Hike Mt. Shasta

Autumn glory in Lamoille Canyon.

Fall is my favorite time of year because of the changing light, cooler days and the kaleidoscope of colors that burst into the scenery. Over the last several years we have developed a habit of taking a longer trip in the fall. For the first few years, we headed down to the Mammoth area and enjoyed the fall color that makes the Eastern Sierra magical this time of year. Last year, we got a little more ambitious and made the trek down to Arizona. This year, we decided to both return to our ways and change things up yet again. First, we headed out to eastern Nevada, to enjoy the autumn scenery of the Great Basin. We enjoyed the Ruby Mountains and Great Basin National Park, both of which were fantastic. After that, we headed back to Mammoth Lakes for a few days in the Eastern Sierra. The scenery the entire was magnificent.

The weather on the trip was off and on, generally gorgeous but we had a night of rain in Nevada and a morning of snow in California. The latter, in particular, actually enhanced our visit, since the mountains were covered in the winter’s first layer of snow. It made for many memorable vistas throughout the Mammoth Lakes region.

The Hike Mt Shasta kids had a grand time, of course. Whether it was building dragon villages along Lamoille Creek, scampering over granite waterfalls or fishing out of beaver ponds (with success!), it was a terrific experience and an awesome first in depth exposure to the allure of the Great Basin.

I don’t know what next year’s trip will entail. A roadtrip to Dallas and back has been discussed. Another possibility that has been suggested is heading back to Arizona, but this time spending the preponderance of the trip in the Sonoran Desert, which was unanimously enjoyed by family last year. Perhaps we will head up to Steens Mountain in Oregon and points east. The potential is endless.