 Castle Lake Road First off, a BIG Thank You to the county who has done an excellent job this season keeping the mountain road and Castle Lake Road in good driving conditions. For the past week Castle Lake Road has been closed due to lots of snow. It finally opened Friday afternoon at 3:30. Yep...we got first tracks!  Left Peak, Castle Lake A nice skin up to the top of Left Peak.  Castle Spire, Castle Crags Wilderness, Ski, Snow A view of Castle Spire, Castle Crags Wilderness  My favorite ski partners! Gerald and Bluey ready for the descent!  Castle Lake, Mt. Shasta Skiing to a lovely sunset!  Heading up, up, up! The next day...  Cornice buildup, Castle Lake Ridge Loving the nice cornice build ups along the ridges.  Mt. Shasta Alien...Heading this way! President's Week has brought snow, rain and snow on and around Mt. Shasta!  Avalanche Gulch This is a very large avalanche that occurred after a rain/snow event on the mountain. Fortunately, the gate was closed at the lower part of the mountain and nobody was up there.  Keep on smiling!  Looking Giddy! Untracked Freshies!  My ski partners....Gerald and Bluey! Gerald Spini a native of Mt. Shasta. been climbing and skiing the mountain all his life. He holds three climbing records from the 1960's. At the age of 81, he still skis as much as possible with his dog Bluey.
 Horse Camp, Mt. Shasta The end of November has brought the goods! There's enough snow to ski and snowshoe on Mt. Shasta. Now is a great time to book a tour for the holidays!  Castle Lake, Mt. Shasta Castle Lake has received a few inches of snow so far. The road is plowed. It's always a good idea to be prepared and carry a shovel and chains.  Shasta Fir Moon I love those early morning ski tours!  Lenticular Clouds, Mt. Shasta My saying is, "You never know until you go"!
 Mt. Shasta's Lenticular's going off! Shasta's famous Lenticular Clouds. What are Lenticular Clouds? They are stationary clouds that form in the troposphere typically in perpendicular alignment to the wind direction. They are often comparable in appearance to a lens or flying saucer.  Golden Autumn Foliage  Old Ski Bowl The Old Ski Bowl is still very inviting. Don't forget this is the last week before the gate is closed at Bunny Flat. Then it's walking, bicycling and waiting for snow!  Black Butte Black Butte is one of the best hikes for views of Mt. Shasta. Now is a good time to hike it. Check out my book, "Mount Shasta Guide to Fun" for details or hire me as your personal guide.  Along the McCloud River Colors are still peaking along the McCloud River and many other places in our area. Looks like weather may be coming with clouds and a little bit of rain. Get out and play before the real fun is here!
 Bunny Flat, Mt. Shasta WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START THE MONTH OF OCTOBER! This month is looking really good on weather and nice temperatures. The autumn colors are starting to change with pizzazz.  Beautiful Autumn Colors  Castle Lake, Mt. Shasta Snow is coming and let's hope for lots!
In the meantime fall is here and it's a beautiful time to visit our area. Cooler temperatures and smoke free skies makes it a great time to visit the beautiful Mt. Shasta area.  Fall is here! Mt. Shasta is known for the unique cloud formations known as Lenticular Clouds. There's lot of mystery and intrigue about this clouds. Some say these clouds are known as fueling stations for the UFO's coming through.  Medicine Lake Highlands I took a drive over to the Medicine Lake Highlands Volcanic Area. I really love this area. It's known as the largest shield volcano in California. Wanna learn more...come on a tour!  Mt. Shasta Fall Colors I took this picture back in 2015. One of my favorite spots located right in Mt. Shasta. Colors are just starting. It looks like October can be a great time to check it out! IT'S STILL A BIT SMOKEY BUT SEEMS TO BE GETTING BETTER. THE HIGHER YOU GO, THE CLEARER IT GETS!  MT. SHASTA'S NORTH SIDE My friend Steve Lewis and I took a hike on the north side of Mt. Shasta Saturday and found solitude, blue skies and fun conversation!  HEADING UP THE DRAINAGE We hiked up the ridge of this drainage noticing a lot of erosion and avalanche activity that happened in the past. This area is not well traveled making this adventure that more exciting.  HOTLUM GLACIER We hiked up to the top of this ridge for better views of the glacier.  CLOSE UP OF HOTLUM GLACIER This glacier is known as the Hotlum Glacier. Hotlum is known to be the largest glacier in volume on Mt. Shasta. This glacier and 3 other glaciers on Mt. Shasta were named by John Wesley Powell, famous for leading the first party down the Colorado River. He was appointed as the 2nd Geological Director and at this time named the glaciers on Mt. Shasta. These include the Hotlum meaning Steep Rock, Bolam meaning Great, Wintu after the Wintun Tribe and Konwakiton meaning Muddy.  LOWER ICEFALL ON HOTLUM GLACIER Here's a close up on the lower icefalls on the Hotlum Glacier.  White Bark Pine The White Bark Pine is a common tree on Mt. Shasta above tree line. It grows up to around 9,000 ft. The seeds from the cones are an important food resource for the Clarks Nutcracker. They collect thousands of seeds and bury them for future stashes. WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT MT. SHASTA...BOOK A SEPTEMBER TOUR!
