A Red Sunset Over Lake Siskiyou

Posted by bubbasuess on August 17, 2021
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Shasta, Trinity Divide. Tagged: . 1 Comment

The sun sets below Mount Eddy and the Trinity Divide.

Last week the Mount Shasta area was shrouded in an oppressive cloud of smoke. While none burned in the immediate area, there are a few fires to the west in the Klamath Mountains, the Antelope Fire to the east of Mount Shasta and the apocalyptic inferno that is the Dixie Fire to the southeast. The smoke from these conflagrations has been mixing together into a deathly soup that has stayed put over the area and seemed as though it would never go away. Thankfully the pressure off the coast has begun to shift, bringing a little relief to our corner of Northern California. While it remains to be seen how it will effect the fires, it did bring some clearer skies to Mount Shasta.

After dinner we decided to take advantage of it and head to Lake Siskiyou for some evening swimming. This was a far cry from earlier in the weekend. My wife had taken the kids to the lake on Saturday and, as expected, it was a complete zoo. Despite the smoke, a horde had descended on the lake to escape the heat. Naturally, that was not a deterrent to the kids having a good time and they loved cooling off in the water.

Last night, however, was a completely different experience. We were, literally, the only ones at the lake. At least, we were the lonly ones at North Shore. There were no kayakers or paddle boarders or anything visible. The conditions were also remarkably different. There was smoke, but it was mostly manifest as brown clouds, rather than the inpenatrable blanket that had limited visiblity a to a few hundred yards. The entire lake was cast in an unearthly yellow light. The kids once again had a blast swimming, paddleboarding and snorkeling. My wife and I sat on the shore and read while the wind blew.

Of course, the smoky conditions made the sunset a surprisingly spectacular one. There was enough haze that the sun could be gazed on directly with out any discomfort to the eyes. I could not resist pulling out my camera and catching a few images as the disc sank toward the horizon. Part of me doesn’t like photographing smoky conditions, but I can’t deny the unitque beauty the it can produce.

This has been a rough summer in a lot of ways, the fires being just one component of the challenge. In spite of this, an evening like this, where the danger that confronts us is known and recognized and the kids, blissful and blessed with a lack of concern true to their age, are still able to enjoy themselves is a helpful antidote. Between the beauty and the fun, I could put away the world for a little while and enjoy.

On Whitney Creek And The Lava Fire (Some Good News)

Posted by bubbasuess on August 15, 2021
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Shasta. Tagged: . 1 Comment

Looking across a burned area towards Whitney Falls and Whitney Creek Canyon.

The fires this summer have been discouraging both here on Mount Shasta and elsewhere in Northern California. Yet, in the midst of this gloom, there are all sorts of hidden turns of events and some unexpected good news. Such is the case with Whitney Creek on the north side of Mount Shasta.

The creek, flowing northward from the massive Whitney Glacier, is home to Whitney Falls, the destination of the lone hiking trail on Mount Shasta’s north side. The falls is one of the four large waterfalls on Mount Shasta and, like the trail that leads to it, the only one on the mountain’s north side. It is also in the heart of the area burned by the Lava Fire.

Whitney Creek has been notorious for its fickle flow and its occasional overflows from glacial outburts. While it hasn’t had the latter this year, a similar phenomenon after a period of intense rain from a passing thunderstorm. Flash floods, a danger with a storm like this, were an even larger threat following the fire. As anticipated, the creek rose to dangerous levels, bringing with it a tremendous amount of sediment and rocks. Though not quire the same as the glacial outbursts, the end result was the same. The creekbed was filled with mud and debris, clogging the passage under Highway 97 and forcing Whitney Creek outside of its banks. It was necessary to bring in backhoes to dig the debris out and allow the creek to flow freely again.

Whitney Creek at Highway 97 in 2017.

Whitney Creek at Highway 97 in 2021, after the creekbed was filled by flashfloods.

Whitney Creek at Highway 97 in 2021, after an emergency excavation.

Where the creek once flowed through a flat landscape choked with brush, it now cuts a muddy course through a channel lined with large mounds of dirt and rock. I suspect this altered landscape will persist for a while, until a flow large enough cuts the back and collapses sections of the pile into the surging water. Until that happens, this section of Whitney Creek’s appearence has been altered a fair amount. Also worth noting, whoever operated the excavator had some fun building a massive stack of balanced rocks. A new landmark, suspect.

When I was there, it was shortly after the flashflood waters had abated. Yet, even then the flow of the water was unpredictable, with surges and subsidence causing its flow to change course within its muddy channel.

While there were no obvious changes in the creekbed’s landscape, it seemed to flow like frazil ice, with channels opening, flowing and then blocking up, only to repeat the process else where in the creekbed.

As interesting as that may be, I did commit to some good news, so let’s have it! Looking at a map and seeing the waterfall’s location, it is natural to assume that the trees all around Whitney Falls burned. While the falls would no doubt survive, the view of the falls would be significantly altered by the presence of blackened, burned and dead trees. Thankfully, it appears that this is not the case.

Whitney Falls before the Lava Fire.

