It's called avalanche gulch because it often avalanches this time of year. One way to avoid avalanches might be to take a different route this time of year when climbing. many people take skis or snow boards climbing mt. Shasta and then ski down from the top. but, Remember often snowboards or skis this time of year are going to start avalanches as they change the contours while you snowboard or ski. So, it's also easy (even if you are an expert) to die this time of year in Avalanche gulch from avalanches. Also, it might not just be you that dies because often climbers dig snow caves at lake Helen which is also in the path of many potential avalanches. So, even though you might be completely prepared for the arctic conditions of 100 mph winds that you often are going to see above 10,000 feet and temperatures at night at zero or below Fahrenheit sort of like the north pole, are you also ready for avalanches set off by skiers or snowboarders coming down the mountain usually between noon and sundown off the summit? So, think about all this if you are going to climb Mt. Shasta this time of year and what route you want to climb.
The easiest route usually is if it is plowed up to Bunny flats and then hiking to Horse Camp Sierra club lodge. But then you are heading up avalanche gulch too to Lake Helen. Just be sure you are ready for everything that might happen after Horse Camp emergency Sierra Club Lodge. It's surely an adventure that it would be nice also that you survive without frostbite or any other serious problems. It would be nice to tell your grandchildren about your climb too and to be alive to do that.
Note: I climbed to the Summit in 1970 in August. In August the problem is rockfalls because of the steepness. Then you have to watch little pebbles that might be loosed from where your boots touch the ground because they might dislodge bigger pebbles and if those bigger pebbles are the size of a woman's fist or bigger and someone below you doesn't see them coming and it hits their face at 50 or 60 miles per hour then they are dead. So, avalanches this time of year and then rockfall in summers tends to kill people or maim them when they climb. So, be careful and be prepared to rescue other climbers that might be injured or have lost it through hypothermia or altitude sickness and are halucinating from all that. Hypothermia and altitude sickness can take away rationality from some climbers and they mentally and emotionally lose it. And this can be very serious in some situations if people aren't prepared for this eventuality.
Altitude sickness and hypothermia often kick in above Lake Helen starting about 11,000 feet to the top. Remember to breathe many times per step as you get closer to the summit so you don't get altitude sickness. Some people also have more lung capacity than others and some people live at higher altitudes. But, if you live at sea level you have to be really really careful as you ascend to over 14,000 feet because your body is used to sea level not 14,000 feet. I had to push a seagull off a cliff at 12,000 or 13,000 feet because it couldn't even fly at that altitude or take off because the air was too thin. it had to fall about 100 feet or more to get enough wind under it's wings to fly when I drove it off a cliff but it survived and flew away finally. So, imagine how little air your lungs have to breathe if a bird cannot even take off at 12,000 or 13,000 feet!
How did it get there? Likely a wind current threw it there but then it couldn't take off and was scared so I drove it off a cliff so it could survive to fly another day.
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