A Morning And Evening Around Mount Shasta

Posted by bubbasuess on November 17, 2020
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Shasta. 4 Comments

Sunrise on Mount Shasta.

Lase week we had a decent spot of precipitation roll through the Mount Shasta area. Snow fell at elevations slightly above town and winter felt like it was finally starting to set in after a surprisingly warm and dry October and into early November. However, after a few days of rainy weather, Monday cleared up and warmed up and it turned out to be a gorgeous day.

Knowing there would be a clearing, I got up early headed up to Bunny Flat. I haven’t been up there in over a month, so this was the first time I had seen it with a fresh layer of snow. I am glad I went up, as it was a spectacularly beautiful sunrise. Bunny Flat doesn’t get a lot of morning light when the sun first comes up, most of it catching on the lower flank of Casaval Ridge as well as bits on Thumb Rock. However, as the sun clears the horizon, more than half the visible peak is awash in morning light. Both scenes in the sequence are wonderful. This particular morning, some cloud capped the mountain and it added to the color.

As I headed back down, I paused on Everitt Memorial to capture the stunning view of Lassen Peak and the fog-blanketed McCloud Flats. The low morning light lit the fog up, turning it golden while a bank of clouds filled the midground between Lassen and the Flats. It was an epic scene all on its own. A little further west, traces of fog filled the lowest parts of the Sacramento River Canyon. Although not quite as grand a scene as the view east toward Lassen, it was still quite a sight.

While I was there, a large boulder broke loose from the cut above the road and tumbled down loudly. I was in no danger but I thought for certain it was going to hit my jeep. Fortunately, there is a ditch along the side of the road meant both for drainage and, apparently, falling rocks. The rock landed in a deep snow that had filled the ditch with a thud. I was quite relieved my jeep was untouched. It is a good reminder that Mount Shasta is a living mountain and continues to take shape. Frost fracturing (which likely dislodged the rock I encountered) as well as other processes all have an ongoing role in shaping the mountain, especially in places like Mud Creek Canyon.

The final destination and track of the large rock along the road.

The rest of the day was filled with work at my house getting things ready for winter. However, in the evening my family and I went up to one of our new favorite haunts and enjoyed some quite walking and a spectacular view of Mount Shasta and Black Butte. Not a bad way to end the day!

Just Some Pictures of Autumn In Mount Shasta

Posted by bubbasuess on November 10, 2020
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Shasta. Tagged: . 3 Comments

An autumn lenticular, among the first large ones of the season, caps Mount Shasta.

With winter weather nearing, I spent most of the last warm weather getting everything stowed for the winter and splitting firewood. I didn’t get out too much or take advantage of the weather like I wish I could have. Fortunately, here in Mount Shasta, just heading into town leads to great views and opportunities to enjoy spectacular vistas of Mount Shasta. While this was not a great fall color year (too dry I think and not a sharp cold snap, I think) but there were still pockets of color all around the area, especially along the creeks and rivers and where the oaks proliferate. Where the color was, the beauty was enhanced significantly.

Really wet weather is coming in the next few days. I thought it might be nice to collect images I have taken while running around getting stuff done and the few minor trips out I have taken with my kids. Next up in a week or two, I will probably post some snowy pictures or some shots of rain-swollen rivers. Until then, enjoy the last vestiges of autumn!

Click to enlarge:

Seldom Seen: 2020’s Rarely Observed Waterfalls And Cascades Of The Mount Shasta Area

Posted by bubbasuess on October 25, 2020
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Shasta, Seldom Seen, Waterfalls. 2 Comments

An epic view of New Coquette Falls and Mount Shasta.

I am not sure how it happened, but somehow 2020 became the year of the seldom seen waterfall. At least this was the case in where and to what I was using my hiking time to explore. The Mount Shasta area certainly has its share of waterfalls, but it is surprising how many great waterfalls are completely overlooked or totally lost in the community consciousness. While this is not a bad thing necessarily, since it keeps some of these waterfalls wild, it remains surprising to me nonetheless. I am not sure at what point it happened, but tracking them down became an object of focus this year for a myself and a friend of mine. It proved to be an excellent goal this year, giving us an opportunity to spend time outside and explore some little appreciated areas, especially during the crazy virus summer when Mount Shasta received unprecedented visitation. Shockingly, despite reaching so many waterfalls and cascades, we left several still on the table. These will be the subject of exploration next year!

