It’s that time of year when we ask you to renew your membership to the Mount Shasta Trail Association.

We’ve had a lot of successes recently, and we’re still working hard to build  new trails and maintain existing trails — and get access to those beautiful trails in Castle Crags State Park.

You Can Renew Through Paypal…

by clicking on the Paypal button to the right.

Of course, you can also just send your check via regular mail. (You should have received a renewal notice recently.) For membership options, click here.

It was great to see so many MSTA members and friends last night at the 2011 annual meeting. I want to follow up with you about how to subscribe to website updates and share website updates with friends and colleagues.

How to Get Updates Through E-Mail

Look at the top of the right column for “Subscribe and Get All Updates.” Enter your e-mail address in the blank field and then click “Subscribe.” A pop-up will open: enter the antispam code you’ll see, and then click “Complete Subscription Request.” You’ll receive a verification e-mail requiring you to agree that you want to subscribe.

How to Share Posts on Facebook and Twitter

Look at the bottom of this post. You’ll see a dark blue “f” Facebook button and a light blue “t” Twitter button. If you use either one of these social networks, just click on the button and follow through. (Note: you may need to be logged in to your Facebook or Twitter account.)

What We Post on This Site

We discuss all aspects of MSTA activities, including upcoming hikes, trail maintenance, updates on our activities to create new trails, and much more. We also include important information about what other groups and individuals are doing trail-wise in southern Siskiyou County and environs.

We Encourage Comments!

Look at the bottom of this post and all the others on this site: you’ll see a place where you can leave a comment. We love to have people respond and share their thoughts and experiences.

Encourage Friends and Visitors to Use the Site

Look at the menu tabs near the top of the site. The “Trails Guide” has directions and descriptions for most of the hikes in our area. Use it to plan your hikes, and share it with visitors. We also have a lot of other information about the MSTA in the menu.

Questions or Suggestions?

Have a question about how to use the site? Have a suggestion about a potential post? Please email me, John Soares: johnsoares99 — at — yahoo.com.

The Mt. Shasta Trail Association invites its members and the public to attend the MSTA’s Annual Meeting scheduled for Thursday evening, February 10^th, 6:30 PM, at the Mt Shasta Museum (at the Fish Hatchery).

“Our annual meeting is hugely successful because so many people are able to learn about all of the projects we have in the works, how we are partnering with other community groups, where we have made a visible difference on the ground, what we have coming up for new public trail projects, and how we can utilize more volunteers,” says Joe Wirth, president of MSTA. “I’m pleased to report that we currently have the most projects in progress that we have ever had at one time and, astonishingly, there are more coming our way.”

Joe, along with the MSTA Board of Directors, will supply updates on the trails at Lake Siskiyou, Box Canyon, Spring Hill, Cabin Creek (aka Squaw Valley Creek), the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Castle Crags nature trail. New projects that will be presented include the Mt. Shasta Greenway, Box Canyon trail extension, the Gateway Trail, and the currently proposed Mossbrae Falls trail.

At this program the MSTA will present new awards that acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by four dedicated people: Tom Hesseldenz and Chris Marrone will receive the Lifetime Conservation Award, Buzz Knight will receive the Community Service Award, and Joan Roemer will receive the Volunteer of the Year Award.

As an added special feature, Mike Hupp will present his spectacular photo show of the construction of the newly opened Wagon Creek Bridge at Lake Siskiyou.

This program is free and open to the public. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. For more information call 926-2858.

Mount Shasta Trail Assocation vice president Mark Gibson does a great job in this Public Service Announcement he created recently with the help of MCTV.

Mount Shasta Trail Association board member Barry Price was featured in a recent article in the Redding Record Searchlight. Barry shared two of his favorite trails in our region: Heart Lake and Girard Ridge:

Barry Price is a semi-retired lawyer and avid hiker who thinks nothing of polishing off 10 miles or so before lunch. So it’s not surprising that he considers the two-mile trek from Castle Lake to Heart Lake “a namby-pamby hike,” despite the spectacular vistas it affords.

“If you want to make it a little more interesting, climb up to the ridge above Heart Lake, along the trail that snakes up through the manzanita,” he said. “You get great views of the Crags from there.”

The piece also discusses hiking along Deadfall Creek and Squaw Valley/Cabin Creek.

The Mount Shasta Trail Association is very proud of this new state-of-the-art website.

Visiting here is the best way for you to find out what we’re doing and how you can help. We cover upcoming events, including hikes, presentations, and trail-maintenance days.

This home page is a blog, and we definitely want your comments on our posts. You can easily subscribe and be notified of all updates. (See the upper portion of the right-column for an easy way to subscribe.)

Please help the MSTA and promote the new site by:

• Posting  http://www.mountshastatrailassociation.org to any website or blog you have. If you know how, please link the URL to phrases like “Mount Shasta hiking trails” or “Mount Shasta Trail Association”.
• Sharing the link on Facebook, Twitter, and any place else you go online.

Thanks for your help and support!

The Mt. Shasta Trail Association invites its members and the public to join in a two-mile round trip easy hike on Saturday, April 17^th, to the historic Ney Springs resort site and the spectacular Faery Falls.

Ney Springs was discovered by John Ney in 1887. It became a destination health resort based on the mineral springs there. The water has a pH of 11.6 and a silica content of 4,000 parts per million, the highest values known to occur in natural ground waters. The resort consisted of a hotel that housed 50 guests, a bath house, and boardwalks that meandered through the wooded forest. There was also a carriage house, a barn and several piped spring enclosures. All that can be found there now is some masonry foundations and a small trickling stream under the tall pines. It’s a wonderful stretch of one’s imagination to envision a lively resort at this now tranquil site.

A short walk upstream from the resort ruins leads to nearby Faery Falls, where Ney Springs Creek crashes nearly 60 ft (18 m) down a granite cliff face, forming a clear pool at the bottom. It could be the tallest waterfall in Siskiyou County, and at this time of the year it will be running with a roar, so this will be a great photo op.

Participants will meet at the fish hatchery parking lot at 10 am to form carpools. Everyone should dress warmly in layers, pack a lunch and drinks, and expect to be back to the fish hatchery parking lot by 3 pm. There is no charge for participation in this event, and it is suitable for children. Please call trip leader Joan Roemer (926-0647) for more information.

It’s finally here — our brand spankin’ new website. The “Home” page, the page you’re on right now, will have all important news and updates related to the Mount Shasta Trail Association and hiking trails on and near Mount Shasta.

We’re especially proud of the Mount Shasta Trails Guide (see  the option above), which contains most of the popular trails in our area, includes hikes on Mount Shasta itself, of course, but also many paths around Castle Crags, Mount Eddy, and McCloud.

And we are truly grateful to Danielle Signor, the premier website designer in Mount Shasta and Siskiyou County, for helping us set up and design this WordPress blog.