The\u00a0massive stratovolcano\u00a0has a summit elevation<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a014,179 feet, according to\u00a0the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n They did not reach the\u00a0head springs of Clear Creek until about 8 p.m., Forest Service officials said.\u00a0The three\u00a0Roseville\u00a0men set up camp<\/a>\u00a0there, at about\u00a08,400 feet, even though\u00a0it was a\u00a0prohibited site, according to\u00a0Forest Service and\u00a0Siskiyou County Sheriff\u00a0officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n At\u00a0about 3 a.m. the next day, the group\u00a0started\u00a0their\u00a0ascent up the mountain\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0base camp equipped with enough\u00a0food and water for an 8-hour climb.\u00a0<\/p>\n They progressed slowly, reaching\u00a011,000 feet\u00a0at about 1 p.m.,\u00a0and considered turning around\u00a0before deciding to continue, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n About two hours later,\u00a0as\u00a0the party rested\u00a0at Mushroom Rock\u00a0at\u00a012,800 feet, they spoke with two other climbing groups, officials said. One group\u00a0advised the party to\u00a0turn around, while another encouraged them to continue to the summit.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0group told officials\u00a0they did not feel “great” but decided to press on.\u00a0<\/p>\n At 7 p.m., 16 hours after\u00a0they set out on\u00a0their trek,\u00a0the\u00a0group reached\u00a0the\u00a0summit of Mount Shasta, “well\u00a0after\u00a0the\u00a0recommended turnaround time of 12:00 pm,” deputies said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunset at Mt Shasta and Siskiyou Lake, California<\/p>\n Mountain descent after dark<\/p>\n They began their descent\u00a0after dark\u00a0near\u00a012,800 feet\u00a0and\u00a0called 911 for directions, according to\u00a0officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n As\u00a0the\u00a0climbers continued\u00a0their descent,\u00a0they “ended up\u00a0well off-route, eventually entering\u00a0the\u00a0upper reaches of Mud Creek Canyon,” officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the climbers had the\u00a0AllTrails\u00a0mobile mapping app, which the group used on their ascent. However, his phone battery had died, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though\u00a0the\u00a0group\u00a0packed\u00a0a backup mobile battery\u00a0charger, it did not work to charge\u00a0the\u00a0phone equipped with\u00a0the\u00a0AllTrails\u00a0app.\u00a0<\/p>\n The group was forced to rely primarily on sight to make their descent, though one of the climbers had a Garmin watch, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n At about\u00a011,500 feet, one of the climbers lost his balance and injured his left knee in a fall, officials said. The climber reported feeling unwell and struggling to\u00a0maintain\u00a0his footing. He also was not wearing a headlamp, despite carrying one in his backpack because he was trying to conserve battery life.\u00a0The climber was instead relying on the light from the headlamps of his climbing partners.\u00a0<\/p>\n A shot of Mount Shasta with the Milky Way core in the background.<\/p>\n The group continued down the mountain\u00a0until stopping to spend the night\u00a0near\u00a011,000 feet\u00a0in a remote location in Mud Creek Canyon.\u00a0<\/p>\n The climbers, though, were not prepared to spend the night on the mountain, lacking “adequate food, water, warm layers, or an emergency bivy,” according to officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘Exhausted, hungry, and thirsty’ climbers rescued\u00a0<\/p>\n At about 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31,\u00a0Forest Service Climbing Rangers reached the\u00a0climbers, who\u00a0were “exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The rangers checked the climber’s knee, found it was stable, rendered first\u00a0aid\u00a0and provided the group with food and water.\u00a0<\/p>\n A California Highway Patrol helicopter crew\u00a0attempted\u00a0to hoist the group from the area, but the climbers’ location made the rescue impossible.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0Forest Service\u00a0rangers instead helped\u00a0the party out of Mud Creek Canyon on foot, as the injured climber could\u00a0manage\u00a0walking.