There are a couple of places along the highway where it is possible to see the falls. From these vantage points, it is easy to see that the trees around the falls did, in fact, survive. There are a few burned ones mixed in, but, by and large, the vista of the falls is intact!

The falls are hard to see, but the trees around it are green.

Of course, while the area around the falls is intact, the area below, through which the Whitney Falls Trail travels, is burned. This too, however, may be a net positive. The notoriously hard to follow path passed through some dense brush that was in dire need of some lopping and clearing. That is no longer and issue and the opportunity to rework the trail in the wake of the fire now presents itself.

Indeed, there are bits of good news from throughout the fires around the North State. When the massive Dixie Fire exploded to the north and burned past Chester into Lassen Volcanic National Park, the summer camp I took the boy scout troop to, Camp Fleischmann, was right in its path.

Camp Fleischmann lies between Chester and Lassen.

There was no structure protection in that inferno and I assumed the camp a total loss. In the aftermath, it has been revealed the camp (and its trees!) are largely intact!

Even the campsite my troop used, which lies on the far side of the lake from the main part of the camp, appeared to have survived the flames.

All post fire images found here.

The fires can seem overwhelming at times, and the scars left by them may be deep and long lasting, but there are still many things to be grateful for. The survival of some trees in a favored spot or the continued existence of a beloved destination are gifts in the midst of the smoky pall that hangs over all of us. There are many more out there and as the smoke clears, we will commence to look for them. When found, we must give thanks for the blessings in the destruction. We need to keep looking up.

Life And The Lava Fire Pt. II

Posted by bubbasuess on August 9, 2021
Posted in: Boy Scouts, Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Shasta. Tagged: . 6 Comments

With the Lava Fire mostly out, small smoldering areas still create a haze around the summit.

The summer got off to a wild start for my family, as documented in part one of this short series looking at the Lava Fire. First boy scout camp, then covid and the fire raged simultaneously. Thankfully we all recovered, though the rode to health was challenging, to say the least.

At the end of that was are long anticipated, and then dreaded, annual trip to Yosemite. It was incredibly hot and our lungs, having suffered the virus, were still recovering and not what they normally are. Though we flirted with canceling, we decided to go anyway and brave the conditions. This year we were in Yosemite for 4 days followed by three more days in the Lake Tahoe area. Temperatures in Yosemite Valley were as high as 103 degrees and the water level was low in the Merced and all the waterfalls. We dealt with that by heading to the high country where cooler temps prevailed and spending a lot of time in the water when back in the Valley. In the end, we were glad we went.

We finally returned home to Mount Shasta to find the Lava Fire mostly out. It was time to poke around a bit and make my own assessment of the mountain’s new condition. Over several days, I made a few forays around the north side, along Highway 97, taking in all the changes.

While other fires in California have grown in size and prominence, the Lava Fire continues to burn in remnants

A bit blurry but you can still see flames burning above the Dry Canyon Bridge on the 2nd day of August.

One fascinating thing to watch in the aftermath of the fire is how quickly the Union Pacific Railroad was able to repair the Dry Canyon Bridge on Mount Shasta. This bridge is the tallest railroad bridge in the area (I think) and is a vital part of the rail link for the west coast. It was severelly damaged in the fire and as soon as things cooled enough to let repair crews in, work on rebuilding the bridge commenced.

Repairs on the Dry Canyon Bridge underway.

Several sections of the span were replaced and trails were back on it nearly a month earlier than anticipated. It was strange not hearing the trains running through Mount Shasta for the few weeks that the damage on the bridge made train transport impossible.

It will take some time to get used to the new conditions on Mount Shasta’s north side. I do manage to find some optimism in how things have changed. The remnant groves of aspens hidden in the lava flows have a chance at proliferating without competition and, perhaps, becoming a dominant tree on the north side. The lava flows themselves, shorn of the plant growth that has accumulated on them, will take a more prominent place in the visual landscape of Mount Shasta. This and other changed features may give the north side of Mount Shasta introduce and new and different character and beauty. Time will tell but the mountain presists regardless.

Life And The Lava Fire Pt. I

Posted by bubbasuess on August 4, 2021
Posted in: Boy Scouts, Hiking, Mount Shasta. Tagged: . 11 Comments

Smoky haze obscure Mount Shasta but reveals the mountain’s many layers.

Yikes. I haven’t posted anything at all in nearly two months. It’s the longest lacuna I’ve had since starting this site at the beginning of 2013. A lot happened in that time, some of it good, some of it not so good but it seems that I have come through to the other side and things are well, which is a tremendous blessing.

I’ll recap, briefly, some of the goings on as they relate to the lull in activity on Hike Mt Shasta but I really want to focus on the Lava Fire. I know I am late to that party but I have some shots and thoughts of my own that I want to document. So, to start things off…

In the latter half of June, I headed off to Camp Fleischmann with my boy scout troop. The camp is located between Chester and Lassen Volcanic National Park, on the road into Juniper Lake. We were there for a full week and it was exhausting but great. It was especially satisfying to see the troop’s new senior patrol leader realizing the difficulties that come with leadership and rising to the challenge of meeting them.