The new word is "Smokey"~75% of California is now under smoke. The best place to get out of the smoke...  Old Ski Bowl, Mt. Shasta August 10, 2018 It has been very smokey for a while how. I find more blue skies up, up, up!  Panther Meadows, Mt. Shasta The wildflowers on Mt. Shasta are still happening!  Panther Spring, Mt. Shasta Panther Springs is known to be on several sacred sites on Mt. Shasta. It has religious significance to the Wintu (Winnemun) Tribe and they continue to hold ceremonies there. For more information, check out my book, "Mount Shasta Guide to Fun".  Bunny Flat, Mt. Shasta The lupines and rabbitbrush are very colorful in the Bunny Flat Meadows. Wanna get out of as much smoke as possible, come up here to Mt. Shasta!
This is a great time to explore and enjoy the wildflowers. There are many varieties. Here are a few in bloom right now!  Shasta Lily The Shasta Lily's latin name is known as Lilium washingtonianum. Lilium is the latin word for this genus, and washingtonianum is for Martha Washington. These grow all around the Mt. Shasta area.  Naked Mariposa Lily Naked Mariposa Lily's latin name is Calochortus nudus. It is endemic to Northern California and grows along the Sisson-Callahan Trail.  Mt. Eddy Lupine Mt. Eddy Lupine it's latin name Lupinus lapidicola is a rare species of Lupine and endemic to California. It can be found in the Mt. Eddy area in the Klamath Mountain Range.  Hyacinth Brodiaea Hyacinth Brodiaea also known as it's latin name Trileleia huacinthina like to grow in meadows. I saw these along Sisson-Callahan Trail.  Beargrass Beargrass known in latin as Xerophyllum tenax is a very interesting flower. Native peoples made the leaves into capes, baskets and hats. Lewis and Clark had Beargrass rain hats made for their crew. In spring, bears consume the softer, fleshy lease bases; hence the common name reference.  Great Blazing Star Great Blazing Star known in latin as Mentzelia laevicaulis has a very vivacious look to it. It grows down the street where I live. This flower is definitely a gem to see. Many people travel a long ways to see these wildflowers!
There are many wildflowers blooming including the Crimson Columbine, Tiger Lily, Arnicas, Shooting Stars and many more. . Come a guided tour for the best viewing! Everitt Memorial Highway now open to the Old Ski Bowl. Old Ski Bowl The mountain road is now open to the Old Ski Bowl. Lots of great hiking and exploring in this area. Come on Scenic Tours and learn more! Wildflower Update... When I saw this Western Azalea Bush so pink, I thought of the 4th of July. This is the most pink I've ever seen and it stood out!  Western Azaleas in full bloom.  I all I say is "WOW" Come on a wildflower hike and learn about what is in bloom and the best places to view wildflowers.  Tiger Lily  Dragon Fly Up Close A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, infraorder, Anisoptera . Adult dragonflies are characterized by large, multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body.  Black-tail Deer There's lots of wildlife out there especially with the warmer temperatures. Please drive slowly and be on the lookout. MUSIC STREET FAIR MUSIC IN MT. SHASTA  Sunset on Black Butte Everyone have a fun and safe 4th of July Week. I still have availability for tours. Give me a call 530-926-3250.
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We Would Love to Have You Visit Soon!
All tours and trips are operated through Mt. Shasta Fun Guide under special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service, are fully insured and operate on a non-discriminatory basis.
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