For now, I want to document the gems thus far discovered. Some of them are small and serene while other are massive and powerful. It stands as a testimony to the diversity and beauty of Mount Shasta and the surrounding area. More beckons to be explored.

The first waterfall I hit this year is one of my favorites. An old favorite, it wasn’t a new discovery but it was new for my kids, who really enjoyed the pool at the fall’s precipice.

Not too far upstream is another nice cataract. Roughly 30 feet in height, it is located in a beautiful granite grotto. There is more to explore upstream, but this one makes a nice turnaround point for a short but gorgeous hike.

This one is pretty remote, though not far from Mount Shasta as the crow flies. It is on the west side of the China Mountain area. There was a surprising amount of fascinating history on the way to this one.

Another view of the same waterfall. It is certainly one of the taller waterfalls in the area. A few on Mount Shasta and Burstarse Falls in the Castle Crags are taller, but this one still ranks in terms of height.

These cataracts in the Scott Mountains are gone by midsummer but during late spring/early summer they are powerful and exquisite. Great views of Mount Eddy and Mount Shasta abound!

Another nice set of cataracts further up the same creek. Just beyond is small but idyllic “Survey Meadow”. Not many make it out to this area.

“Terrace Falls” is a beautiful series of cascades surrounded by large Port Orford Cedars. This is on the inlet to a popular lake, but it rarely gets the due that it ought. When flowing, it is a serene spot.

This one is on a creek that is “a canyon too far”, nearly adjacent to popular destinations. About 15 feet high, it pours off a slick rock precipice and immediately slams into a huge boulder. Getting here requires some work and the willingness to descend a steep, loose washout.

Just upstream from the previous falls, this is one of the Mount Shasta area’s best waterfalls, though it is almost totally unknown. Sheer and powerful, the water hurtles itself over the edge. People would be shocked how close this waterfall is but how utterly forgotten it remains.

One of my favorites of the summer, this is on a large, well-known creek but on a stretch that is rarely explored. The water shoots through a natural cement trough and then fans out in a wide cascade. The section of this creek, both upstream and downstream from the falls is one of the prettiest in the area.

This cascade is at the headwaters of the Trinity River, just below a gorgeous meadow. The entire creek is beautiful but this section, where the water races down a narrow chute is quite beautiful.

Immediately downstream from the previous cascade, this little cataract is another small but beautiful bit of falling water. This whole area is very unappreciated but quite beautiful.

Located on the north side of Mount Shasta, New Coquette Falls (sometimes called Bolam Creek Falls) is one of Mount Shasta’s four large waterfalls. Not unknown but not often seen, it is an awesome waterfall in an awesome setting.

Another view of New Coquette Falls, putting it into perspective with Mount Shasta behind. It is one of the best views of the mountain.

All in all, this was a fine collection of falling water, with more to come next year, Lord willing. It is humbling and exciting to consider how much beauty remains a mystery here in Mount Shasta. There is much to explore, much to return to and appreciate anew.

 

 

Autumn In Arizona

Posted by bubbasuess on October 23, 2020
Posted in: Desert, Hiking, Mount Shasta. Tagged: , , , . 7 Comments

A maple highlights the fall color along the West Fork of Oak Creek.

My wife and I have always enjoyed an autumn trip to close out the summer season. For us it has marked the end of the prime hiking season and ushered in the colder, wetter weather of late fall and winter. Typically we have gone to the eastern Sierra Nevada for these trips but this year we decided to get a little more ambitious and head down to Arizona. Our kids are old enough to really appreciate the different environment and we always want to expose them to new parts of the world and different ways of life. This seemed like a perfect time to head down to the desert, which the kids have had very little exposure to.

It was a grand trip, hitting Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, various destinations around Flagstaff, Sedona and the Sonoran Desert before heading over to Los Angeles for a quick taste of Southern California (to our kids, “southern California” has always meant San Francisco, or possibly Carmel. Little did they understand there is a lot of California further south from there!). Everything was met with a new wave of awe or enthusiasm, as they explored one new, spectacular landscape after another. In the end, the surprise stand out for them was the Sonoran Desert, which we experienced with a great campsite at Lost Dutchman State Park in the Superstition Mountains. The requests are already in for a return to the desert next year. We shall see…

For myself, it was great to get back to the southwest. California will always be my home by the southwest will always claim a significant part of my heart. I feel refreshed from our time there and ready to take on winter. Bring on the weather!

