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We’ll be working on the south end of the Ten Gallon Trail (Gateway II) where it connects to MX near Bear Springs this Saturday, Dec. 5 at 10 am. Details can be found here.

Hope to see you there.

You can stay home in your toasty family room tomorrow morning and drink hot butterd rum. The Trail Labs construction crew had to cover slash piles with plastic all week, so didn’t get enough done on the new trail to merit our finish work.

We are cancelling the work day for Saturday, Nov. 21, and will reschedule when weather permits.

Thanks.

JH

Winter is approaching, but that won’t stop us from building trails. We’re having another trail work day this Saturday, Nov. 21, starting at 10 am. We’ll meet at the Ten Gallon turnoff on Everitt Memorial Hwy (I’ll be waiting there with my truck to direct people in). The location is roughly 5.5 miles above the high school on the Everitt.

There is some rock work to do along with finish work near the end of the trail where the latest segment is being added. You’ll need gloves, warm clothes, and water. We’ll bring snacks and some drinks. We’ll probably work from 10 to 1.

If we press forward, we might be able to get this section of trail open for use in the next few weeks!

Thanks.

JH

Just in case you’re wondering…

Yes, we’re still on for tomorrow morning at 9.

It will be kinda cold when we begin, but you’ll warm up fast. You’re tough.

We’ll work unless it’s raining hard (very, very unlikely). Snow would be fun.

To get there, drive up Everitt Memorial Hwy about ¾ of the way to Bunny Flat; I’ll be waiting at the side of the road with my brown Toyota pickup at the 10 Gallon Trailhead turnoff. The drive to the trail is about 3/8 of a mile on a reasonable dirt road with plenty of parking in a wide-open area where the trail starts. You’ll be able to leave anytime. Hope to see you there.

Thanks.

JH

Many thanks to the 12 volunteers who drove out North Shore Rd., hiked up the SC Trail, and worked the trail tread to fill holes and improve drainage. That trail is a lot longer than you think. We finished most of it; at least it will be very nice for late fall and winter riding/hiking. We might head back there soon or wait for some rain and work in the spring.

We had a great morning meeting new people, getting out in nature, and eating junk food (eating sweet rolls and chips and Kit Kat bars wasn’t mandatory).

For those of you on the fence about joining us tomorrow morning, we won’t be driving up the long, rough road to the Sisson Callahan Trail like 2 weeks ago. Instead, we’ll drive up North Shore Road and access the lower portion of Sisson Callahan by crossing the river (which I’m told has rather low flow). This will save us probably 30 minutes driving each way, 30 minutes walking, and will be easier on the vehicles. The weather should be cool and clear, so perfect working conditions. We will finish the project tomorrow!

Meet us at the parking lot just north of the Lake Siskiyou Dam at 9 for a fun-packed morning. Bring an iron rake if you have one (or a McCleod).

Castle Lake is one of the true gems of south Siskiyou County. This swimming, hiking, and kayaking destination has become extremely popular. It has pristine, deep waters, majestic rock formations, and scenic trails to several other lakes, including Heart Lake with its spectacular views.

The trail from Castle to Heart Lake, however, suffers from steep inclines and significant erosion. About halfway up, the trail diverges into a system of braided footpaths, confusing many visiting hikers and damaging sensitive plants.

The Wilderness Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization, recently acquired a privately owned parcel containing much of this trail. They will transfer the parcel to public land to be managed by the US Forest Service sometime in the next year or so to preserve it in perpetuity.

The Mount Shasta Trail Association has a unique opportunity in a brief window of time to improve and clearly identify the trail nearly all the way to Heart Lake. After the trail becomes public land, it will be more complicated and expensive to make these upgrades.

Please become a part of the effort to make the route from Castle Lake to Heart Lake easier, more sustainable, and better defined. Give a gift to nature and to all who want to enjoy this beautiful trail: donate on Giving Tuesday to MSTA for the Heart Lake Trail or donate on this website.

Thirty-one brave souls met at 9 am today, listened patiently to a boring job hazard analysis, and drove the long, ugly rock road (it’s not really gravel) up to the Sisson Callahan Trail where the USFS recently rerouted the trail. All participants worked their a**** off for about three hours in light rain, fine tuning the tread and improving drainage. New friends were made. There were about a dozen less-than-20-year-olds who worked like rented mules (kudos, parents, you’ve done something special). It was a fantastic morning. Many thanks to all who donated their Saturday to this popular trail. Special shoutout to Ed Almeter, who drove up from Chico to help!

By the way, we got so much done that we’re cancelling tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) work day.