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  • Sacramento Bee

    Kirshner, left, and Fuhrmann slowly make their way across Whitney Glacier toward the summit of Mount Shasta. The three climbers, including Bee photographer Kevin German, roped themselves together for safety because of the number of crevasses on the glacier.

  • Sacramento Bee

    Kirshner glissades down a slope on Mount Shasta after reaching the summit. The afternoon sun softened the snow enough to allow for sliding down more than 3,000 feet to the base camp.

  • Sacramento Bee

    Sacramento Bee photographer Kevin German joins fellow climbers Andreas Fuhrmann and Jonathan Kirshner at 14,162 feet.

    View audio slideshow of Kevin German's climb

  • Sacramento Bee

    The sun starts to set on a Mount Shasta ridge behind a makeshift base camp. Snow had to be dug out and flattened to make room for the tents.

  • Sacramento Bee

    Jonathan Kirshner and Andreas Fuhrmann climb over a crest at about 10,000 feet on Mount Shasta early in the morning July 1 on their way toward Whitney Glacier and the summit.

More Information

  • If climbing Mount Shasta is in your plans, here are some considerations. You will need two permits, available at either the Mount Shasta ranger station or at the trailhead:

    • A wilderness permit that tells rangers where you are on the mountain and your climbing plan in case of an emergency. It's free.

    • A summit pass for going above 10,000 feet. Below 10,000 feet, the Forest Service considers it a day hike. Once you're above 10,000 feet, you are on more technical routes. Cost is $15.


    The Shasta-Trinity National Forest's Mount Shasta ranger station is at:

    204 W. Alma St.

    Mount Shasta, CA 96067

    Summer hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday

    Information: (530) 926-4511 or

    www.shastaavalanche.org

    Climbers are required to have the following equipment: crampons, a helmet and an ice ax.

    Permitted guides include:

    • Shasta Mountain Guides - www.shastaguides.com

    • Sierra Wilderness Seminars - www.swsmtns.com

    • Alpine Skills International - www.alpineskills.com

    Good Web sites about Mount Shasta:

    • www.climbingmtshasta.org

    • www.shastaavalanche.org

    Good books to read:

    • "Climbing Mt. Shasta: Route 1, Avalanche Gulch" by Steve Lewis (PhotograFix Publishing, $15.95, 174 pages)

    • "Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills" (7th edition; Mountaineers Books, $29.95; 575 pages)


    Mount Shasta by the numbers

    • Bunny Flat trailhead elevation: 6,890 feet

    • Hidden Valley base camp elevation: 9,300 feet

    • Summit elevation: 14,162 feet

    • Vertical gain from trailhead to summit: About 7,200 feet.

    • Hiking distance, Bunny Flat to Hidden Valley base camp: Four miles

    • Hiking distance, Hidden Valley to summit: Four miles

    • Annual snowfall at 7,600 feet: About 400 inches

    • 2005 serious injuries on the mountain: 10

    • Last death on the mountain: 2004

    • Tons of human waste packed out each year: 2; there is a leave-no-trace policy

    • People per year entering the wilderness area: 25,000 to 30,000

    Source: U.S. Forest Service

    View video clips of Kevin German's climb

Travel - Siskiyou County - Siskiyou County Features
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Shasta cam

Published: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006

When Sacramento Bee photographer Kevin German read our Outbound story in March about a Mount Shasta woman who intended to climb Mount Everest, he developed his own attitude for altitude.

The 29,032-foot Everest was out of the question, but Northern California's Mount Shasta -- at 14,162 feet -- presents a classic challenge for alpine adventurers in these parts. Though German (pronounced ghur-man) was raised in Washington state, he most recently lived in the flatlands of the Midwest. Getting in shape and getting to the top of Shasta was a stiff, if not steep, goal.

Still blanketed with snow and icy patches, and quite fresh with overnight freezing temperatures even at this time of year, Mount Shasta is no place to climb on a whim. Avalanche warnings have been issued as late as June (in 2005) and falling rocks are frequent. Read the park's injury and incident reports at www.shastaavalanche.org/accident.htm and you'll see how often people are ambushed by weather, slippery slopes or ambitions that exceed ability.

Aware of the downside of his goal, German, 26, soon learned that two fellow photographers were planning a Shasta summit this summer. German felt comfortable joining his friends Jonathan Kirshner, 28, of the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., and Andreas Fuhrmann, 37, who works for the Record Searchlight in nearby Redding. Kirshner, a former Record Searchlight photographer, had two successful summits in five tries up to that point.

So the trio set a flexible time frame in which to make the climb -- June and July, the peak season for Shasta summits. German got to work planning his climb, getting in shape and collecting the proper gear. His group made the climb safely and successfully on June 30-July 1. We asked German how they pulled it off, in the event others might like to try.

Q: When did the thought enter your mind to climb Mount Shasta?

A: When I read the story on Laurie Bagley in March, about her quest to climb Mount Everest. (Bagley, 44, summited Everest in May and has returned home to the city of Mount Shasta, which lies at the mountain's base. She'll be the subject of an Outbound profile later this summer.) I was impressed that Laurie holds the record, for women, for the shortest time climbing Mount Shasta.

Q: So, reading about a climb is one thing. Climbing is another. What got you motivated?

A: It always interested me to climb. But I didn't know if I could physically do it. I thought of her attempting to climb Everest. That was empowering. That really got me going.

Q: Why Shasta?

A: It was close enough. My buddy (Kirshner) has climbed Shasta. To that point, he'd succeeded on two out of five tries. He was trying again and asked if I wanted to come along.

Q: You say, he's experienced but not a professional guide?

A: He's experienced but definitely not a professional.

Q: Is it wise to go with someone other than a professional?

A: It's different for different routes. We could have taken the beginning route, Avalanche Gulch, the most heavily traveled route.

Q: So even though this is your first time, and the leader of your group is not a pro, you opted to take a more-difficult route?

A: The guy who led us (Kirshner) had been up that route (Avalanche) before. Plus, we wanted to travel on different terrains.

Q: What kind of terrains?

A: We planned, and actually did, take a route through Whitney Glacier. On a very busy weekend of climbing … we were the only ones on that route.

Q: So, let's back up: You started your push to prepare in March or April?

A: April. I wanted three solid months of training.

Q: What kind of training?

A: To get in shape again. I was in the gym five days a week, two hours a day, core exercises. I was lifting, doing each muscle group. I got up to running 35 miles a week. The longest run was eight miles. I would do four miles on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and eight miles on Tuesday-Thursday. During those months, I lost 18 pounds. I went from 186 to, well, now I'm 168.


Reach Kevin German at kgerman@sacbee.com. Reach Bob Ehlert at behlert@sacbee.com.

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