Steve Lewis, Author & Climber

I, Steve Lewis, have lived at the base of Mt. Shasta for more than 30 years. I started climbing when I was a kid; not mountains, but fences and treetops. I progressed from gentle mountain slopes to steep rocky ridges, and eventually started climbing mountains when I lived and worked in Alaska for 6 years when I was younger. The question that I get asked most often is "how many times have I been to the summit?" Honestly, I have lost track but I think it's between 40 and 50 times. Since I live in Mount Shasta City, the goal for me is to not reach the summit, since I have already been there, but to spend time on the mountain for which I have walked/hiked/climbed almost every inch of her. Sometimes, you may find me with ropes and crampons climbing steep ridges or and just simply relaxing half-naked in a spring fed meadow.

I wrote my book out of the need to help others as I have seen to many people leave the wrong time of day, take the wrong gear, get lost, not taking enough water, etc.... I have seen it all and I wanted to make climbers aware of the hazards and rewards they will face when Climbing Mt. Shasta. As you may be aware, there are injuries that occur each each year and sadly, there seems to be one death that happens too. We try to avoid death and injury but it does happen and so awareness is the key to staying alive and well. If there is one thing I learned about climbing Mt. Shasta or any other mountain and that is Mountaineering is  a sport and like most sports, you have to know the ropes. So, if you want to be a baseball player, you don't start in the major leagues, you start in high school then the little leagues, then maybe someday your dream will come true and you can move onto the big leagues. Climbing Mt. Shasta is no different, you need to understand that reaching the summit of Mt. Shasta can be accomplished and it can be the most rewarding experience of your life but first you MUST take a basic mountaineering course with one of the local guide services then if you can, take a day hike to base camp first so you can learn about the mountain, the route, and most importantly yourself. Then next you will be ready to move onto climbing to the top!!!

"I dedicate my book to the memory of all persons who have been injured or lost their lives on Mt. Shasta. Hopefully, the information presented here will make future climbers aware of the hazards of mountaineering." Steve Lewis

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