Siskiyou County 2nd grader hikes to Mt. Shasta summit

This summer, 6-year-old James Balboni did something even few adults accomplished: He climbed to the summit of Mt. Shasta.

While his dad was with him all the way, the Mount Shasta Elementary School second grader did all the climbing himself, said James’ father, Theo Balboni.

The father-son team set out on July 29 to hike the Clear Creek route up Mt. Shasta. That route is the safest in mid-summer because there are fewer loose rocks than on other trails leading up the mountain, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

James and his dad made base camp at 10,000 feet the same day, Balboni said, then summited the mountain (14,180 feet) and climbed back down the next day.

At age 3, Mount Shasta boy scaled Black Butte

Like many kids his age, James likes building with Legos and “playing cops and robbers,” Pokémon and chess. When he grows up, he wants to be an artist, or a scientist, or an FBI agent, he said.

But James’ passion for skiing, climbing and backpacking seems boundless, Balboni said.

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His son started climbing mountains when many of his peers were barely able to scale a playground jungle gym. At 3 year old, James hiked with his dad to the first base camp on Mt. Shasta: Horse Camp.

James also made his first “unassisted” hike ― meaning no one carried him ― to a summit: Up to the peak of Black Butte, his father said. To make it to the top, James had to trek almost 2.6 miles from the Black Butte trailhead to the summit on rocky and sometimes steep terrain, a 1,845 foot vertical climb, according to the U.S.Forest Service .

“There’s quite a bit of rock hopping" up black Butte, but James did it, Balboni said: “After that, I knew he had a natural gift” for mountain climbing.

By age 5, James made it to a point 1,000 feet below the summit of Mt. Shastina, next to Mt. Shasta, his father said.

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Climbing mountains a family tradition

If you want to climb mountains before kindergarten, it helps to have parents who are skilled outdoors devotees.

Theo Balboni and his ex wife Laura Balboni spent much of their time exploring Northern California’s and Southern Oregon’s parks and forests. They spent their honeymoon hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015.

When not climbing, backpacking or skiing, Theo Balboni is an attorney. Laura Balboni works from home doing social media for an IT company.

“Since James was a baby, we loved all going into the back country and camping. I remember many hikes where I carried James on my back. But once (he) learned how to walk, he wanted to hike” on his own two feet “as much as possible,” Theo Balboni said.

Since then, father and son also hiked on Mt. Eddy, west of Mount Shasta and also reached the top of the Castle Dome Trail at Castle Crags, he said.

Young James is also a wilderness trail runner and a black diamond skier ― one who skis steep advanced trails, according to his dad.

“I can tell that he really values our quality one-on-one time,” Balboni said. “It's amazing having hours of undistracted time with him to talk, joke, play and teach.  We've had some amazing back country dinners and bedtime stories together.”

When asked if he was ever scared on the Mt. Shasta climb, James revealed, “One time, when I thought Dad forgot our food.”

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook . Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Siskiyou County 2nd grader hikes to Mt. Shasta summit