It's been a great start with snow on the mountain, water filling the lakes and rivers, the City of Mt. Shasta, Dunsmuir, Weed and McCloud buzzing with tourists! Enjoying a sacred site/scenic tour of the beauty and sounds of Lower McCloud Falls. Luciana loving Faery Falls on a Sacred/Scenic Tour. First time snowshoers already getting hooked and talking about bringing the snowboard for the way down! These two women are originally from Florida and are traveling nurses who wanted to check out snowshoeing on Mt. Shasta! Yep...I needed a picture of me on snowshoes.
I will be gone from Jan 30 through Feb. 15 traveling in Hawaii! The mountain showing off...I did a little bit of magic to this picture! It looks like the weather is cooperating and more snow to come. The ski park will be open too(this Friday)! Looking at Mt. Shasta Tuesday morning. A bit flat light, cold and windy. The snow on the lower slopes were surprisingly good! Castle Lake is only partial frozen. There are a few areas that haven't froze. Be smart and don't walk out on the lake. We still need more snow at the Castle Lake area for skiing! It looks like we are going to have a spectacular Holiday Season with snow and fun, fun and more fun! Thinking about snowshoeing or going on a scenic tour~ Now's the time to book a tour! Now is a great time to order my newest 2nd Edition, 2nd Printing book, "Mount Shasta Fun to Guide" as a great gift for the Holidays!
WE'VE BEEN GETTING A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING WITH THE COLORS CHANGING AND A TEASE OF SNOW FALLING! This was on the last day of September. A nice welcoming to October. Darmera peltata, it's scientific name is a flowering plant, the only species within the genus Darmera in the family Saxifragaceae. It is a slowly spreading rhizomatous perennial native to mountain streamsides in woodland in the western United States. Indian rhubarb has stalks that are edible and often used in pies; its leaves are not edible. Fall is a beautiful time of year to visit Mt. Shasta. It looks like the weather is going to be nice for October!
There's actually quite a bit of snow in this one section of lower Avalanche Gulch. I would be surprised if it all melts out before the next snowfall. I've been wondering about the trees. This was the worst section. The mountain is so fragrant of coyote mint (pennyroyal) right now. It smells so refreshing and minty! I love hiking to this area and seeing the variety of wildflowers. It's so colorful! The mountain road is finally opened to the Old Ski Bowl. All trail heads are accessible. Summer is still here!
Now's a great time to Book a tour and Buy my book. This summer so far has been excellent! Mostly cooler temperatures, no fires and a spectacular wildflower display. Here are a few different orchids in our area. This is a nice cozy home for a bear. I've been seeing lots of bear prints and scat around. They are definitely out and about! This was a very exciting find. It's called Round-leaf Sundew. It captures insects with sticky-tipped hairs and digests the insects nutrients, a process that takes 24-48 hours. I decided to take a swim and it was so refreshing! The weather has been perfect for hiking! Check out my new 2nd Edition, 2nd Printing book, "Mount Shasta Guide to Fun" for some great ideas! The Everitt Memorial Highway up Mt. Shasta will have the gate open from Bunny Flat to the Old Ski Bowl on Monday August 12, 2019. I think this is the latest date in history. We had a snowpack 141% above normal and it's taken awhile for it to melt!
This is one of my favorite short hikes in the area. It has recently had major improvements to the lower section of the trail making it more accessible for hiking. It was a gorgeous day! These flowers are part of the aster family. Bigelow’s sneezeweed is named after J.M. Bigelow, a plant collector on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey in the 1850s. On the way to the Upper Lake offers spectacular views of Mt. Shasta! ![]() Labrador Tea also known as Trapper's Tea was a valued beverage by European settlers and traders. These Arabians can be seen from the Stewart Springs Road on the way up to the Caldwell Lakes trailhead.
The weather is feeling a lot like summer~Book a trip NOW! This was one of those spontaneous trips to the Lava Beds National Monument. I needed two pictures for my 2nd Edition, 2nd Printing Book, "Mount Shasta Guide to Fun". My history with Lava Beds National Monument started back in the early 1990's. I worked there as a YCC Crew leader and began giving bus tours after that. I still do bus tours and private tours to this area. Now is a great time to book a tour! Petroglyph Point is very unique with its carvings and and legends of how this cliff was formed. Many birds live in here too! This is the site where General Canby was murdered by Captain Jack, the leader of the Modocs during a peace offering on April 11, 1875. This is the entrance into Valentine Cave, one of my favorites! Valentine Cave with all it stalactites and interesting geologic features. Take a stroll through the cave and don't forget your flashlight! My 2nd Edition, 2nd Printing of my book, "Mount Shasta Guide to Fun" will be available on the Fourth of July. It has new updates and 35 pages of added colored pictures!
I will have a booth at the 4th of July festivities in Mt. Shasta. my book "Mt. Shasta Guide to Fun", One-Of-A-Kind Photos of the Mt. Shasta area and my tour guide services will be available! This is what Bunny Flat looks like for June 11, 2019. It happens every few years where we have snow this low through June into July. Climbing season is in full swing. This is what it looks like on weekends now! For more information, check out shastaavalanche.org. You never know what people what to do on a tour. Oksana is a clothes designer and wanted to pose on Mt. Shasta. I asked her if I can post this picture. This lovely couple travels all over the world with a instagram following of over 64,000 followers. They are exploring the entire California State from New Zealand. Check out their site www.instagram.com/barekiwi and also their blog bare kiwi.com The lakes and rivers are looking really good. All the snow equals lots of water! Now is a great to book a tour for the summer months!
We've been having crazy weather this week and it looks like into the weekend! Memorial Weekend is always a mixed bag for weather. https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/96067:4:US All the waterfalls in our area are flowing great with all the snow and rain we've been having. Now's a good time to go on a scenic waterfalls tour. This guy likes to hangout at Lower McCloud Falls especially when people are fishing. Widespread and familiar (though often called "crane"), the largest heron in North America. Often seen standing silently along inland rivers or lakeshores, or flying high overhead, with slow wingbeats, its head hunched back onto its shoulders. ..Touring Castle Lake with Marisol and her mother Victoria from Southern California. This group came from all different places including New Orleans, Georgia, Southern California and Australia. The snow and weather didn't stop them having fun! This picture was taken on Mt. Shasta at 6,950 ft. A 45 minute drive north of Mt. Shasta is Greenhorn Park located in Yreka. The lupines are going off right now. Just walking through offers an incredible scent! The park also has walking paths and excellent birding opportunities! It's official! Mt. Shasta Fun Guide Tours & Adventures. Book a tour now for the summer season.
We've been having spring like conditions for skiing, following a bit of rain in town for the wildflower blooms and yep...more snow coming this week! We always get very interesting clouds before a storm arrives. It looks like more rain coming and snow at the higher elevations~ https://www.shastaavalanche.org/weather/forecasts/current-bunnyflat The Mt. Shasta snowpack around these areas are still in great condition.
Freshies await... |