A Return To The Mountain After A Long Period Of Detachment

Posted by bubbasuess on September 28, 2020
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Shasta. 4 Comments

Sunset on Mount Shasta.

September has been one of the strangest months I have experienced in a long time. It has not been since August that I have been inclined to pull out my camera and capture some images of Mount Shasta. Normally, all year round, I never go anywhere without my camera. Running to the store, taking my kids to scouts or dance, going to church, wherever I am going, I always have my camera with me. Some of my favorite images have been taken while just living life and heading about town. Such is the benefit of living in a place like Mount Shasta, that even the most mundane tasks can result in profound beauty.

Yet…the month of September has been the most detached I have felt from my camera that I can remember. Late summer is always the least interesting time to photograph the mountain. The weather is hot, the sky is clear and the snow has usually cleared off the west side of Mount Shasta. If the mountain had a “least interesting time” this is it. While this was certainly the case this year, it was then compounded by the smoke. I can’t put my finger on why the smoke put me off. This was by no means the worst fire season I have experienced (at least around Mount Shasta), 2018, with the Carr, Hirz and Delta Fires all casting a think pall over the region. This year saw the unprecedented closure of all the national forests in California, including the Shasta-Trinity. This meant, being responsible and law-abiding, I kept out of the mountains and stayed home. I got into long-avoided tasks around the house (I hate painting and have been doing a lot of painting). Before I knew it, most of September had flown by and I had not even touched my camera. This was uncharted territory.

Thankfully the last few days has seen the sky clear, the temperatures drop and fall setting in. The weather has been perfect. My family and I went out for an evening of rock scrambling and dinner and while there, I finally pulled out my camera once again. The sunset was not the most spectacular, the mountain was bare, the river was low and the sky was clear of clouds but the spectacle’s beauty could not be denied.

As we push deeper into fall, I anticipate many more opportunities to get back out and capture the mountain in all of its beauty. For now, I am glad for just one evening once again.

My Four Favorite Vistas On Mount Shasta

Posted by bubbasuess on August 28, 2020
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Mount Shasta, Waterfalls. 1 Comment

A spectacular view of Mount Shasta, Mud Creek Canyon and Mud Creek Falls.

It goes without saying that Mount Shasta is an incredibly scenic mountain. Hiking on it almost guarantees incredible views and beautiful scenes, whether at the lower elevations or at higher elevations. Indeed, hiking on the mountain does not fail to disappoint and, given the mountain’s shape and contour, there is great diversity in its appearance from the trail. It seems there is no end to the spectacular vistas and different trails on Mount Shasta. Each hiker who ventures onto the mountain will, no doubt, find their particular favorite spot. There are so many different aspects to the mountain, different corners will appeal to different hikers.

For me, there are four vistas that stand out above all the others. These all feature different combinations of those elemental mountain features that make up an unforgettable, life-affirming and utterly fantastic view. Not surprisingly, waterfalls are a common theme among these four spots but there are other components that heighten the meaning of these vistas. All four locations are grand spaces. The mountain looms high, there are canyons below. The roar of the water is audible but the sound of rockfall is also present. The living nature of the mountain is evident. Glaciers, while not an overwhelming presence are also featured and embellish the scenes. In sum, these particular perspectives on Mount Shasta capture the mountain’s grandeur, varied appearance, and terrific hiking potential.

Three of the four vistas are on the southeast side of Mount Shasta and one is on the north. Though the southeast three are near each other, the mountain has very, very different visages from those three perspectives. The northern view features similar elements but looks even more different due to Shastina’s presence. I have will address the four counterclockwise from the top.

