Category: Mount Shasta Area Trails

On July 1, 11 volunteers dug, raked, and cleaned up the Chalet Trail segment of the Lake Siskiyou Trail. This is a gem of a trail which you should walk if you haven’t. Park across from the resort tennis courts on W.A. Barr Rd. and drop into the trail on the north end of the parking lot near the pit toilet.

This week’s 4th of July celebration is the kickoff of the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge — running through December 31st.  If you weren’t able to pick up a passport at the Street Fair booth, you can go to their website and download a PDF of the passport.  Here’s the link

Over the past two years, there has been a big problem with transient encampments in the Mt. Shasta City Park, with hidden campsites and mounds of garbage, sleeping bags, clothing, tents, etc. Since Clean and Safe Mt. Shasta and the Trail Association joined forces with the Mt. Shasta Police Dept., thinning of overgrown brush and prohibiting overnight camping have made a big difference. Numerous encampments were removed, and when I rode my bike through the park on June 25, 2019, I couldn’t find a single encampment. This is how the trails looked on the west side of the river.

JH

On Wed., June 26, at 9 am, the following groups are combining forces to clean up an illegal dump site/campground in Weed, just east and south of Grocery Outlet: Gear Up of Weed, the City of Weed, Clean and Safe Mt. Shasta, and the Mt. Shasta Trail Association. We already have commitment from Kelsea Ochs of Gear Up to bring about 20 kids and adults, and with 10-20 people from MSTA and Clean and Safe, we could have over 50 volunteers.

The City of Weed has agreed to provide 2 dump trucks and a flatbed, and pay dump fees.

Please reach out to friends in Weed, and anyone else concerned enough about trash to give up a couple hours in the morning. We’ll meet on the street between Grocery Outlet and Taco Bell. Bring gloves, water, boots and long pants. We’re working on getting drinks and snacks.

Ready to have some fun with garbage?

JH

Thank you to all who joined us at last night’s MSTA Annual Meeting!

Links from the presentations:

• Mt Shasta Trail Challenge Facebook event (webpage coming soon)
• Gateway 2 public comments link (closes at midnight on June 10)
• Shasta Gravity Adventures
• Siskiyou Wanderers
• Siskiyou Land Trust Sisson Meadow enhancement survey
• Ryan Spitz California Untamed trailer

 

We had a very successful cleanup at the Spring Hill Trailhead yesterday (Sat., June 1) with about 22 volunteers, including about a dozen boy scouts and five or six of their leaders. We got going a bit after 8, and were done before 11 due to the great turnout.

Thanks to all who helped.

JH

Please join the Mount Shasta Trail Association on Thursday June 6, 2019, at 6 pm, at the Weed Community Center for our annual meeting. Beer, wine and appetizers provided!

We’ll review the considerable progress made on the following important projects:

1. The Gateway Phase 2 Trail proposal, a 45-mile addition to the existing 10.7 miles of the existing Gateway network on national forest lands.
2. Work to create a safe trail to Mossbrae Falls (yes, it’s mind-bending to think this might happen).
3. Numerous work parties to maintain trails and clean up messes left by those who can’t be named.
4. Further expansion and improvement of the City Park to Downtown Greenway Trail.
5. Changes to the Lake Siskiyou Trail: a defined trail has been completed through the campground, and future ideas for a permanent bridge over the delta are being considered.

There will be short presentations by several guests, including one on the new Siskiyou Outdoor Recreation Alliance and another on the upcoming Mount Shasta Trail Challenge & Celebration.

NOTE THE NEW LOCATION FOR THIS MEETING: this year we are gathering at the extremely new and nice Weed Community Center that is located at 161 East Lincoln Avenue, adjacent to Charles Byrd Park. From I-5, take Hwy 97 north about 1 mile to Lincoln Ave., turn right, go ¼ mile, and the community center is on your left.

Beer, wine, and appetizers will be served from 6 pm to 7 pm, with presentations from 7 pm to 8 pm.

If you miss it, we will eat all the food and drink the beer and wine meant for you.

Hope to see you there.

MSTA Board

The US Forest Service is hosting a trail workshop on June 29 and 30. Click on this link to see details.Trail Stewardship Summit Flyer

 

On Saturday, June 1, from 8 am to noon, we’ll be having a spruce up of the Spring Hill trailhead and parking lot areas. We’ll have tools, but if you want to bring something, a weed whacker or rake would work, along with gloves and water. It will be light work. Show up anytime.

I realize that this conflicts with the BikeShasta work day on the Sisson Callahan Trail, but it was the only day the Boy Scouts could do this, and I promised to schedule with them months ago. So, if weed whacking isn’t your thing, remember to show up for the BikeShasta work event.

Here is a photo of the weeds at Spring Hill on Tuesday, 5/21. They will be about a foot taller on the 1st, I bet.

JH

For those of you who missed the recent chainsaw certification class, and who are irrational enough to donate 3 days of your time, there’s a second chance. Josh McNulty of the USFS is conducting a class for firefighters on May 28, 29, and 30 from 9:30-3:30 and has graciously offered to include trail volunteers who wish to become more proficient with their saws. You do need to also obtain CPR training to get the certificate.

I can say that those of us who participated 10 days ago learned what we should have known about chainsaws years ago. It was fantastic, and free!

I should add that I will be offering a mini course at my house (soon) to try to impart what I learned, but I must admit that I am an unworthy neophyte who can only parrot the basics to others. Josh, Josiah, and Mark are the real experts, and they make it fun.

If you want to attend, call Josh at 925-1047, or email him at Joshua.mcnulty@usda.gov

Thanks.

JH