Author: John Harch

The US Forest Service just finished some heavy work to revise and reroute the Sisson Callahan Trail, but it needs some finish work by volunteers.

The Mount Shasta Trail Association, BikeShasta, Shasta Gravity Adventures, and Trail Labs Co are combining forces to sponsor the volunteer work this weekend. This is your chance to get out there, get dirty, and touch up a fantastic trail.

Here’s the plan:

1. If it’s not raining significantly (we’ll work in light rain) and the AQI is < 100, we’ll meet in the parking lot just north of the Lake Siskiyou Dam at 9 am on Saturday, Oct 10. The address is 2400 WA Barr Rd for out-of-towners. Assemble near the restrooms.
2. We’ll caravan (carpool for those who are comfortable) up South Fork Rd and then to the second cement wash.
3. Bring your own lunch and some water (we’ll provide some snacks, water, bubbly, etc.).
4. We’ll have loppers, iron rakes, and McCleods, but you can bring your own if you have them.
5. Appropriate personal protective equipment includes long sleeve shirts, pants, boots, gloves, and hardhats. We will bring some hardhats.
6. You’ll be asked to sign a volunteer sheet and listen to a short “job hazard analysis.”
7. We’ll work from 9 to about 1, but you can leave anytime, or stay longer.
8. Some may wish to ride up in the back of pickups with their bikes, then bicycle out.

On Sunday, repeat!

Feel free to share this notice widely.

Thanks.

John Harch, MSTA

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Twenty volunteers showed this morning to make the library and Sisson Meadow look good. Rarely have I seen a crew work this hard. Love to see so many people who believe that cleaning up makes their community a better place. We had fun, too. Check out the before, after, and crew photos.

Don’t forget that we’ll be tackling the weeds behind the MS Library on Tuesday, Aug 4, at 9 am. Bring weed whackers, rakes, and wheelbarrows.We’re gonna have so much fun. Photo of the jungle below.

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Feeling so cooped up that you’re smacking the cat? Gained 5 pounds because you eat every time you walk by the kitchen?

Let’s meet at 9 am on Tues, Aug 4 to clean up the jungle that has grown in Sisson Meadow behind the MS library. We’ll stay 6 ft apart (or more) in the fresh air and get some exercise (and make our city look good).

Glenn Harvey and I will bring lots of tools, but you can also bring weed whackers, rakes, loppers, gloves, and water. It’s OK if you just want to work for 30 minutes; we’d still like to see you. When it gets warm, we’ll quit (you, however, can quit any time you want). I doubt anyone will work past noon.

Hope to see you.

JH

There is continued monumental interest in Mossbrae Falls, as evidenced by a recent report of more than 800 people walking down the RR tracks to the falls on a single weekend. Efforts by locals and visitors to escape the confines of their homes in Covid-19 times have increased this activity.

The Mount Shasta Trail Association, in concert with the City of Dunsmuir and Union Pacific Railroad, is pleased to announce early progress on a safe, scenic route to the falls. This proposed trail will start at the Hedge Creek Falls Trailhead, pass by Hedge Creek Falls down to the Sacramento River, where a pedestrian bridge will cross the river to the west side. The trail will continue along the river below the RR tracks to the falls.

The City of Dunsmuir has signed a preliminary engineering agreement with Union Pacific Railroad to explore the complex issues surrounding this proposed trail. In the words of a UP official, “…the agreement allows the stakeholders to progress design plans through UP’s formal engineering process, allowing the parties to take a step toward the final decision on the feasibility of constructing the trail without negatively impacting UP operations or the stability of the site.”

We are still a long way from having this trail become a reality, but these are very encouraging developments. If successful, the project will cost approximately $1 million. For all those who visit this spectacular site or support the concept of a safe trail, please consider a donation to the Mount Shasta Trail Association at mountshastatrailassociation.org.

Ten volunteers cleaned up an access road off Old McCloud yesterday. The attached photo shows Mary Marcina (who identified the mess) barking orders to the crew like a master sergeant as they gather up a discarded, plastic, above-ground pool. It didn’t take this eager crew long to finish the job.

Considerable work has already been done to convert the previously illegal “MX” trail (also known by some as Lower Bear Springs) to a legal part of Gateway II. Some problems have been fixed, the flow has been greatly improved, and several features added. Also, a reroute is being done to avoid the dangerous drop onto Old McCloud Rd. The second photo shows bikers riding the trail while work is ongoing.

For all those asking, the seasonal bridges at the delta area of Lake Siskiyou were installed yesterday. Hurray! Thanks to our County work crews.