Bolam Creek Vista

One of the most mysterious perspectives on Mount Shasta, due in large measure to Coquette Falls. Marked on topographic maps, this waterfall is the least known of Mount Shasta’s four named cataracts. Due to shifts in the stream bed, the original Coquette Falls has gone dry but now the water plummets over New Coquette Falls (sometimes called Bolam Creek Falls). The overall scene is incredible, with the Bolam Glacier-clad summit of Mount Shasta looming over the scene and the off-kilter bulk of Shastina rising like an unstable heap above the falls. Nearly 400 feet deep, Bolam Creek Canyon drops away below the visit point while wildflowers brighten the entire scene. It is a rarely seen and magnificent spectacle.

 

Mud Creek Canyon Rim

There is, perhaps, no more epic feature on Mount Shasta than Mud Creek Canyon. Over 1,000 feet deep and cutting through an incredible number of Mount Shasta’s volcanic strata, this is one of the greatest perspectives on the Mountain. Colorful, gnarled spires loom near the summit alongside the Konwakiton Glacier while towering hoodoos cling to the cliffs of the upper canyon. Seeps and spring are numerous, leaking out from between various layers exposed within the canyon. The sound of rockfall is punctuates the constant din of Mud Creek cascading through the depths. At the very head of the canyon Konwakiton Falls pours in two twin streams over vividly colored cliffs. In the end, it is hard to enumerate all the incredible features of this marvelous vista!

 

Clear Creek View

While the previous view took in Mud Creek Canyon from the high on the west rim, the Clear Creek perspective views down the length of the canyon from the east. Slightly further away, it gives the viewer the opportunity to take in much more of the mountain and all of its grand features. The spires of Sargents Ridge, including Shastarama Point and Thumb Rock feature prominently. The massive bulk of Hotlum Cone, the largest of Mount Shasta’s four eruption cones, is readily apparent from this angle. The Konwakiton, Watkins and an askance view of the Wintun Glacier all add a great deal of alpine glory to this angle. In the end, however, the eye is ultimately drawn once again to Mud Creek Canyon. This perspective looks straight at awesome Mud Creek Falls, one of the mountains four main waterfalls and one that makes a claim on its most beautiful.

 

Ash Creek Falls

At about 350 feet high, Ash Creek Falls is the tallest waterfall on Mount Shasta and probably its most beautiful. While the falls is certainly the centerpiece of this view, Mount Shasta still overshadows everything else and draws the eye up towards the mountain’s summit. Between the falls and the summit is the upper half of the Wintun Glacier, California’s third largest. Downstream from the falls, Ash Creek Canyon falls away to the west. Over 300 feet deep, it is not quite impressive as the larger section above the falls but it is nonetheless a fine compliment to the entire view. This is said to have been John Muir’s favorite view of Mount Shasta.

A Quality August Lenticular On Mount Shasta

Posted by bubbasuess on August 16, 2020
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Lenticular Clouds, Mount Shasta. 1 Comment

The summer months tend to be the least active when it comes to lenticular clouds over Mount Shasta. However, the most consistently productive has been the month of August. The best summer lenticulars have typically come in this month, including the best I have personally observed in that season. This has once again proven to be the case, as a fantastic array of clouds formed today, covering a variety of lenticular shapes and sizes. It may not have been the best summer formation but it was certainly up there in my ranking and would have rated well even if it had occurred during the peak season.

I have not been heading out early, since the summer is not the best season for sunrises and sunsets. Nonetheless, I just had a feeling things were going to happen today so I went out near sunset. While there was no distinct lenticular formation, the skies did not lack for interest. It certainly seemed to hint that something may happen later.

Later in the morning the skies became overcast and it seemed that nothing would actually manifest. Rather suddenly, a large, well-formed stack appeared over Mount Shasta. I did not manage to capture it at its peak, but it is obvious there was a nice series of layers over the mountain. It was also complimented by some massive satellite clouds to the north. Unfortunately, the light was terrible and the formation was “wasted” on the lack of good conditions. After that, the clouds persisted for a while but lost their distinct shape. By the afternoon there was little cloud left in the sky at all.

Thankfully, my amazing wife encouraged me to head out for the sunset anyway. It turned out to be a spectacular one. When I left there was just a shadow of a disc, but it kept growing as I headed to a good vantage point. By the time the sun had set and the clouds were exploding with color, the cloud had grown significantly. There was also plenty of other cloud in the sky to catch the light from the setting sun.

