Mt. Shasta area is really going through it

There are at least 2 first one of which is burning up the side of Mt. Shasta near Whitney Glacier on the side of Mt. Shasta that is what is called Shastina up to Tree line. It is the smaller cinder cone attached to the main mountain that has little lakes up in the cone. I hiked up there around 1976 or 77 with a friend into the Shastina little blue ice lakes that are up there at that time. You usually hike up to Horse Camp Sierra Club Lodge and then traverse to your left towards Shastina towards what is called "Hidden Valley". But, the smoke can be pretty bad and trying to climb in smoke isn't a good idea if it is at your same altitude ever anyway. It's hard enough to breathe air at all when you get up past about 10,000 feet at Lake Helen (which is not a lake really anymore it is simply a place where people often camp and then leave their bigger backpacks while they take a day pack and crampons and an ice axe to the summit.

However, my friend who used to be a custodian at Horse camp who rescued people off the mountain and officiated at climber body removal usually by helicopter from Horse Camp Sierra Club emergency Lodge was telling me the mountain really isn't safe to climb now because of no snow. Because of the steepness beyond Lake Helen falling rocks (for any reason) but usually from climbers ahead of you often could be maiming or fatal this time of year. So, the more climbers above you the more dangerous it becomes climbing the mountain now. So, falling rocks above 10,000 feet and altitude sickness and no snow to keep the rocks from falling makes it a really dangerous year potentially for climbing mount Shasta this summer.