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You might want to check out the Gateway Trail website that was recently finished and taken live. It features a lot of content, including the following sections: Location (explores local attractions with links), Expansion (reviews the Gateway project, including a video), Partners (all the folks and organizations who’ve joined us in this endeavor), Stewardship (how to be kind to nature), Frequently Asked Questions (hopefully helpful), and a Donate page. The website should help familiarize locals and out-of-towners with exactly what is being built.

Attached is a map of the three zones planned (Community, Big Mountain, and Learning).

Here’s the link: gatewaytrail.org

Given that several board members have spent this week helping direct the Deadwood Crew as they make progress through extremely dense brush on BMZ-4 of the new Gateway Trail, we’re cancelling any work this Saturday. It’s been hot and difficult up there, and Saturday is scheduled to be 97 degrees. Not wise to take volunteers into those conditions. Stay tuned for the next work day. Our sincerest thanks to the hard-working guys on Deadwood.

We were excited to have three new trail volunteers who just moved here from Texas and promptly jumped in to help on the Heart Lake Trail: Craig, Elizabeth, and Thomas. They can be seen in the photo below; Thomas in the red hat, Elizabeth and Craig to his right (our left). Great to have you. Welcome to Mt. Shasta!

Last Saturday, 14 MSTA trail volunteers were joined by two Trail Labs employees (Alyssa and Vinnie) and three USFS employees (Ryan, Haley, and Joe) to further polish the Heart Lake Trail. The first two photos show Alyssa, Vinnie, Ryan, Haley, and Joe digging in some large rocks to armor a gully to prevent further erosion. This was hard and dirty work, and we thank them for this effort (we need young backs and biceps for this stuff).

The rest of us hiked up to the top of the trail before it drops down to Heart Lake; at that spot, we dug in the rest of the trail and moved logs and rocks into the old trail to obliterate it. One photo shows a new trail worker (Jennifer) hauling a huge log with one of our regulars (John K.). The final photo shows the “alpine work group” at a beautiful vista spot. On the way back down, we tried to block off any side trails that could confuse hikers as to the real route.

There’s a bit more buff-up work to do up there, but the bulk of it is now done! Thanks to everyone who participated (special nod to USFS and Trail Labs). If you use the new trail, be aware that your GPS-based apps may take you off the actual trail until all maps are updated. Please follow the pink ribbons and avoid the many side trails.

We have some more work to do to finish the trail to Heart Lake and I think we can get it all done in one morning. So, let’s meet in the Castle Lake parking lot at 9 am. We’ll hike up, dig in the dirt a bit, move some logs and rocks around to obscure one or two remaining old trail segments, and greet the masses of hikers who will be thanking you profusely. Now doesn’t that sound better than fixing sprinklers at your house? We’ll provide the tools, snacks, and drinks. Plan to be done by noon (or whenever you want to stop). Don’t miss it!!

It was a gorgeous day on the trail to Heart Lake yesterday: clear, breezy, 65-75 degrees. Twelve MSTA volunteers were joined by USFS employees Paul, Haley, and Josh. Brian and Barb drove up from Redding. Five MSTA board members were in attendance. We did some further old trail decommissioning, cut new trail through a brush field to divert around some severely trampled and unsustainable routes, and clearly identified the trail we want all hikers to use by lining the path with rocks. While we worked, more than a hundred people walked by, thanking us as they passed. We’re thinking about finishing the project next Saturday; stay tuned for news.

This is your chance to contribute to the beautiful, less steep, more scenic, better-identified trail from Castle Lake to Heart Lake. Quite a bit of work has already been done, including that of nine Wanderers this morning, but more remains. You can choose from obliterating the old trail segments that were problematic, finishing some rock work on the switchbacks, improving the tread, cutting a brush field, or doing some fine rock work to clearly identify a single path in the Alpine zone (upper segment). Or just come to see all the volunteers and marvel at the trail. It will be a fun morning.

Hope to see you there!