Towards the end of the week there was some thunderstorms. Little happened at camp, but little did we know the reckoning the storm would bring when we returned home. By the end of the week we were all exhausted and ready to hibernate for a few days. However, as we returned to Mount Shasta, we were greeted with a towering plume of smoke rising above the mountain’s northwest flanks.

Unforunately, that was not the worst problem I met upon my return. My parents, who had been watching my younger kids while I was away were extremely sick and worsening. I finally convinced them to let me take them to the ER and, sure enough, they had covid. That set off a long journey through the sickness that ultimately saw my entire family get it as well, but, eventually, we all recovered. My folks are hearty but it really laid them low. It took a lot of work from my wife and I to get them back on their feet and, thankfully, their recovery has been very good. I recognize how fortunate they are and I thank God for their return to health.

Meanwhile, in the midst of dealing with this challenging illness, the Lava Fire was growing, just a few miles from my house. I’ll let the pictures do a lot of the talking on this one.
Click to enlarge:

Eventually, the fire burned out (mostly) and we all recovered from the virus (not only my parents, but my whole family ended up with it). We eventually reentered society after a long isolation and were prepared for what lie ahead…Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. Yet the question remains: we recovered, but how will Mount Shasta recover?

A June Lenticular On Mount Shasta

Posted by bubbasuess on June 13, 2021
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Lenticular Clouds, Mount Shasta. 1 Comment

This past lenticular season, as with much else from the winter, was an odd one. There were a few exceptional specimens of the odd-shaped clouds but, overall, we did not get a bunch of them like we normally do. The snowfall was also unusual, developing a decent (but still below average) snowpack in the Trinity Divide but never building up on Mount Shasta. Indeed, I have never seen the mountain this bare this early in the year. Nontheless, Mount Shasta still manages to surprise me in the midst of the challenging conditions.

June is not known as a strong lenticular month but the mountain produced a quality event yesterday, even as small bits of snow managed to fall around the summit. While it does nothing to abate the rapid loss of snow, it is good to know that Mount Shasta still has a few tricks up its proverbial sleeve.

The morning began with non-descript clouds around the summit. However, by the time I left to join the Mount Shasta Trails Association for a morning of work on the Heart Lake Trail, a nice cloud stack had manifested. Of course, I had to stop and capture an image of it on my way to the Castle Lake trailhead.


From there I headed off to work on the trail, which mostly consisted of decomissioning old trails so that the new route to Heart Lake was obvious. Given that it was a Saturday in the summer, the trail was packed with people but I was still shocked at the numbers headed up to the lake. This is indicative of the increase in use of the Mount Shasta area over the last few years but especially since the virus hit last year. I was even more shocked, when, on my way down from the lake, I saw a massive tour bus turn down the road and head towards Ney Springs. That is not and area that needs to be mobbed by tourists like that. I will have more to say on all of this in the near future, as it portends some coming changes to HikeMtShasta.


Clouds swirled around Mount Shasta all day but the large stack disintegrated by the afternoon. However, as the sank toward the eastern horizon, a new stack appeared to the northeast of the mountain. Very unstable, it constantly changed shape, growing and shrinking and collapsing then reforming again. I headed out to capture some images of it and Mount Shasta. Of course, lenticulars in this particular spot are always frustratingly difficult to photograph. The best place to get a good image of it would have been to head up onto Girard Ridge but I did not have the time to invest in that endeavour, so I had to settle for a less-than-optimal spot to try to capture the cloud together with Mount Shasta. The meadow worked well, but it still felt like something of a wasted oppotunity.


As can often be the case, other than the lenticular around Mount Shasta, the sky was spartan around the mountain but elsewhere, the heavens were filled with beautiful and many-layered clouds. While beautiful, I was concenered that they might block any good light from hitting Mount Shasta at sunset.


This turned out not to be the case. Moreover, the lenticular decided to grow as the sun sank beneath the horizon. The original core was still present but it suddenly expanded in multiple directions. The warm alpenglow set both mountain and cloud alight and then it was gone, and darkness began to set in (which takes quite a while, this time of year). It was a good day in Mount Shasta.

Recalling My Pinnacles Condor Encounter

Posted by bubbasuess on June 10, 2021
Posted in: Hiking, Mount Shasta. Tagged: . 4 Comments

The Pinnacles present a dramatic pageant of rock from the Chapparral trailhead.

This past weekend my family and I went down to Carmel to attend graduation parties for my brother’s oldest and youngest kids. His daughter completed high school and is heading off into the world. Meanwhile, his oldest son was in Carmel fresh from his graduation the previous weekend from the United States Naval Academy and his commissioning as a 2nd lieutentant in the United States Marine Corp. To say I am a proud uncle is an understatement (and it is worth noting that my brother’s younger son is entering his final year at the United States Air Force Academy).

The weekend was a fantastic one, filled with multiple graduation parties, lots of family and celebration. The balance between the excitement and merriment and the quieter moments appreciatating the beauty of the Carmel area made it a memorable time for my kids.

