Hike Mt. Shasta

Snow blowing off of Mount Shasta catches the light of the rising sun.

Well, it has been a disappointingly dry February so far. I had expected January to be warm and dry but was hopeful that precipitation would move back by the end of the month. Though we got a light dusting, a few days ago, it has been dry other than that. Now we are left hoping for a miracle March.

Despite that, many good things have been happening. At the beginning of last week, my wife and I opened Ponderosa Veterinary Clinic in Yreka and things went very well. We were slammed with business and are booking up very fast. The opening consumed all our time last week but we were thankful that my parents were in town to watch our kids, who we hardly saw for several days. However, with the work week over, Saturday my wife and were able to reclaim our offspring. We were not able to do it together though. I headed up onto Mount Shasta with my son’s boy scout troop for their annual snow camp. Meanwhile, my wife stayed down in the lowlands and took our younger kids to Lake Siskiyou for an afternoon of playing in the water and mud.

When we got back together and compared notes, I was struck by the contrast in the two experiences, though only a few miles apart. My son and I were camping in snow, digging snow kitchens, sledding and the like while my wife watched our other kids, barefoot and in short sleeves and shorts, “fishing” and climbing around on the lake shore.

On Mount Shasta:

At Lake Siskiyou:

There are not too many places where such different experiences can be had just a few miles apart. In 20 minutes or so, I could have driven down the mountain and to Lake Siskiyou, stripped off my boots and snow pants, and could have been lounging in the sun on the edge of the lake, looking back up at the spot where my son was trying to build an igloo. Mount Shasta is a strange and wonderful place!

The red circle shows the location where her brother was camping at the moment she was on the rock. 

So now we wait for the precipitation. I am optimistic we will have some good storms in the near future. The winter started off great and I suspect it will end with a bang. In the mean time, I will probably be getting out a little less than I normally do, since I will still be doing work at the animal hospital. When I do get out, I am hoping to do some trail work at Truchas Ridge. More on that as it happens!