\u00a0<\/p>\n “By 12 p.m.,\u00a0the\u00a0group reached\u00a0the\u00a0rim of\u00a0the\u00a0canyon and mellower terrain on\u00a0the\u00a0southeast slopes of\u00a0the\u00a0mountain,” officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rescuers tried another\u00a0helicopter\u00a0hoist at about 12:30 p.m., but\u00a0strong winds\u00a0prevented the the rescue attempt.\u00a0<\/p>\n The group instead continued down the mountain\u00a0and reached their\u00a0base camp at the Clear Creek springs around 3\u00a0p.m.\u00a0From there, members of\u00a0the\u00a0Siskiyou Search and Rescue\u00a0arrived to help the\u00a0climbers back to the\u00a0Clear Creek\u00a0trailhead, which they reached at 6:30 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reliance on AI: ‘A critical misstep’\u00a0<\/p>\n Among the issues that led to the\u00a0climbers’\u00a0rescue was the group’s use of\u00a0an “AI\u00a0platform, YouTube\u00a0videos\u00a0and\u00a0AllTrails\u00a0to plan their climb,” officials said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0climbers told a sheriff’s deputy that “they had relied heavily on Google’s Gemini AI to provide\u00a0them with information about\u00a0the\u00a0route as well as what to pack for\u00a0their trip.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “This was a critical misstep, as\u00a0they were\u00a0advised\u00a0by Gemini to bring far less food and water than\u00a0their group\u00a0required, especially when\u00a0their planned\u00a08-hour\u00a0ascent became a multi-day ordeal,”\u00a0the\u00a0sheriff’s office said.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also said\u00a0they\u00a0took\u00a0the\u00a0advice of AI when it recommended\u00a0packing\u00a0“simple carbohydrates for\u00a0their climb, rather than fats because\u00a0they\u00a0‘take too long to digest.'”\u00a0<\/p>\n “In\u00a0their words,\u00a0‘We relied too much on AI rather than our own critical thinking,'” officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mt Shasta as seen from Mt Shasta (city), California, USA (from southwest). Blowing snow at the summit and moist air around the mountain allow Mt Shasta to create it”u2019s own clouds.<\/p>\n The climbers told officials they were\u00a0aware\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0www.shastaavalanche.org\u00a0website,\u00a0but opted not to use it.\u00a0<\/p>\n “It is always advisable to call\u00a0the\u00a0local USFS Mount Shasta Ranger station ahead of your trip to ensure you have\u00a0the\u00a0most\u00a0accurate\u00a0information, and to never rely solely on AI for your trip planning,”\u00a0the\u00a0sheriff’s office\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0rescue, deputies said, is a reminder of\u00a0the\u00a0importance\u00a0of following “the\u00a012:00 pm turnaround rule.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “If you have not reached\u00a0the\u00a0summit of Mount Shasta by noon, turn around while you (or a potential rescue party) still have sufficient daylight to hike out,” deputies said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, climbers should\u00a0not rely solely on a cellphone or Garmin\u00a0device for wayfinding.\u00a0<\/p>\n “It’s important to use reliable information sources for climbs like Mount Shasta, and to have backups to any electronic navigation you might use (paper maps of\u00a0the\u00a0route are a good choice),” officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the Clear Creek Route on Mount Shasta is not considered a technical mountaineering route, it still requires climbers to be physically fit and prepared for unforeseen circumstances, such as injuries, inclement weather or an unplanned overnight stay, deputies said.\u00a0Serious injuries or deaths can happen when climbers become lost and wander into dangerous terrain.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, officials said, it is crucial to have enough food and water for a long day or two, given\u00a0the\u00a0size of Mount Shasta. You should also “have adequate clothing and supplies in case you\u00a0have to\u00a0spend an unexpected night on\u00a0the\u00a0mountain.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “Excellent information about\u00a0the\u00a0mountain can be found on\u00a0the\u00a0Mount Shasta Avalanche Center website,<\/a>” officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Sunset](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the-desert-sun\/3818fca53807fd8994bd461d308f674c.jpg\"\/)
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