While these were all great features of an excellent trip, one of the most memorable for me was taking the family hiking at the Pinnacles. I had not been here for 5 years and my kids had never been there. The Pinnacles are a stunning collection of rock towers and spires, that also feature some excellent talus caves. However, to me, one of the best parts of Pinnacles National Park (I think it should still be a national monument, but that’s water under the bridge at this point) is hiking on the High Peaks Trail. This path features some of the most interesting, unusual and exciting trail engineering I have experienced and I was excited to get my family on it.

Examples of the unusual trail construction on the High Peaks Trail.

As the trail traverses the very top of the Pinnacles formation, it has been cut into the rock and routed through cracks, crevices and along ledges one would not ordinarily expect a trail to go on. This, coupled with the fascinating rock formations and the fantastic views of the Gabilan Range and the distant Santa Lucia Mountains make hiking this trail a joy.

However, the most memorable aspect of this hike, for me at least, was the recall of the encounter I had with multiple California condors 5 years ago, in April of 2016. I was rehiking the trail in order to include it in my guidebook “Hiking Northern California“.

I had just spent a few days hiking down in Big Sur, exploring a number of trails, 3 of which would ultimately find their way into my book. I left my brother’s house early in the morning and got a good start on hiking in the Pinnacles. I reached the junction of the Juniper Canyon Trail and the High Peaks Trail fairly swiftly, climbing 1,000 feet in short order. On the climb up, the views of the rugged spires of the Pinnacles get better as you climb and the Santa Lucia Mountains begin to make an appearance to the west. However, once on the High Peaks Trail, the hike gets far more interesting.

The High Peaks Trail at Pinnacles National Park is one of the most cleverly engineered trails I have been on. It weaves its way through the highest reaches of the rock towers, passing over, under, around, through and alongside the rocks. In many cases the trail consists of steps cut into steep rock and augmented with handrails because of the precarious falls that keep one falling into the deep ravines that radiate out from the crags. It is a fun hike and great for both serious hikers or families with kids. There are several ways the High Peaks can be reached, creating shorter lollipop options or long hikes that descend down to the east side of the Pinnacles and require unusual routes to return to the trailhead (including one that passes through 0.25 miles of cave!).

About midway through this section of the High Peaks Trail, I approached a series of steps cut into the rock that reached a bench about 100 feet below the highest crags in the entire Pinnacles formation. As I began climbing up the steps, I was buzzed by a black object swooping fast toward the rocks that rose above me. Initially I paid it no mind, assuming the dark blur was a raven that had swooped in to investigate me. However, a few steps later, a second dark blur flew passed and cause me to pause. The sound of small rocks clattering drew my attention to the crag above me and that was when I noticed the two large condors that had landed just a few yards overhead.

It is worth pausing here to discuss the California Condor. These incredible birds are the largest land birds in North America. Their wingspan is generally around 10 feet and they average about 25 pounds. Over the course of the 19th and 20th century their numbers dwindled until the last few condors, a total of 12, were rounded up and brought into captivity in 1987. Since that time, the number of condors have been stabilized and returned to the wild and now number somewhere around 600 birds. While they are still threatened, it is a remarkable tale of recovery and optimism. Many of the California Condors have been released in Pinnacles National Park, the northernmost point in their current territory.

On previous visits to the Pinnacles, I was aware of the condors but my interest lay primarily with the rocks, the trail and the scenery. On this occasion, however, I was destined to have a much closer encouter with them, an encounter better told through pictures:

Now I was uncertain what to do. If there were nests or any other considerations that might disturb the condors, I certainly did not want to have a negative impact on them. On the other hand, I was laying down a GPS track to use in for the map in my book and I wanted to complete the hike and not turn back. I also needed to update my notes and get good images to use. Looking over the park’s brochure, I found nothing giving direction for a condor encounter. Looking for input, I went back down the trail a short distance to a spot where I had reception and I called the National Park Service’s visitor center. I explained the situation to them and asked their advice what to do. As it turned out, the NPS ornithologist who was responsible for the park’s condors happened to be out in the crags trying to locate condors and assess their condition. I gave my location and asked to wait for her to arrive.


While I was waiting for the ornithologist, some of the Condors opened up their wings and began warming themselves in the morning sunlight. Seeing their long wings outstretched gave me a new appreciation for these awesome creatures. Rather than being impatient to continue the hike (which I initially was), I stood quietly and enjoyed the silent spectacle.

In about 20 minutes, she showed up breathless but excited. When she heard there was a large collection of condors right on the trail, she headed over straightaway. She was stunned when she got there, seeing all the birds collected right around the path and assured me that this was a very rare gathering of condors. We talked for a while and watched the birds. Finally, I asked how I should proceed. She said that this was somewhat unprecedented to find them on the trail and suggested we climb up to them. She explained that most of these birds were born in captivity and had no fear of people and would likely be calm and unconcerned with our presence.


We climbed up the steps and to the bench where some of the condors had decided to take up positions. We walked within 5 feet of a pair them perched on rocks. As I passed them, I had my camera at the ready and made sure to capture a shot of them. It was a rather astonishing experience.

