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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature: Mount Shasta


Mt Shasta is in the region of the well-known Cascade Mountain range of Northern California.

Mt Shasta is a large mountain that has a reputation of mythical proportions. While it is true that a visit to the mountains does invigorate and refresh you, to say Mt. Shasta itself has special powers might not convince most visitors.

The 14,161 face of Mount Shasta does impress, and will the Shasta-Trinity National Forests it is set it. Highway 5 is the major route to get to Mt Shasta, and other outdoor attractions in the area like Shasta Lake, Trinity River, and Castle Crags.

Located 250 miles north of San Francisco, Mount Shasta is in the perfect place to get just enough snow for prime skiing conditions.
Mount Shasta is in the Cascade range in Northern California The Mt Shasta ski area has 34 runs, and has great off-trail areas to explore. Snowshoeing and snowboarding are also very popular, and allowed on most parts of the mountain. The mountain consists of four overlapping volcanic cones which have built a complex shape, including the main summit and the prominent satellite cone of 12,330-foot Shastina, which has a visibly conical form. If Shastina were a separate mountain, it would rank as the fourth-highest peak of the Cascade Range.

Mount Shasta is not connected to any nearby mountain. It rises abruptly and stands nearly 10,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. The mountain has attracted the attention of poets, authors, and presidents.

Naturalist and author John Muir said of Shasta: "When I first caught sight of it over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley, I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since."
Shasta Lake is the setting for outdoor activities like fishing and boating. There are 18 pairs of American Bald Eagles are at Shasta Lake, so this is a great area for bird watching. House boating is one of the most popular things to do on like Shasta Lake. With more shoreline than the San Francisco Bay, this lake has over 29,500 acres of waterways to explore.

There are seven named glaciers on Shasta, with the four largest (Whitney, Bolam, Hotlum, and Wintun) radiating down from high on the main summit cone to below 10,000 feet. The Whitney Glacier is the longest and the Hotlum is the most voluminous glacier in the state of California. Three of the smaller named glaciers occupy cirques near and above 11,000 feet on the south and southeast sides, including the Watkins, Konwakiton, and Mud Creek Glaciers.

Many climbers attempt the summit of Mount Shasta. The summer climbing season runs from late April until October, although many attempts are made in the winter. The most popular route is Avalanche Gulch, also known as the John Muir Route. It begins at a Sierra Club Foundation hut known as the Shasta Alpine Lodge at Horse Camp, at elevation 7,900 feet.
Mount Shasta is beautiful in the fall During the last 10,000 years Shasta has erupted an average of every 800 years but in the past 4,500 years the volcano has erupted an average of every 600 years. The last significant eruption on Shasta may have occurred 200 years ago.

The Hotlum Cone has erupted at least eight or nine times. About 200 years ago the last significant Shasta eruption came from this cone and created a pyroclastic flow, a hot mudflow, and three cold mudflows, which streamed 7.5 miles down Shasta's east flank through Ash Creek. A separate hot mudflow went 12 miles down Mud Creek. This eruption was observed by the explorer La Pérouse, from his ship off the California coast, in 1786

Native Americans say Mount Shasta is the Great Spirit's wigwam, and that he made the mountain first of all.
Snowcapped Mt. Shasta with all its grandeur towering high in the blue sky stands alone and massive in size, isolating itself from the rugged peaks that surround it like a lonely pyramid in the desert. As it rises 14,162 feet above sea level, it can easily be seen for more than 100 miles when you're traveling on any highway leading from Shasta County into Siskiyou County.

The northern approach up the Sacramento River Canyon, on the winding stretch of Interstate 5, offers tantalizing glimpses through the gaps in the canyon's walls, and then suddenly the Mountain materializes into full view as you drive up from the canyon floor.

People started climbing Mount Shasta in 1854. In the late 1860s, gentlemen climbers wore coats, and the women climbed in full skirts. Today, the climbers are differently attired, and they usually hire a local guide to assist them, but the fascination for reaching the summit remains.
 
 
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