The last few days have been hot but very beautiful around Mount Shasta. I love summer, but the closer we get to fall (my favorite season), the more I just want to jump ahead to October. This excellent lenticular certainly whet my appetite!

Appreciating Mount Shasta’s Brewer Creek: Oasis On The East Side

Posted by bubbasuess on August 15, 2020
Posted in: Cascade Range, Hiking, Meadows, Mount Shasta, Rivers, Waterfalls. Leave a comment

Brewer Creek flows down the lonely eastern flank of Mount Shasta.

With nearly 20 miles of base diameter, Mount Shasta is nearly a mountain range unto itself. It’s ridges and canyons are the equal of those of the neighboring Trinity Divide despite being a solitary peak. Like all mountain ranges, the mountain has its common vistas and its popular destinations but also its isolated and abandoned corners. On Mount Shasta, the eastern side of the mountain is almost entirely abandoned. Only a handful of climbers and hikers make it over to this side of the mountain. With no paved roads, few trailheads and no settlements on the east side, there is simply not a lot of draw to this area for most people. Yet, in spite of this, it is a magnificent and unique part of Mount Shasta, and certainly one of the prettiest. Two features of Mount Shasta’s east side are particularly noteworthy. First, Mount Shasta appears as a lone, massive and singular summit, absent the presence of Shastina or the tower-laden bulk of Sargents Ridge. Second, the east side of the mountain features the enormous Hotlum and Wintun Glaciers, California’s largest and 3rd largest glaciers respectively. These incredible sheets of ice make for a memorable and beautiful backdrop to east side hikes.

Yet, for all the gargantuan scale of Mount Shasta’s east side features, one of its most beautiful is the delicate but extremely scenic Brewer Creek. While most of the creeks on Mount Shasta’s east and north sides are opaque with glacial silt, Brewer Creek runs clean and clear, making it a delight in the otherwise sandy and semi-desolate volcanic plain. The creek emerges from beneath the Hotlum Glacier and flows down a steep ravine before winding its way across the vast, pumice-covered east slope of Mount Shasta. It eventually enters the forest and dissipates on the mountain’s lower flanks. Though Brewer Creek is perennial, it flows strongest after the spring thaw and in the heat of the summer, when the glacier melts. At this time, the banks are laden with moss and grass and wildflowers erupt in explosions of purple and yellow. It is a narrow ribbon of life in the midst of barren, volcanic terrain.

Click to enlarge:

Hiking to Brewer Creek is easy and follows a beautiful trail with excellent views of Mount Shasta. Reaching the trailhead is a little more difficult, as it requires driving on the dusty roads of the mountain’s east side. While there may be a few cars at the trailhead, the are almost certainly all belonging to climbers and there it is probable that you will have the creek and its beautiful environs to yourself.

Yosemite Week: The Most Spectacular Trail

Posted by bubbasuess on August 1, 2020
Posted in: Hiking, Mount Shasta, Sierra Nevada, Yosemite. Tagged: . 3 Comments

Tenaya Canyon, Half Dome and Vernal and Nevada Falls from Glacier Point. Not a bad view from the trailhead.

Yosemite Week on Hike Mt Shasta has been a lot of fun for me write and has been a good opportunity to continue ruminating on my favorite place on Earth. Now, at the end of the week I want to close with what I believe to be the best trail to be trod. Yosemite’s Panorama Trail is, in my estimation, the most spectacular trail on the planet. When you consider the length and difficulty against the amount of scenery and the quality of the scenery traveled by the trail, it is difficult, in my mind, to surpass what is offered by this incredible hike.