After getting to the other side of the condors, I talked to the ornithologist a little longer before leaving her to take notes and continue her observations. I headed down the High Peaks Trail until I reached Chalone Creek. From there I followed the creek upstream for a few miles until I reached the Balconies Cave. Passing through the talus cave, I emerged back onto the west side of the Pinnacles and made the short walk to the Chapparral trailhead. The encounter with the condors had lengthened my hike by an hour or so but I was grateful and humbled to have had the experience. When it came time to layout the book, I made sure to include the image of the condors perched on the rocks. In a way, it sums up the entire Pinnacles experience: distant views, rugged crags and condors.

That was the last time I had been to the Pinnacles until this past weekend. Though 5 years have elapsed, I can still see the birds vividly and knew the spot where I encountered them when I arrived there with my family. Unfortunately, we saw only one condor on this hike, and only from afar (distinguished from vultures by the white plummage on the underside of their wings). That glimpse was enough to satisfy my wife and kids…for now. We plan to return to Pinnacles again, possibly next spring and do the entire hike up and over the rocks and down through the caves. Maybe then we will see more of the incredible condors.

Shasta Spans: Five MORE Interesting Foot Bridges

Posted by bubbasuess on June 3, 2021
Posted in: Hiking, Mount Shasta, Rivers. Leave a comment

A ruined footbridge over an unnamed creek somewhere near Mount Eddy.

Several years ago I wrote an article highlighting 5 footbridges in the Mount Shasta area that stood out to me as distinct and interesting. I recently stumbled across that post and, after reading it, decided it was time to write a follow-up, highlighting 5 more interesting footbridges in the area.

This kind of infrastructure interests me, both because of its obvious connection to hiking but also because the bridges sometimes represent an effort, and at times failed, at integrating human infrastructure with the natural world. Some bridges, like the Wagon Creek Bridge at Lake Siskiyou offer a more overwhelming collision between those two entities, while others, such as the PCT bridge over Squaw Valley Creek, yield a more peaceful meeting of the man and nature. I think the successes and failures of trail bridge engineering ought to be reviewed so that the mind is focused on what, exactly, ought to be pursued when constructing new bridges for the inevitable (though seemingly distant future) new bridges that will be constructed in the Mount Shasta area (especially the ones to Mossbrae Fallsa and over the Sacramento River, upstream from the inlet at Lake Siskiyou).

Unlike my previous list of bridges, these are not in a particular order.

Indian Creek

There are two small but interesting bridges over Indian Creek in Castle Crags State Park. The creek starts over 1,000 feet higher up in the Crags, its source a productive spring nestled in a granite grotto. A longer branch originates in one of the must rugged canyons in the Castle Crags. The creek cascades down through a rocky channel until it meets gentler terrain as it nears Castle Creek. The Indian Creek Nature Trail, which connects to the longer Flume Trail, crosses over the creek twice, the pair of bridges are quite different from one another. The first a classic footbridge, incorporating river rocks to build a foundation upon which the bridge spans the creek. The river rock construction helps the bridge blend into its surroundings. The second crossing over Indian Creek is accomplished via unuaully built bridge. It incorporated an iron foundation that is overlaid with short planks. Poles connected to the foundation rise up a few feet on both sides of the planks and are connected via a steel cable, which serves as a handrail. Though simple, it also blends into the natural landscape in an attractive fashion, perhaps because of the subdued design. Together, they make an attractive set of spans that complement the hike on the Flume Trail quite well.

Fall Creek

Another bridge located in Castle Crags State Park offers one of the best integrations into the natural landscape I have seen in the Mount Shasta area. This bridge, located on the Sacramento Trail and spanning small but constant Fall Creek, is one of the most scenic sections of this beautiful trail. Fall Creek begins high up on Girard Ridge and tumbles down a remote canyon until it flows into the Sacramento River. It is here, just a few yards above the confluence that the trail crosses the creek. The center of the bridge is supported by a single pier constructed of large boulders. However, the crossing is located at the point where a large Douglas fir toppled alongside the creek. The bridge was constructed over the fallen tree, part of which was notched to provide a stable anchor point for the steel structure. The presence of bridge, tree, stone pier and cascading creek, along with the Sacramento River just a few yards away represents a beautiful harmonizing of trail, bridge and landscape.

Sacramento River

 

One of the more interesting bridgings over water in the Mount Shasta area are the seasonal bridges over the Sacramento River at the Lake Siskiyou inlet. Installed to provide a crossing for the Lake Siskiyou Trail, these bridges have a surprising tumultuous relationship with the river they span. First, it is important to note that there are two sets of bridges, since the river, at times, is split into two different channels as it enters the lake. However, the course of the river fluctuates and often alter the landscape substantially, making installing permanent bridges difficult. One example of this is how the water has alternated between the north and south channels. Though it had recently been the main course for the river’s flow, the south channel was dry for many years after a large storm produced flooding that blocked up that channel and funneling all the water into the north channel. The same flooding destroyed the gabions that supported the bridge over the north channel, making the bridges’ future location and ever-changing proposition. After a few years of being almost completely dry, more flooding during the thaw of a particularly heavy winter reopened the channel. Read about some of the changes experienced at these bridges here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. It’s pretty amazing how the river continues to mould the land around it.

