by John Soares on September 2, 2010
The Mt Shasta Trail Association has added another dimension to the Heart Lake hiked planned for September 11th as it was described in last week’s Mt Shasta Herald. While one group will explore the Heart Lake area as originally planned, another group will continue on and go for a more challenging hike/rock scramble up to the base of “Castle Spire,” the prominent thumb-shaped rock the is visible on the horizon to the southwest from Mt. Shasta.
Castle Spire is located atop the western end of granite Castle Crags formation. The route goes near Heart Lake, then turns and goes over the ridge and down to the PCT. When the PCT crosses the steep scree field of broken granite rocks, the group will turn east for a 1/2 mile upward rock scramble that leads to the base of the Spire. Participants will have a chance to peek through the little known “Castle Keyhole” arched rock, and the views in all directions from the base of the Spire will be magnificent! The group will not climb Castle Spire.
Participants for the Castle Spire hike need to be in excellent physical condition and have good agility. The round trip hike from the parking lot at Castle Lake is about five miles and is composed of periodic steep up and down sections both on and off trail. All participants should pack a lunch, camera, and lots of water. During the return hike the group will stop for a refreshing dip in either Heart or Castle Lake. Naturalist Mark Gibson (926-5966) will lead this hike.
The shorter, less demanding hike to Heart Lake is 2.2 miles round trip. This little alpine pond shaped like a heart, has shallow waters warmed by the sun. The pond leads to a small ledge and beyond to a plummeting valley that rises up to 14,162 foot Mt. Shasta. The views are eye popping and jaw dropping. This moderate, sometimes strenuous hike has a 600 foot elevation gain but is well worth the effort. An interesting note: the saddle above Castle Lake is in the area of the Indian battle with the US Calvary where Joaquin Miller, Poet of the Sierras, was wounded by an arrow that pierced his throat in June 0f 1855. Miller was a dubious historian so the facts are in issue. Call Joan Roemer (926-0647) for more info.
There is no charge for participation in these hikes.
Participants should meet at 9AM Saturday, September 11, in the fish hatchery parking lot to form carpools. The fish hatchery is located a quarter-mile west of the main Mount Shasta I-5 exit (the middle of the three) on the way to Lake Siskiyou.
by John Soares on August 30, 2010
The Siskiyou Wanderers are a very active local hiking group that you can join every Thursday throughout the year to explore Siskiyou County. Here’s the September 2010 schedule:
Sept 2: Long Gulch/Trail Gulch Lake Loop: Hike from Carter Mdws area to Long Gulch Lake, then over the crest and back down to Trail Gulch Lake, finishing a loop. Will need to car shuttle between trailheads.
AD: ~8-9 miles THE: 5,600’ AEG: ~2,000’ PMP: Callahan T: 8:30 am.
Sept 9: Bingham Lake (via the PCT near Carter Mdws Summit): A new hike with plenty of great views. Hike recommended by Ted Albert. Hike the PCT from near Carter Mdws to Bingham Lake. Elevation gain and loss in both directions. Due to the long hike, let’s me et earlier.
AD: ~13 miles THE: ~6.700’ AEG: ~2,800’ PMP: Callahan T: 8:00 am.
Sept 16: Clear Creek: Hike up the southeast flanks of Mt. Shasta to peer down into the spectacular depths of Mud Creek canyon and gazie up to the Konwakiton Glacier above. Good trail most of the w ay, Get a glimpse of Shastarama and Thumb Rock from the other side.
AD: ~6-7 miles THE: ~6,400’ AEG: ~1,800′ PMP: Mt. Shasta Fish Hatchery T: 8:30 am.
Sept 23: East Boulder Lake: A short hike to a nice lake south of Callahan, with good Eastern Brook, Rainbow, and Brown Trout fishing. More adventurous hikers can either hike to Mill Creek Lake, or Marshy Lakes, another 2.5 miles.
AD: ~6 miles. THE: ~5,750’. AEG: ~2,100’. PMP: Callahan T: 8:30 am.
