Author: Trail Association

Yesterday at Spring Hill, two volunteers showed up: Chris Marrone and yours truly (to accompany the contracted SORA trail stewardship crew of Renee and Bryson). Fortunately, Chris brought his motorized brush cutter to rip the bulk of the weeds at Spring Hill, then moved it over to Kingston Meadow to open up a wide swath along the trail to City Park. I estimate Chris saved us at least 50 hours of volunteer work (he spent 11 freakin’ hours over there!). Bryson, Renee and I used the weedeaters to do the fine work around the rocks and bushes.

Thank you, thank you, Chris Marrone!!!! These trails were almost impassable two days ago.

Tomorrow (Saturday, June 27), we’ll gather at Spring Hill again at 9 am to finish some remaining brush work, and if we get a couple volunteers, we’ll send several people over to complete the weeding that Chris couldn’t reach with his big machine. LET’S SHOOT FOR MORE THAN TWO VOLUNTEERS!

Remaining work at Kingston Meadow

Look at this weedy mess, folks!

The Spring Hill Trailhead needs some love from those who hike there all the time. Come join us on Thursday, June 25 at 9 am to cut weeds and brush, rake up, and check the trail for needed care. Bring a weedwhacker or rake or wheelbarrow if you can, plus gloves, water, and eye/ear protection. We’ll also have that stuff. I’ll be late that day, but will start tomorrow (Wed) at about 10 am to get a jump on it. Bryson and Renee will manage the tools and volunteers on Thur.

By the way, the trailhead is across N. Mt. Shasta Blvd. from the City Park.

We’ll also have another go at the site on Saturday, June 27 at 9 am to make sure everything gets done.

The following is from Keegan Moore of the Siskiyou Land Trust regarding the recent invasive weed pull and another coming up this Saturday. You can see that it was a beautiful morning and we had fun in the meadow. You might come out just to see this special place (at the end of Kingston Road).

JH

Hey all,

On behalf of Gabriel and I, we wanted to thank you all so much for coming out and digging through the weeds with us at Kingston Meadow! We got a ton of work done and the meadow is already looking miles better. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Since we’ll be leading more events like these in the future, we would love to hear how we did. If you get a chance, I created a short survey where you can leave your thoughts on the event: Post-event feedback link

We’re also planning on going back out to Kingston Saturday, June 20^th from 8:30-10:30 for some more teasel pulling and thinning! You can RSVP for that event on GoldenVolunteers here. Hope to see y’all there!

Thank you once again,

Keegan

We’ve got some more work to do in the Learning Zone, so we’ll meet in the Nordic Center parking lot at 3 pm tomorrow, June 11. Trail crew leaders had a good time this past weekend at the FS’s trail workshop, where we learned more details about fixing drainage problems, eroded trails, steep trail grades, etc.

Come join us!

The following is from Gerad Dean, director of the Headwaters Trail Runs:

I would like to share with Mount Shasta Trail Association members that Headwaters Trail Runs is scheduled for June 20,^, 2026.  This event is a project of the non-profit Associated Charitable Resource of Southern Siskiyou (ACROSS), and is provided under special use permit from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County Flood Control District, and Sierra Pacific Land & Timber.  I project 250-300 runners will participate this year. 

The event utilizes trails and forest roads at Lake Siskiyou, Rainbow Ridge, Sisson-Callahan Trail, and North Shore Road.  The course will be pre-marked the week of June 15^th with purple and white survey flagging.  Course marking is necessary for runners’ safety and successful event operations.  All course marking will be removed following the event. 

A portion of the proceeds generated by Headwaters Trail Runs are donated annually to the Mt. Shasta High School Track & Field and Cross-Country programs. 

We are looking for a few more volunteers on race day.  There are a range of volunteer positions available. Time commitments range from 2 – 8 hours on June 20^th.   Anyone interested in volunteering or with questions may contact me at info@headwaterstrailruns.net.

Thank you for helping spread the word!

Sincerely,

We’re cancelling the afternoon trail work tomorrow, 5/28, due to wet weather.

Yesterday, ten of us showed up at the Learning Zone to remove downed trees (about 18), branches, and brush. We initiated the Chainlink Chainsaw Crew, which left on bikes to cover more ground. Others drove in or walked to do their work. We had Jules with us (the human excavator) to move some of the biggest rounds. Thanks to Bryson S, Bryson A, Renee, Tom, Keith, Chad, Mark, Sarah…and Jules.

Tomorrow morning at 9, Bryson and Renee are leading another half day of work to get the remaining trees and maybe do a little tread work on North Huckleberry Loop. Meet at the Nordic Center Parking Lot.

There are a lot of trees and branches obstructing the trails in the Learning Zone. We’re heading out this Thursday at 3 PM and then again on Saturday at 9 am to clean up the mess. If we get enough bodies, our plan is to send Bryson Schreder with a group of swampers to an area just south of the Nordic Center to get trees, Renee Casterline with pole saws and loppers to clear branches, and yours truly on bike to get the trees on the south end of Huckleberry Loop (bring your bike if you want to cut trees and get a ride). It’s supposed to be 72 degrees and beautiful, so get your butt off the couch, meet some friends, and do some trail work. Meet at the Nordic Center parking lot at 3 pm on Thur (May 14), 9 am on Sat (May 16). We’re going with or without you.

Last Saturday, Taylor and Alex (US Forest Service) hosted/organized a field training session for trail crew leaders. They reviewed safety, tools, and various techniques for repairing/maintaining trails. The group addressed an erosion issue in a drainage on the partially built Cosmic Connector Trail. It was an informative, fun day with lots of interesting rock work.

Thanks Taylor, Alex, Gabriel, Rick, Davis, Bryson, Renee, and Mark! There’s a little more to do at that site and one other, so stay tuned if you like to do rock jigsaw puzzles.

Eight of us showed up to reverse Nature’s rough treatment of the trails. To correct the drainage-created channels on the roadway and GW Trail, we cut two drainage features in the road and then fashioned two “rolling dips” with drains on the trail. We also filled in the dredged-out channels. It looked beautiful.

Oh, we also did the same about 150 yards back up on Moon Doggie.

Thanks to Tobe (new volunteer), Kyle, Ray, Keith, Jessica, Bryson A and Bryson S!

It was a gorgeous day and we had fun. Made new friends…blah, blah, blah.

We’ll be doing the same on Lemurian tomorrow morning—meet at 9 am at the GW Trailhead.