McCloud River

The Pacific Crest Trail’s crossing of the McCloud River is one of the larger river crossings the epic trail makes, especially since its transitioning from the Sierra Nevada to the Cascades. Consequently, the bridge over the river required a larger-than-normal scale of construction. Over 100 feet across, it is among the longest bridges in the Mount Shasta region. However, its length does not mean that it is garish or obtrusive. On the contrary, the simple wooden construction makes the bridge’s presence subtle. It almost appears to just fade into the background, allowing the McCloud River to be the dominant presence. Unfortunately, the road that connects nearby Ash Camp to the McCloud Dam is closed, making hiking across the dam a little more difficult than it once was. If you want to hike this area, park at the dam and walk the 1.25 miles down the road to Ash Camp and then across the bridge. From there the PCT continues to Ah-Di-Na.

Unnamed Creek Near Mount Eddy

Perhaps my favorite bridge in the Mount Shasta area isn’t even a functioning bridge any longer. Indeed, it may have been over a century since this creek was crossed on this impressive span. Located on what was once a significant route over the mountains to connect the Mount Shasta area to the Trinity River and beyond, the bridge has long sience been washed out by massive flooding. It’s simple construction consists of two large trees toppled over the creek’s channel and then covered with large, rough-hewn planks. That such a bridge was built indicates the importance of the route but its lack of reconstruction also indicates that the route eventually fell into disuse as other roads, likely intended for use by cars, became the dominant transportation lines. Now this lost bridge is overgrown and forgotten, except by the very few who try to follow this 19th century route. Its presence next to a small cataract makes the location quite sublime and worth a sit on the large logs to contemplate bygone days and the beautiful setting.

Sunset On Parks Peak

Posted by bubbasuess on May 29, 2021
Posted in: Hiking, Klamath Mountains, Mount Shasta, Scott Mountains, Shasta Valley. 2 Comments

Thursday evening the sky around Mount Shasta had some rather interesting clouds, many of which were vaguely “lenticulish”. I headed out into the Shasta Valley in the hope that it would be a spectacular sunset. The clouds were not ideal, but if they lit up as the sunset went down it would still be a very impressive sight. I got in position while my kids ran around in the field and shrieked like banshees. It was not the most peaceful conditions but I was grateful to be out nonetheless.

Layered clouds between Mount Shasta and Black Butte could be good at sunset.

Unfortunately, the clouds directly behind Mount Shasta drifted in front of the layered, lenticular-like formation and completely blocked them from view. As frustrating as this was, I soon found that it would not have mattered because clouds further to the west blocked a lot of the light as the sun set behind the Scott Mountains and the clouds around Mount Shasta never really glowed like I was hoping they would.

Mount Shasta, alight in alpenglow.

While the sky was lackluster, Mount Shasta still managed to burst into a bright orange glow. A single band of shadow ran across the magnificent mountain right at treeline. It was a great scene, but I was still frustrated that it was not as good as I wanted. I should have been grateful and left it at that! However, I was frustrated that things never really pulled themselves together so I packed things up (kids included) and headed out before the light had even faded off the mountain.

As I left, I headed west, just in time to see some really beautiful color over Parks Peak, one of the Scott Mountains’ prominent peaks that loom over the Shasta Valley. Immediately north of the summit is a ridge that once burned in a fire. As a consequence, most of the ridge is just grass but there is a nice lince of trees on the crest of the ridge. With the trees silhouetted against the colorful sky, it was an beautiful spectacle so I stopped, pulled out my camera and captured a couple of shots.

The ridge in question has always interested me. Its mix of montane forest and high desert has always reminded me of the hills above Reno and I have had some good hikes in that area and always had a fondeness for it. The view of the trees against the technicolor sky hearkend back to some of those hikes from when I was younger. I appreciated the moment and the excellent sunset as the light faded.

I am not normally inclined to capture images like this, as my tastes usually run to the grand and sweeping, rather than the smaller scale of trees on a ridge. The beauty of the sunset on Parks Peak was undeniable and was quite glad I had stopped and captured the images I did. One of these days I would like to hike up on those ridges. I imagine the views of Mount Shasta are excellent. The land is on private property though, so it will be a while before I have the opportunity to enjoy the sights from that vantage point. Until that time, there are plenty of other great places around Mount Shasta to hike and to enjoy the grandeur of this land!

Lovejoy Basalt: A Unique And Beautiful Northern California Landscape

Posted by bubbasuess on May 25, 2021
Posted in: Hiking, Mount Shasta. Tagged: . 3 Comments

Phantom Falls pours over a Lovejoy Basalt ledge.

A few things have happened over the last couple of months that have refocused my attention on Northern California’s Lovejoy Basalt formation. First, my family and I took our somewhat-annual trip down to North Table Mountain to enjoy the epic wildflowers that erupt there every spring. Second, I wrote my recent article on the Orland Buttes, a key site containing this geologic marvel. In addition, I have gone through Chico numerous times this spring, which inevitably brings to mind Bidwell Park, which was the place I first encountered this unusual rock.