What makes this trail so great? The Panorama begins with staggering views from Glacier Point at the trailhead and maintains those for a couple of miles during the descent to Illilouette Creek. The High Sierra, including Mt. Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite, as well as the underrated Clark Range are visible for the duration of this section. Below the jagged peaks are Half Dome, Little Yosemite Valley and the Grand Staircase over which the Merced Rivers tumbles, forming the superlative Vernal and Nevada Falls. One arrives at the bottom of the canyon just in time to get an incredible view of Illilouette Falls, backed by the glittering southern face of Half Dome. From there it is on to Panorama Point and its unusual but exception view of Yosemite Valley, including stupendous Yosemite Falls. Half Dome continues to be ubiquitous throughout the traverse of the rim of Panorama Cliff and Clouds Rest also makes dramatic appearances. The trail eventually descends down to the top of Nevada Falls, the views now taking in the trails point of embarkation, Glacier Point. After crossing over the river just as it jettisons off the cliff to form Nevada Falls, there is an opportunity to observe the falls from a dizzying ledge. Then it is on to the climb down 600 feet alongside the thundering falls. At the bottom, another great view of the falls before heading on to the Silver Apron and Emerald Pool. These herald the arrival at the top of Vernal Falls and another cliff-edge view of the massive waterfall. Next is the iconic trip down the Mist Trail, first through a long crack in the rock then down steep granite steps, all the while being blasted by the cooling mist cast upwards when Vernal Falls explodes on the rocks after plummeting 318 feet. One final look at the falls as you cross the river on a sturdy bridge and then down alongside the still tumultuous Merced River. As the trail rounds the lowest shoulder of Half Dome or more accurately Sierra Point (a subject for another article someday) looking up Illilouette Gorge, one can catch a sliver glimpse of Illilouette Falls. From there it is down to Happy Isles and the end of an incredible journey.

It is not just that the Panorama Trail visits all these spots, but the way in which it does it. At almost no point does the trail travel through terrain that lacks views or waterfalls or geologic interest. In between the points described are constantly changing variations of the views. Where the views are obscured by trees, they are at points where the shade is welcome and one is almost exhausted from the visual feast. The trail itself is also engaging, traveling along steep cliffs and narrow ledges, across creeks and over waterfalls. It is all engineered in pleasing and exciting ways, adding another memorable dimension to what is already an utterly spectacular trail.

My brother and I have long had a measuring system by which to gauge the quality of a trail. We don’t have an official name but one could call it the “bang for your buck” scale. Simply put, how much scenery, how good is the scenery and how much fun is the trail for the effort put in. He and I have hiked all over America and the world, but the Panorama has yet to be surpassed on this scale. For the amount of effort put in, it is almost inconceivable that a trail could offer more. It is no surprise that such an amazing hike would be found in Yosemite.

Click to enlarge:

Yosemite Week: A Personal Perspective

Posted by bubbasuess on July 30, 2020
Posted in: Hiking, Mount Shasta, Sierra Nevada, Yosemite. 2 Comments

A favorite spot: Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls as seen from the lower reaches of Yosemite Creek.

I love writing about the various aspects of mountains, wilderness, hiking and all the topics that relate to those things. I think this is evident in the variety of things that I address when writing about the Mount Shasta area and I hope that is it also evident in what I have written about Yosemite. I have never written much about my personal history or what adventures I have had on a regular basis (though I like posting images of my kids!). The focus of my writing has, quite intentionally, been on the land. However, with Yosemite it is hard for me to completely separate the personal from the places and that is because it has been a part of my family’s history, my history, for generations. I want to deviate a little from my avoidance and talk about a few experiences that have happened to me (or in some way relates to me) in Yosemite.

The obvious start to this is with my parents. Both of my parents have grown up camping in Yosemite. The first visit I know of by my parents was in 1946. My grandfather had been wounded in World War 2 during the Battle Of Aachen and spent a year and a half convalescing in England. When he returned home to Lodi, he packed my grandmother and my dad, who was 4, and headed up to Yosemite. The began a regular practice of camping in Yosemite, at least annually, but typically multiple times per year. The family spot was always Camp 11 (now known as Upper Pines) but places along Tioga Road, like the decommissioned campground Smoky Jack, were also favorites. Meanwhile, my mom and her family also had a tradition of camping in Yosemite, which for them was the same week in July each year. They generally camped in Camp 7 (which was later renamed Lower River before being obliterated in the 1997 flood. The park made the decision not to rebuild it at that time.) and were a part of a large church group that gathered each summer.

Things continued happily for each family until July, 1963. My dad and his younger brother left Happy Isles on a backpacking trip to Vogelsang. At the same time, my mom and her best friend hit the trail to climb Half Dome. Near Nevada Falls they met on the trail, started talking, and at some point along the way, my dad convinced his brother to ditch Vogelsang and head to the top of Half Dome with my mom and her friend. Apparently they hit it off immediately and were married a year later.

My parents are on the left, on the summit of Half Dome, the day they met.

