Hike Mt. Shasta

Echo Point, blanketed in a riot of grass and flowers, yields a grand sunset view.

North of Mount Shasta is a beautiful high desert region called the Shasta Valley. Depending on criteria for measurement, it has over 210,000 acres of lush river plains, rugged hills and vast fields. The valley lies in Mount Shasta’s rainshadow. While the surrounding mountains are filled with deep forests, with lakes and even glaciers, the valley itself is a land of sagebrush and juniper. The contrast of the lush alpine lands with the arid valley enhances the beauty of the region and provides a striking dichotomy when viewing Mount Shasta’s towering, glacier-clad spire from the dry hills.

Despite being an arid landscape, the last couple years have seen a lot of rain in the Shasta Valley. The winter of 2023 brought historic amounts of precipitation and the subsequent winter brought a more than normal number of rainstorms. The end result has been a pair of unusual blooms when things warmed up in the spring. In 2023, mustard was profuse, in quantities far beyond its normal growth. Lupine was also abundant. Now, in 2024, unfortunately, the spring has brought a more bloom that is at once beautiful but also unpleasant.

This year the valley is filled with foxtails. The fields look lush and beautiful but walking through them can be…frustrating. Boots are certainly in order these days. It’s going to be a rough year for dogs in the valley. Already we have seen an increase in the number of foxtail issues at the animal hospital and these have started earlier than normal. However, not all the growth is unwanted. Along with the foxtails we have enjoyed the increase in wildflowers. Penstemon, lupine and yarrow are all abundant. The real star though is the wooly sunflower. These have burst from the dry ground in numbers we have never witnessed and they leave the rocky hills with intense patches of bright yellow.

The bloom has certainly brought an unusual beauty to the valley. The sunflower in particular has given the hills a burst of color that is not part of the area’s usual palette. Unfortunately, at Truchas Ridge it has made a lot more work for me. Where I had previously cut in roads and trails, these have now been nearly obliterated by the grasses and yielded a potential fire hazard from driving through it.

I’m going to have to get out there with the brush hog and cut the roads down. With the summer temps, I will be most effective working on it around sunrise. First priority is the road up to Echo Point. That is shorter and, at least at this time, more consistently used. After that, I will have to cut in the half mile from the road into Tesuque Valley. Then I will have to cut in the trail out to Pecos Point. It’s a good thing I like being out there…