Classic examples of Lovejoy Basalt along Big Chico Creek and the Orland Buttes.

This naturally raises the question, just what is Lovejoy Basalt? First, basalt is a dense igneous rock that is produced through volcanic activity. Northern California, which contains the southern end of the Cascade Range, is home to numerous basalt formations. However, Lovejoy Basalt is distinct among these for a few reasons. First and most obvious, its appearance is quite unmistakable. It manifests as a blocky conglomeration of rock, welded together and very dense. The rock itself is aphyric, showing no granular composition. Less obvious but still distinct is the way the rock tends to break apart in along rather stark fault lines. This is not as obvious when hiking among it but looking from above, or in some rather dramatic places where the faulting is pronounced, it is a tell-tale clue that the rock is Lovejoy Basalt.

The Lovejoy Basalt zone.

Lovejoy Basalt is believed to have originated out of large volcanic vents near Thompson Peak in the Diamond Mountains, a range marking the far northeast corner of the Sierra Nevada. The Diamond Mountains are something of a transitional range, being primarily volcanic in nature but still in the sphere of the Sierra. The basalt was laid down in a vast sheet as a lava flow at some point in the past. It was subsequently broken up and washed away, both down creeks and rivers in the Sierra and ultimately out to San Francisco Bay. At its greatest known extent covered a vast area that is roughly triangular in shape. Apices of the triangle are located at Thompson Peak, the Orland Buttes and Putnam Peak in the Vaca Mountains. This last is particularly noteworthy, since it is located 150 miles away from the source of the Lovejoy Basalt lave flow.

The Putnam Peak area. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Unfortunately, the Putnam Peak is difficult to study. The area is on private land and access is very limited (consequently, google earth images will have to suffice). In addition, 2020’s Hennessy Fire burned the entire area. Nonetheless, the area offers a surprisingly large but extremely isolated Lovejoy Basalt formation.

The basalt in this area manifests in two distinct manners, both of which are exhibited at other Lovejoy Basalt sites. First, on Putnam Peak itself, there are large rocky outcroppings and massive boulders. These run eastward along a vein before meeting a massif composed of the rock. Here the Lovejoy Basalt exhibits the mounding, faulting and fracturing that is also evident at other locations. This location, 75 miles away from the nearest similar Lovejoy basalt formation, sets the furthest limit of the rocky type.


The northern apex on the Lovejoy Basalt Triangle is the Orland Buttes. Running against the North Coast Range that hems in the western side of the Sacramento Valley, these are also an isolated formation, though not quite so remote as Putnam Peak. These are located roughly 100 miles from the source near Thompson Peak and 30 miles away from the nearest similar formation in Chico’s Bidwell Park, the Orland Buttes are a surprising outpost of basalt, especially when considering there is nearly no other evidence of volcanic activity in the vicinity.

Lovejoy Basalt formations radiate out from the Thompson Peak area.

While the outer points of the Lovejoy Basalt zone are isolated, the highest concentration of the formation is located at the western edge of the Northern Sierra Nevada. With occurrences found along Big Chico Creek, North Table Mountain and the Campbell Hills, the area between Chico and Oroville yields the most extensive and dramatic examples of this unusual rock formation. Even better, most of the formations are on public land and access to these landmarks is easy.

A chasm along Big Chico Creek composed of Lovejoy Basalt.

The northernmost occurrence in this high concentration is in Chico’s superlative Bidwell Park. Through this 3,670 acre park flows Big Chico Creek, a significant waterway in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills. Most of the immediately visible rock in the park is part of the Tuscan Formation, a layer of volcanic rock initially formed by a series of mudflows that resulted from large eruptions. However, underlying much of the park is a layer of Lovejoy Basalt. This is most readily visible in the narrow gorge that Big Chico Creek has carved through the basalt.

Looking down on the narrow gorge carved into the Lovejoy Basalt.

Within the gorge, the blocky basalt is exposed in the form of walls, spires and boulders. The rock in this location appears somewhat different from the other areas where Lovejoy Basalt is evident since most of rock along the creek has been scoured smooth by the water. Furthermore, a significant number of Lovejoy Basalt boulders have fallen into the creek, giving Big Chico Creek a unique and beautiful appearance. Indeed, while Bidwell Park has many excellent features, it is often this unusual, rocky channel that is the signal memory of those who have spent time there, hiked along the creek or cooled off on one of the swimming holes during the hot summer.

A few miles to the south is magnificent North Table Mountain, perhaps the single greatest example of Lovejoy Basalt. In terms of natural beauty, this area is worthy of great acclaim, though it is not well known outside of the local area. In spring, it is paradise on earth, with riotous wildflower displays and a surprisingly high concentration of awesome waterfalls. It is also the site of the most extensive Lovejoy Basalt formation, stretching over a broad expanse for several miles, it reveals many details about this kind of rock that is obscured at other sites.

Lovejoy Basalt and amazing wildflowers at North Table Mountain.