Sept 30: Grass Lake: Starting at the junction of Hwy 97/Herd Peak Rd, hike the road around the back side of Grass Lake. After the hike, we will gather at Leslie & Greg Harts, at 6915 Frontier Dr, Big Springs area for a potluck and social. Bring your favorite dish or dessert to share.
AD: ~6-7 miles. THE: ~5,080’. AEG: ~350’. PMP: Hwy 97/A12 T: 8:30 am.
Legend to the Schedule:
- AD: Approximate round trip distance.
- THE: Trailhead elevation.
- AEG: Approximate elevation gain.
- PMP: Principal meeting place.
- T: Meeting time at PMP.
- DDT: Distance to trailhead.
by John Soares on August 20, 2010
Here’s a recent e-mail from MSTA president Joe Wirth:
Over this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday we learned what seventeen volunteers can do in 60 hours of hard work. If they’re on the 1 ½ mile Spring Hill Trail armed with chain saws, loppers and Pulaskis, they can complete the brush trimming on the main trail all the way to the top, thereby providing one of the most beautiful views of Mt. Shasta and the surroundings in our entire area. They can begin the removal of slash by a combination of chipping and physical removal from the trail. And they can start creating the side trail to a rock outcropping, with yet more fabulous views!
To say our trail crew volunteers made progress during these three days is truly an understatement. They and the others who have previously worked on the trail are Mt. Shasta ’s version of the “A-Team.” On behalf of the Trail Association and our community, thanks so much. So I invite each of you, our members, to visit this beautiful trail and see for yourselves.
* Directions: Drive north on Mt. Shasta Blvd. and turn right on Ski Village Drive across from the entrance to the city park. Proceed a short distance to a stop sign and drive straight ahead to the parking area at the trailhead. It takes about 40-45 minutes to hike to the top of the hill. On these hot afternoons it is best to hike before noon.
One of the reasons we’re inviting you to see this trail over the next week or so is that we need your ideas about what to do with the center of the circle in the newly constructed (thanks to Chris Marrone) parking circle. This is the most visible area as you approach the trail and therefore needs to be beautiful and attention getting; require minimal maintenance and no water.
After your visit please give us your comments and suggestions on this post (or send an e-mail to joe — joe.wirth at prodigy.net. We hope to complete work on the trail over the next few weeks and to hold a dedication ceremony in late fall. Looking forward to your feedback.
Southerly view from Spring Hill. Note North Mount Shasta Boulevard and Mount Bradley Ridge. (Photo courtesy of John Schuyler)
by John Soares on August 18, 2010
One of the most significant achievements of the Mount Shasta Trail Association in the last year has been obtaining a grant (with the help of partners) to create the Mount Shasta Gateway Trail on Shasta-Trinity National Forest land on the east side of Everitt Memorial Highway and just north of the town of Mount Shasta.
It’s not official yet, however. We need your official public comments on the proposal. Drew Braugh is the very talented consultant who wrote the grant and shepherded it through the approval process. According to Drew, there are two ways you can officially make a comment:
1. Electronic comments can be submitted in an email message to:
Comments-pacificsouthwest-shasta-trinity-mtshasta-mccloud@fs.fed.us
Subject: Gateway Trail
Please attach an identifiable name to comments!
2. Or by visiting the Mount Shasta Ranger Station Office at:
204 West Alma Street
Mount Shasta, CA 96067
Office hours for hand delivery: 8am-4.30pm Monday through Friday
Comments must be submitted to:
Randall J. Gould, Acting District Ranger
ATTN: Emelia Barnum204 West Alma Street
Mount Shasta, CA 96067
(530) 926- 4511
Please submit comment by September 1st 2010.
For questions contact: Andrew Braugh, 530-926-3768, drewbraugh@gmail.com or Emelia Barnum, 530-926-4511
Environmental Documentation, Scoping Letter, and Legal Notice, can be found at:
http://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_content.php?project=29962
