When Josh and I backpacked the Laugavegur from Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork this past summer, we had the option of adding on 30 bonus kilometers! We decided to tack on the Fimmvörðuháls, the trail that connects Thorsmork out to Skógar, for another long day in the Highlands.
I’ve never spent much time in the more northern parts of California, save for a flop of a summit attempt and a few days in Lassen Volcanic National Park. It’s only 4.5-5 hours away, nearly the same amount to drive to Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows or Mammoth. Over the Martin Luther King weekend, I tried to rectify this with a trip to Mount Shasta, both a city and a breathtaking, mystical mountain.
Let me tell ya something about me. I don’t like breaking the rules… much. There’s something about it that just gives me the heebie jeebies, like I’m going to get caught and be punished to the full extent of the law and I’ll rot in jail forever or something. I know, I know, it’s a bit extreme. That’s how I felt about hiking Mossbrae Falls.
I talk a lot about hiking and backpacking gear, but climbing gear has taken a bit of a back seat. I’m excited to start sharing some of my favorite climbing gear, starting with bouldering, because it’s winter and I like napping on crash pads in the sun.
Here’s a look at my bouldering kit essentials.
I reached out to a few friends on things to do in the Mount Shasta area. The one thing everyone suggested was the McCloud Falls trail.
The McCloud Falls trail is an easily accessible, family friendly hike. Out and back, the trail is about 3.5 miles long with a little over two hundred feet of elevation gain. The trail visits three tiers of waterfalls on the McCloud River.