Mount Shasta Trail Association
Inspire • Create • Conserve
Here’s an opportunity to give back to the land we love. On Saturday September 24th, the Forest Service is hosting a work event on the McCloud River loop. The 24th is National Public Lands Day, and the work will focus on sign installation and trail brushing. For more information, see the poster below.
Hello all you Mount Shasta Trail Association treasure hunters out there. Congratulations to those of you that have found some treasures, and a big congratulations to those of you that have found all of them!
This announcement is to let you know that it is not too late to continue hunting for treasures because each time you find a treasure your name will be added to the MSTA grand prize drawing, which will be on September 5th. At that time , we will reveal all the treasures and the grand prize winner. The last day to post treasures to our website will be September 4th.
Thanks for playing and thanks for supporting the Mount Shasta Trail Association.
Lynda Hardy
Below is a link to the press release that announces SORA’s (Siskiyou Outdoor Recreation Alliance’s) receipt of a $1.1 mil grant to dramatically increase the facilities at the Nordic Center and to build 5 miles of new trail in the Gateway Trail System. While this is an amazing benefit for all the back-country skiers and snowshoers, it also means that MSTA now has an additional five miles of trail construction funded.
The press release also shows the map of planned trails and how they fit together. Note that SORA’s grant will fund the key connector trails currently identified as BMZ-8, 9, 13, and 14 (seen in orange on the map, with arrows and labels). MSTA will soon be posting updates on other trails recently constructed in the system and those will be available on the Gateway Trail website, gatewaytrail.org
This is a big deal.
https://siskiyououtdooralliance.org/news/sora-awarded-11m-rpp-grant
To begin your search for the last trail treasure, start at the trail that connects Sisson to the Scott Valley. Follow the historic trail up the lower portion on the North “utensil” until you find a creek crossing. The boulder causeway is the last trail treasure.
Here are the rules of the hunt. Each time you locate a treasure, send us a photo or description of the treasure along with your contact information to: mtshastatrail@gmail.com. Then, your name will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize. In addition, the first person to locate each new treasure will receive their choice of a prize, and their name will be placed into the grand prize drawing. For example, if you find 5 treasures your name will be added five times to the grand prize drawing.
As the summer goes by quickly, we’re now at the penultimate MSTA Trail Challenge Treasure Hunt.
To begin your search for the seventh trail treasure, start at a high mountain lake that reminds you of sticky shoes. Continue past the campground and kiosk and cross a small rock dam. Hike a short distance around the lake until you find two large pines and a small circle of carnivorous plants. Trek up the trail for approximately 15- 20 minutes. You will the will find the smaller namesake of the lower lake. This is the trail treasure.
Here are the rules of the hunt. Each time you locate a treasure, send us a photo or description of the treasure along with your contact information to: mtshastatrail@gmail.com. Then, your name will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize. In addition, the first person to locate each new treasure will receive their choice of a prize, and their name will be placed into the grand prize drawing. For example, if you find 5 treasures your name will be added five times to the grand prize drawing.
If you’d like to have a say in the naming of the new Gateway Trails, go to this website created by Bike Shasta and vote. There are several options for each trail.
To begin your search for the sixth trail treasure, travel up the mountain looking for a the trailhead that is named for a large wild feline. The treasure will be found in a tract of moist low lying land. This plant is a favorite of the voles living there.
Here are the rules of the hunt. Each time you locate a treasure, send us a photo or description of the treasure along with your contact information to: mtshastatrail@gmail.com. Then, your name will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize. In addition, the first person to locate each new treasure will receive their choice of a prize, and their name will be placed into the grand prize drawing. For example, if you find 5 treasures your name will be added five times to the grand prize drawing.
We’re having one more trail work day before a little break. We need to clear the St. Barnabas Trail using weed whackers and brush hogs. We’ll plan to start at 8 am and finish before 10. We have six, powered weed-eating machines. We’ll need some raking done too.
Meet in the St. Barnabas parking lot around 8 (although you can come anytime afterward and leave when you wish). That’s tomorrow, Thursday, July 21.
This is what you’ve all been waiting for! The annual Spring Hill Trailhead cleanup with Boy Scout Troop 97!
To avoid the heat, we’ll start at 6 pm. It usually takes an hour or two. Bring weed whackers and rakes, although we’ll have a number of them, as well as two, walk-behind string trimmers. This is a fun event and an opportunity to see the Boy Scouts show off their work ethic.
Come to help or come to harass.
To begin your search for the fifth trail treasure, start at the trailhead that is at the one mile marker of the highway named after a forest supervisor who died fighting the Bear Springs Fire. Travel along the main trail. After crossing a newly build causeway you will see your first glance a basaltic andesite outcropping that looks like a prow of a ship. Find the formation that is remnants of the Sand Flat Cone. This was one of the first of the Mount Shasta flows, which occurred around 600,000 years ago.
Here are the rules of the hunt. Each time you locate a treasure, send us a photo or description of the treasure along with your contact information to: mtshastatrail@gmail.com. Then, your name will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize. In addition, the first person to locate each new treasure will receive their choice of a prize, and their name will be placed into the grand prize drawing. For example, if you find 5 treasures your name will be added five times to the grand prize drawing.