North Table Mountain is a large, remnant chunk of the original Lovejoy Basalt flow, now isolated as most of the flow has been washed away. What is left is a broad, flat-topped mesa surrounded by cliffs of exposed basalt on the north, west and south sides. The top of the flow is gently undulating, with a sporadic protrusions of the tell-tale dark basalt. These protrusions feature the classic, dark, blocky composition that is the calling card of Lovejoy Basalt. The area between the protrusions has filled in with loose soil, providing the necessary for the flourishing of wildflowers.

In a few places, springs on the eastern edge of the plateau have cut channels extending westward across the flat-topped mountain. They deepen as they progress and eventually spill over high cliffs. It is here, at these cliffs, that some of the most fascinating aspects of Lovejoy Basalt is revealed. The blocky composition that is a classic component of the rock’s appearance is, in fact, the result of a columnar cooling process similar to what is seen in columnar basalt formations at places like Devil’s Postpile. The Lovejoy Basalt is darker and the columnar formations tend to be smaller in diameter but the comparison is obvious. Moreover, the height of some of these columnar formations is really impressive, reaching over 100 feet.

Phantom Falls blows in the wind, alongside a large, exposed portion of columnar Lovejoy Basalt.

In some places at North Table Mountain, the Lovejoy Basalt layer has been undercut by the creeks, leaving the flow overhanging the the more erosion-prone layers underneath. The areas with large columnar formations tend to peel away and collapse, leaving a large pile of broken columnar chunks below. It once again exhibits classic basalt behavior.

North Table Mountain is also an excellent place to observe the faulting and cracking that can happen with Lovejoy Basalt. In the areas where the broad expanse has been unbroken by erosion or other forces, the rock still has a tendency to break along linear joints. This creates a collection of long, linear gullies that run parallel to each other. This is particularly evident in the flat areas in the southern half of North Table Mountain.

Water flows through a gap in the Lovejoy Basalt formed by a joint in the rock.

A little further south from North Table Mountain is the Campbell Hills. This area is rather obscure but is still a fantastic example of Lovejoy Basalt. Though it lacks the dramatic cliffs and waterfalls of its northern neighbor, it still exhibits a fantastic collection of joints and fissures. Indeed, there is more rock exposed here than in the joint/fault areas of North Table Mountain.

The land is located on state land adjacent to the Thermolito Forebay. In theory, there should be public access, but there are no amenities like parking areas or trails. It is Lovejoy Basalt in its primeval state, waiting to be explored and appreciated!

There are more sites consisting of Lovejoy Basalt higher up in the Sierra Nevada, but none are as extensive or impressive as those found in the Central Valley or along its perimeter. Most of these higher formations are exposed through the work of creeks that flow by them. Located on Forest Service land, they can be accessed freely but they are remote.

For those inspired or interested in this unusual, distinctly Northern California landscape, spring is the ideal season to explore Lovejoy Basalt. All the sites that are open to the public are at their best this time of year. The grass is green and lush, wildflowers are brilliant (or beyond brilliant!) and the creeks and waterfalls are full and impressive. When the high country is still snowed in, these rugged formations and all their attendant beauty make great hiking adventures and are sure to embed great memories, just as this strange and beautiful landscape was embedded in California long ago.

A Lovejoy Basalt Gallery (click to enlarge):

An Afternoon With The Survey Creek Cascades

Posted by bubbasuess on May 18, 2021
Posted in: Hiking, Klamath Mountains, Mount Shasta, Scott Mountains, Waterfalls. Leave a comment

An afternoon view of Mount Shasta from a bluff near Survey Creek.

The last month has been an odd one for me. Normally I am out all over the area, hunting waterfalls, climbing peaks and generally exploring. This year most of my attention has been focused on one spot and a lot of time has been spent there, exploring, photographing, investigating and imagining. I will be writing more about this area in significant detail soon, I hope. In the meantime, I finally got my family up to Survey Creek over the weekend and we all enjoyed one of our favorite spring hikes. There’s no trails here but there are fantastic cascades, awesome rocks, a great view of Mount Shasta and a few other hidden and surprising delights hidden away in the mountains.

The highlight is a long series of cascades pouring down off the mountains. They flow through chutes and over small cliffs, making it one of the most precipitous and active waterways in the area. Adding to the enjoyment is the beautiful rock that lines the stream. While loaded with interesting features, its texture is its real delight. It is the tackiest rock I have ever experienced, even better than Sierra granite or Moab sandstone. This makes scrambling the rocks along the cascades a joy and one my entire family is always excited to undertake.

I think it would surprise everyone just how much snow is left up in the mountains. I know Mount Shasta looks bare and I wish it were better but the Klamaths did much better last winter and there is still quite a bit of snow to melt off up in the high country. This was certainly the case along Survey Creek. I was surprised just how much water there was, given how late in the spring we are. It was encouraging.

These are tough camping conditions!

On the way home, we stopped to check on the conditions at one of the most idyllic campsites in the Mount Shasta area. Not surprisingly, it was unoccupied and we had the entire valley to ourselves. It was another great afternoon in Mount Shasta.