Eventually my older brother and I joined into the family tradition, as did numerous cousins. We were always there the same week each summer, as well as numerous day trips and other camping trips to both the Valley and other parts of the park. However, by the time I had arrived, the family had migrated to the Housekeeping camp. My mom’s parents were always the head of the main week in July, which was still a part of the annual church group gathering. There was always fishing (especially on the South Fork of the Tuolumne and Illilouette Creek), volleyball on the beach and plenty of hiking and rock scrambling. One event that was a highlight was the “weenie boil” on Cathedral Beach. All the cousins, led by my older brother, who was the oldest, would raft down the river from the Horse Stables to Cathedral Beach. We would be on the river all day and, when we arrived at the beach, it was just in time to have dinner, which would be prepared by my grandparents.

Some of my cousins and I on the Merced, at Housekeeping. My grandmother made us all capes. I’m in the hat.

When I turned six, my parents took me on my first backpacking trip. The destination was my dad’s favorite fishing hole up on Mount Hoffmann. My dad and brother fished like crazy while at basecamp my mom read and I climbed on rocks and tended a small tree growing out of a crack in the granite. I watered it multiple times per day and put more soil around it and tried to help it out as best I could. It was on that trip that I first learned that I did not enjoy fishing, a declaration that stands to this day (my oldest son has decided he does like fishing, a declaration that pleases my father greatly). However, it was then, perhaps, that I first got an inkling that I loved the wilderness.

My family on my first backpacking trip. All I had in my backpack was my sleeping bag.

My brother and I were always ambitious in our hiking plans. We naturally tackled Half Dome, making numerous ascents of the great dome. We struck out in other directions. Day hikes to Waterwheel Falls, combining the Four Mile and Pohono Trails for an epic traverse of the south rim of the Valley, or climbing up Yosemite Falls or Indian Canyon and coming down the Snow Creek Trail were the kind of things we liked to tackle. Sometimes we regretted it afterwards and would spend the next day in the river recuperating. A favorite method for this was putting on life preservers and floating the river, sans raft. We found that we were endlessly creative in finding some new ledge to scramble up to or waterfall to climb to the base of. Yosemite was our grand inspiration.

My brother at Roosevelt Point on one of our hikes along the Pohono Trail.

Through the years, we have continued to return to Yosemite. My brother went to the Naval Academy and spent 21 years on active duty. His presence came and went, depending on where he was stationed and what was happening in the world. Whenever he got the chance, he was always in Yosemite. For the rest of my family, we continued on, returning to the park with regularity. My brother finally retired and returned to California. We both had families and our wives and children have joined the tradition, continuing the annual pilgrimage to Yosemite. Now my parents are the grandparents and they thrive watching their grandchildren growing up just as they and my brother and I did.

Grandparenting, Yosemite style.

I can say unequivocally that without the foundation of experience that I built in Yosemite, Hike Mt Shasta would never have existed. The yearning to drink in the beauty of Yosemite, the drive to hit the trail, the desire to explore and discover place left off the map were all fruit of the seeds planted in Yosemite. When I moved to Texas for graduate school, my love for mountains and wilderness was rekindled and compelled me to explore and find new places to immerse myself. While I grew to love many new places, it was always to Yosemite my heart longed to return. It was to carry the place with me that I sought to hold onto the wilderness in written word and captured image. What began as an effort to explore through the pen while trapped in school evolved into this website. While it is focused on Mount Shasta, and a more worthy subject is difficult to find, it has always been Yosemite that has been the beating heart that has continued to inspire me to write. In this small but significant way, Yosemite has always been present in this site. My Yosemite Week musings is simply an expression of this.

I appreciate everyone who has journeyed through Yosemite this week. It has been a labor of love and a lot of fun thinking about what to write about. I think everyone ought to be relieved that I did not write a post on my investigation of which old campgrounds bore which numbers (i.e. the infamous Camp 4). Digging into this history of places is a hobby of mine (I think this might come out in many of my articles on the Mount Shasta area) and the human history of Yosemite is layered, fascinating and entertaining. Hopefully these posts have been inspiring and entertaining as well. I am always eager to share my love for mountains, the wilderness and especially Yosemite. I am sure it is equally special to many, many others as well.