Avalanche Gulch

From Bunny Flat, one must walk about 75 to 100 yards on bare ground to reach patchy snow coverage. Continuous snow coverage exists around 7,200 feet in Avalanche Gulch. Plenty of rocks, trees, and other obstacles are present below treeline - travel with caution. 

Saturday was a transitional day for the weather and snowpack on Mount Shasta. Clear skies in the morning yielded to increasing clouds and full whiteout conditions above treeline by early afternoon. Snow surfaces became soft in Avalanche Gulch throughout the day, but began to re-freeze above 10,000 feet as the storm approached. Overall, snow surfaces continue to transition to true, melt-freeze "corn" snow after recent snowfall. Surfaces were supportable to skis, but climbers without floatation - skis or snowshoes - may encounter postholing conditions on the Avalanche Gulch route.  

Instability: We observed plenty of natural rollerballs off of steep, rocky terrain features on Green Butte Ridge. These can be a sign of a weak upper snowpack and precursors to wet loose avalanches.  

The bathrooms are open at the Shasta Alpine Hut (Horse Camp), and water is available at the spring. 

Climbers: Help keep the Mount Shasta Wilderness clean. You are required to pack out all human waste (feces), garbage, and food waste in the Mount Shasta Wilderness. WAG bags are available at open trailheads, including Bunny Flat, the Mount Shasta and McCloud Shasta Ranger Stations and the Fifth Season. 

When camping at Helen Lake, please urinate and use your WAG bag on the far east side of the moraine, even in the night! This ensures the camping area remains as clean and sanitary as possible. The next parties will be appreciative. It is advisable to collect snow for melting water above and away from the impacted camping area and also dig down to get the cleanest snow possible. Avoid collecting snow directly from the surface. 

Recent natural rollerballs off of Green Butte Ridge into Avalanche Gulch. These released on southwest through west aspects from 8,500 to 9,500 feet, and probably occurred from April 22nd to April 24th.