Author: Trail Association

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.

The recent rains have eroded a segment of the Gateway Trail where it intersects the bottom of Moon Doggie. We want to fix it and we’re trying a new format with an afternoon, weekday time. Let’s meet at the Gateway Trailhead on Everitt Memorial Hwy (1/2 mile above the high school) at 3 pm. We can drive the short distance or walk in. Work requires some digging and raking to prevent water from continuing to run down the trail. Join us for a hike, some gabbing, or some work. We just want to see you. We’ll quit by 6 pm, but you can leave anytime.

There’s also going to be another workday (likely in the same area) on Saturday, April 25 starting at 9 am.

Hear ye, hear ye!

For the chainsaw field day training, the time has been changed from 9:30 am to 11 am to allow the rain to pass. Meet at the USFS Office (204 Alma St. in Mt. Shasta) at 11 am and we’ll drive to the field site. That’s tomorrow, Wed. April 22, 2026.

Spread the word.

MSTA will be working with SORA and Renee Casterline and Bryson Schreder to host 22 workdays between now and mid-November.  See below:

Trail stewardship season is getting underway! SORA and Mt. Shasta Trail Association are excited to announce the first volunteer trail work sessions of the season! To capitalize on soil moisture, we’re going to start by working lower in the Gateway Trail System starting next week. We’ll be working Thursday, April 23rd with a start time of 3pm and Saturday, April 25th at 9am. Meet at the Gateway Trailhead on Everitt Memorial Highway for both sessions. Please come dressed for trail work – pants, sturdy shoes or boots, long sleeves and gloves – and ready for whatever the spring weather might throw at us. MSTA will be providing tools and hard hats. 

In 2026, we’re offering something the community has been asking for: a set volunteer work day schedule. See the attached flyer for exact dates, and know that generally what we’re aiming for is afternoon/evening on the second and fourth Thursdays, and Saturday mornings. We’ll announce exact details prior to each work session and you can find those dates on the SORA website or by using the QR code on the flyer. We may need to make some adjustments along the way, so make sure you’re subscribed to the SORA email list and watching social media from Mt. Shasta Trail Association, Bike Shasta and SORA. 

We’re really hoping that the afternoon/evening Thursday session provide an opportunity for folks who can’t make it to the Saturday work days. We’ll keep Thursday’s short – just 2 or 3 hours – with the aim to make these easy to access for flexibility. We’d love to see you out there! 

I will try to be there for most of these workdays and may add a few sudden, stealth outings for problems that arise, like downed trees or trail washouts.

J Harch