A 24-year-old climber’s first experience on Mount Shasta quickly turned into a crisis when he fell nearly 500 feet down the mountain. Stranded without a phone, food, water, or light, he had to make his way to safety by crawling.
Zubayir Kazi reached the summit around 7:30 p.m. on September 10 after starting his ascent early that morning. While he had scouted part of the trail a few days prior, the conditions proved to be far more challenging than he anticipated.
“It turned out to be much worse than I expected,” Kazi shared.
The real trouble began during his descent. Shortly after summiting, he lost grip of his gear and began sliding uncontrollably down the mountain. “Everything I had with me just goes out of my hand and I find myself flying down the mountain,” he recounted.
The fall left him seriously injured, and without any of his supplies to call for help. Faced with the grim reality of having no phone or light and nothing to eat or drink, Kazi felt he had no choice but to keep moving downhill.
He crawled, driven by the fear that stopping might mean death. “My mentality became very one dimensional. I don’t know what’s the optimal thing to do, but I just know that I have to go lower because if I stay here and fall asleep, I’m going to die,” he said.
Meanwhile, back in San Jose, Kazi’s mother was growing increasingly worried after she lost contact with him. She reached out to his friend Abdullah, which led to search-and-rescue teams being deployed in a missing-person search.
Fortunately, Kazi managed to make it to base camp. There, another climber found him and provided crucial food and water until rescuers arrived.
It was only when the rescue team reached him that Kazi understood the full extent of his injuries. “When the officers came in, it was the first time I really realized how badly I was injured. They said ‘You have no skin behind your leg’,” he recalled.
Kazi endured significant skin and nerve damage along with serious internal issues. Doctors indicated he could have succumbed within hours without help. His recovery is expected to take several weeks.
The US Forest Service warned that the route Kazi took is particularly dangerous during this season, especially for beginner climbers. They noted how quickly conditions can change on Mount Shasta, leading to potential accidents even when climbers feel prepared.
Kazi remarked that his perspective on mountain climbing has shifted significantly. “It is very important to fully and properly account for all of the requirements and safety considerations necessary to complete a hike like this and not miss a single one — and I’d say to definitely not go alone,” he advised.
