On June 26, 2019, forty volunteers got together to clean up several areas southeast of Grocery Outlet near the truck stop on Vista Drive off I-5. The team included the Mt. Shasta Trail Association, Clean and Safe Mt. Shasta, Gear Up of Weed (organized by Kelsea Ochs), and citizens of Weed and Mt. Shasta. The City of Weed Public Works Dept. contributed a huge dump truck, a flatbed truck, and a loader with jaws.
The first two photos show some of the mess before our tenacious volunteers got started.
Then, everyone got to work.
Without the help of the Weed Public Works guys, we couldn’t have moved the massive pile of heavy stuff.
The Mount Shasta Trail Association is pleased to announce that John Thomson has joined its Board of Directors.
John has spent a good portion of his entire life in Mt Shasta. As a descendant of a true 49er, he has continued a family tradition of loving the California mountains (his great grandfather was photographing them before Ansel Adams). He learned to ski in the Old Ski Bowl, has climbed THE MOUNTAIN 4 times, and picked up his Dad’s love of exploring and navigating.
Back in 1967 John helped build a family cabin on Hill Rd. More recently, he and his wife Eugenie have remade the cabin into their home and have been true Mt. Shasta full-timers since 2017.
John followed his passion for public transit by getting both an BS and MS in Civil Engineering at Stanford. His career was entirely spent working as a consultant to public transportation agencies, generally in project management or related roles.
His favorite activities are hiking, bike riding, skiing, snow shoeing, photography, exploring and improving his home. Before an old neck injury stopped him, he was a champion sailor.
You can find John leading a hike (or other “wander”) somewhere in our area just about every week as Scribe for the Siskiyou Wanderers.
The Mount Shasta Trail Association is happy to announce that Lynda Hardy has joined its Board of Directors.
Lynda is a long time community leader and has lived and worked in Siskiyou County for 42 years. Now happily retired, Lynda worked for 32 of those years teaching Elementary School in Mount Shasta and Dunsmuir. She was selected and worked as an Educational Science Consultant for the prestigious Lawrence Hall of Science based out of Berkeley, CA.
Lynda was one of the founding members of the Mountain Runners non-profit organization. During her years volunteering for Mountain Runners, she worked as the co-director of many Fourth of July Races and Winter Triathlons. She co-coordinated and grew the Fun Runs successfully and was active in its fundraising campaigns.
An avid skate and backcountry skier, Lynda also continues to hike and mountain bike our local trails. Some of her other interests are sailing and painting.
Recently, Alan Neviolini from City Parks contacted MSTA Board Director Glenn Harvey with a support request. One of the very old raised walkways near the headwaters spring had become dangerous, and Alan asked that our trail crew help repair it to be usable for the rest of the season. So, we did! One part that was funny is that there is so much use in the area that visitors wanted to use the walkway while Glenn’s crew were working on it! The original walkway was built on logs placed directly in the water, and over time they have dissolved – literally. Thanks to Mike Rodriguez for the opportunity to help make this part of the park safe to use again, and thanks to Rotary.
For the most amazing views, join the Mt. Shasta Trail Association on a day hike to pristine Deadfall Lakes and to the top of Mt. Eddy slated for August 3rd. This 10-mile round-trip hike starts out gently on the Pacific Crest Trail at the Parks Creek Trailhead to the multiple lakes and then becomes challenging as we gain 2,250 feet to the summit at 9,025 feet.
Mt. Eddy was formed between some 400 million years ago from peridotite, a volcanic form of serpentine. This type of rock, ultramafic, is high in magnesium and low in calcium, and as such the soils derived from this material constitute a harsh growing medium for most plants. Like with other serpentine areas, the result is that some plants adapt to the harsh conditions, taking advantage of the relative lack of competition, and evolve to become endemic to the site. The iron contained in the rock rusts, giving it its reddish tint. It is the highest mountain in the Trinity Divide — a sub-range of the Klamath Mountains — the highest point in Trinity County, and the highest mountain west of Interstate 5. The mountain was named after Olive Paddock Eddy, the first woman to climb Mt. Shasta. From this majestic peak we will be able to see Lassen Peak, Mt. McLoughlin, the Scott Mountains, the Eddy Range, Black Butte, Castle Crags Spire and of course Mt. Shasta towering over everything in sight.
Participants will meet 8 AM at 111 Morgan Way Mt Shasta, in front of the Best Western Tree House Motor Inn. OR participants can meet the group at 8:30 at the I 5 Edgewood Rd exit on the west side of I-5. Bring lunch, sun protection, a snack and water — and if interested — a bathing suit for a refreshing swim. Hiking poles are recommended. Expect to return by 6 PM. For further questions call John Thomson at 530 926 4430.
On Friday, July 12, we cut, drilled, and collated 100 birdhouses for the giveaway to be handled by Raven Tree store in Mt. Shasta. Thanks to all who participated, esp. Tom Ravizza for creating the model and templates and buying wood, and Kendra Bainbridge (of Raven Tree) for buying hardware and lunch.
On Saturday, July 20th, the Mount Shasta Trail Association invites the public on a moderate 2.5 mile hike with a 600 foot elevation gain to Gray Rock Lakes above the south fork of the Sacramento River. While the trail is a bit of a scramble at times, the spectacular views and the pristine lakes make it well worth the effort. Four-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance are needed to get to the trailhead. We will be carpooling as there is limited parking.
The meeting time and place is 8:00 am at 111 Morgan Way in Mt Shasta, in front of the Best Western Tree House Motor Inn. Bring water, lunch, sun protection and if interested, a bathing suit for a refreshing swim. A hiking pole is recommended. We will return by 4 pm. For further questions call John Thomson at 530-926-4430.
On July 1, 11 volunteers dug, raked, and cleaned up the Chalet Trail segment of the Lake Siskiyou Trail. This is a gem of a trail which you should walk if you haven’t. Park across from the resort tennis courts on W.A. Barr Rd. and drop into the trail on the north end of the parking lot near the pit toilet.
This week’s 4th of July celebration is the kickoff of the Mount Shasta Trail Challenge — running through December 31st. If you weren’t able to pick up a passport at the Street Fair booth, you can go to their website and download a PDF of the passport. Here’s the link
Over the past two years, there has been a big problem with transient encampments in the Mt. Shasta City Park, with hidden campsites and mounds of garbage, sleeping bags, clothing, tents, etc. Since Clean and Safe Mt. Shasta and the Trail Association joined forces with the Mt. Shasta Police Dept., thinning of overgrown brush and prohibiting overnight camping have made a big difference. Numerous encampments were removed, and when I rode my bike through the park on June 25, 2019, I couldn’t find a single encampment. This is how the trails looked on the west side of the river.
