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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.

Meet Mark Telegin.  Meet Mount Shasta City Park’s two newest bridges!  For years, Mark has wanted to complete this bridge over a low spot in “Big Springs Meadow” in Mt. Shasta’s City Park.  This winter drainage is on the northwest end of the park, right next to an old apple tree, along part of the beautiful park trail system maintained by volunteers from the Mount Shasta Trail Association.  The bridge not only improves the hiking experience for visitors to the park, but is built to handle the weight of tractors used for maintenance in the area. 

The second, smaller bridge, was built by Glenn Harvey, and is next to the maintenance shed in the lower area of the main part of the park.  This bridge provides maintenance access to the southern parts of the park.

Materials for the bridges were provided by a combination of private donations (by unnamed individuals such as Mark T******) and a District Grant provided by the Rotary Club of Mount Shasta.

Stop by City Park this fall to enjoy the always improving trail system!  City Park staff have also recently restricted parking near Big Springs, referred to as the Headwaters.  This helped relieve some of the parking congestion in the area nearest the springs.  Hope to see you there!

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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