/5
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| Looking at Casaval Ridge and Avalanche Gulch from Green Butte Ridge |
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| Looking back from Green Butte Ridge |
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| The clouds break briefly in the morning for a peek of the sky |
More photographs.
Difficulty: Roughly 3500 feet of elevation gain over 3 miles to the lake. Possibly a little bit more, as there are some ups and downs on the ridge. At some point one will be faced with the choice of a traverse along the ridge slopes or a somewhat steep ascent and then descent. Depending on snow conditions, the traverse may be the more difficult option. Note that descending takes far less time than ascending (we made it out in roughly two hours).
Preparation: This was part of an attempted summit of Shasta which was aborted due to weather. If one only wants to go to the Lake, one can forego much of the gear, and even more if one makes this a day trip. If not, one requires the full range of mountaineering gear. We did not require snowshoes at this time of the season. Beware of loose falling rock.
The route starts at Bunny Flats. The trail to Horse Camp veers off to the climber's left; to take Green Butte Ridge, ascend the ridge straight ahead or to a slight right. The rest of the way is somewhat obvious once you break tree line; you can choose when to traverse off the ridge into Avalanche Gulch.
Summary: Great views from the ridge made up for the fact that we did not summit. 5/5
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