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This is your chance to work on one of the new Gateway Trail segments. We’ll be meeting on Old McCloud Rd. at 9 am. From south Mt. Shasta Blvd., go east on Old McCloud about 2 miles, cross the RR tracks, and a short distance further you’ll see my brown pickup with the MSTA tool trailer. We’ll be lopping roots, raking tread, and doing other finish work on the recently cut-in trails. It doesn’t require much hiking. We plan to work from 9 to 12, but you can leave anytime you wish.

See you there!

A group of 13 hardy and intrepid volunteers braved cold, blustery conditions to cover slash piles on the new Gateway Trails yesterday, assisted by a USFS employee. Thanks to all who showed up. The piles will be burned later this season. Others not pictured were sent to different trails on bikes.

This past year, MSTA partnered with the USFS, the Wilderness Land Trust, Trail Labs, the Deadwood crew, and a bunch of super-eager volunteers to create a better route to Heart Lake. Numerous hikers have emphatically stated that the new trail is a huge improvement over the preexisting, confusing maze of trails. The new switchbacks have also provided fantastic views of Castle Lake.

This Saturday, Oct. 16, at 9 am, we’re going to install some directional signs on the new trail. One will be at the parking lot and others will be placed higher on the trail. We do have three USFS employees scheduled to help carry water, cement, posts, and tools, but we need others to help with the schlepping, digging, and shouting of orders. You can also lean on a shovel, heckle people mercilessly as they work, and eat donuts.

If you don’t want to climb up the trail, we’ll put you on the team working next to the parking lot. We’ll have all tools and supplies. The weather should be fantastic, so don’t stay on the couch. Meet us there, get some exercise, and have some fun.

Many thanks to the 21 volunteers (!!!!!!!!) who showed up to prep the walkway from the library to Sisson Meadow for pavement resealing. It required digging, hacking, scraping, weed whacking, and blowing to expose all of the pavement. There were no casualties and we finished the job before 11:30. The turnout was amazing, including the entire Etkin clan and many of the usual suspects. Stay tuned for the next work day.

We’ll be clearing weeds and brush behind the Mt. Shasta Library tomorrow morning at 9 (Saturday, August 28) so that Rotary can reseal the pavement leading to Sisson Meadow. Bring water, gloves, weed whackers, rakes, wheelbarrows. If you don’t have tools, we’ll have quite a few. Come help for an hour!