Mount Shasta Fun Guide

Dead Fall Lakes/Sisson-Callahan Trail Hike

2009-06-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to check the Sisson-Callahan Trail for a while now. I called my friend Dee and we decided to check it out. We set up a car shuttle. Left his truck at Morgan Meadows and drove mine up to Parks Creek Summit Trailhead.

Crimson Colombine Wildflower
We began our hike on the Pacific Crest Trail to Dead Fall Lakes. The wildflowers were just starting to bloom. It's still pretty water saturated from the last storms we got. I bet in the next 2 weeks, the wildflowers will be a spectacular show.

I'm amazed with the Mountain Mahogony that is found in this area. It usually is found mostly in volcanic lava type terrain.

Upper Dead Fall Lake

Foxtail Pine
It is a rare pine only found in two areas in California with two separate subspecies in each, the Klamath Mountains along the Mt. Eddy Trail and in the Southern Sierra.

The Sisson-Callahan Trail is one the of 47 National Recreation Trails and historically was used for travel between the forest service districts constructed in 1911. Last summer, 500 Boy Scout volunteers did major trail work on the trail. It is more defined and easier to follow now.

Bear Grass
The Bear Grass is out in bloom. We saw a lot of it on the Sisson-Callahan Trail at the lower elevations. Dee thanks for taking great pictures.

For Siskiyou County Locals,
Check out 102.3 radio Friday at noon
Friday Scenic Byways and Highways with Me about the Waterfalls in the area.

As always, Have a great weekend!

Hotlum/Wintun Ski to Lassen Ski

2009-06-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I headed to the northeast side of the mountain known as the Hotlum/Wintun and met up with good friends and met some new friends too.

The Brewer Creek Drainage.

Here's Ed leading the crew.

As we were skinning up, we got majorly rained on, hailed on , large feathery snow flakes up high and loud thunderheads rumbling. Visability was poor above 9500 ft. We headed down and after a couple beers and waiting out the rain, we decided Lassen was the ticket for the best skiing!

I took this picture of Manzanita Lake Thursday morning as we heading up to the Lassen Summit Trailhead.

Getting ready to head up at the Lassen Trailhead. Here is Lisa and Damien. Our new friends from Santa Cruz. Nice meeting you both. Great fun !

Here I am at the summit getting ready for the decent. We booting it up to the summit. The best way of travel at this time. Just head up the trail.

Carol tearing it up. What a great trip.
Thanks everyone. Another sucessful ski adventure.
And as always~Have a great weekend everyone!

PCT Hike along the McCloud River, Scott Valley Tour including Kangaroo Lake

2009-06-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

This is McCloud Lake. The lake is turquiose blue color from the glaciated waters of the mountain and pretty full from the recent rain we've received.

Lake McCloud at the boat ramp.

This is known as Penstemon. There are many varieties of this wildflower. It grows along the Pacific Crest Trail along the McCloud River.

Here's my friend Dee making sure we don't get lost. We didn't.

I took this picture to show what poison oak looks like right now. It was hard for me to get a very clear shot. A little blurry. See the berries. That's a good indication that it's poison oak. It's out in thickets right now.

I took a drive through Scott Valley with a few well worthy stops. I went to Kangaroo Lake. As I walked down to the lake, a bald eagle flew right in front of me. In this picture if you look close, you can see the picture of the Osprey I took. Tried to get the Eagle but it's in my memory forever.

Here is Kangaroo Lake located in the Klamath Mountains.

This is known as Lover's Leap. Scenery along the Gazelle-Callahan Road. Check out the Scott Valley Tour in "Mount Shasta Guide to Fun".

This is the famous Etna Brewery located in Etna part of Scott Valley. Stop by and try out their awesome selection of micro beers and their famous rootbeer. The Etna Brewery dates back to the 1870's.

As always, Have a great weekend!

Stewardship Award 2009

2009-05-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight has been a very special night for me. I was nominated for the Stewardship Award through J.E.D.I. which stands for Jefferson Economic Development Institute...Where potential becomes prosperity. They have been a major influence and motivation in the process and making of my book, "Mount Shasta Guide to Fun".I was very surprised and elated to hear the announcement of my book winning the stewardship award. I have many people to thank for the contribution of their work and efforts towards the process of completion and helping getting my book published. I would like to thank everyone personally for all your help. Thank you so much. I feel very honored to have great friends and live in such a supportive community.
Thank you again,
Robin Kohn

Skiing Lassen Peak in May

2009-05-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Spent the past couple days skiing Lassen. The road is plowed to Bumpass Hell Parking Area on the South side. They may open the road soon but not sure.

This is the south side of Lassen. Still good skiing to be had. We ended up booting it instead of skinning it. The conditions at this time makes it easier to boot it up the trail.

Ed Shredding it. Excellent skiing from the top down the southeast side at 10:00 a.m.

I took this from the summit looking towards Mt. Shasta. It was a beautiful Clear day.

This is the summit of Lassen Peak 10,457 ft.

Have a great Memorial Weekend!

Castle Crags and Waterfalls of Northern California

2009-05-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Spent the past couple days enjoying all the beauty the Mt. Shasta area has to offer.

These are the Castle Crags located 15 miles south of Mt. Shasta. Castle Crags State Park is open year round and offers many trails throughout the park. All trails are clear of snow and accessible at this time.

Hedge Creeks Falls located at the North Dunsmuir Exit is glorious right now. A short 10 minute walk down to the falls.

I took a drive this afternoon to the spectacular Burney Falls. It flows over 100,000 million gallons of water daily. Theodore Roosevelt considered it the 8th wonder of the world.

This cliff, along Hat Creek is known as "Diatomaceous Earth". It is chalk like sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into powder. It is fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of algae. It is used to make tooth fillings, pool filters, cat litter, etc.

These are Fall River Falls flowing at top flow. A nice hike.

This was taken at 9400' Thursday Morning. It marks my 100th day of skiing this season and still counting...

Looks like we are going to have very warm temperatures this weekend. Go out and enjoy the Mt. Shasta Area. And as always have a great weekend!

Spring Time Avalanches, Basic Snow School

2009-05-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been about warm temps and avalanches.

This slab avalanche that occurred happened Thursday afternoon. This was at about 8,000' right on the moraine. Not a place that avalanches happen very often.

Spent the weekend teaching Ice Axe and Crampon Clinics. Very important skills to have for climbing Mt. Shasta. Good job Jason, Joel and Chris. Good luck to the summit!

More info about clinics at swsmtns.com/mtshastaclinics.html

Another avalanche off of s.e. slope of Casaval Ridge. This happens quite frequently off the ridge.

This is Sun bowl. Known for avalanches. It set off Friday afternoon. The bowl next to it is Powder Bowl. Another nortorous bowl for avalanches. Skiers paradise with the perfect corn conditions.

Just want to say "Happy Mother's Day"

Spring Brings Big Snow Flakes!

2009-04-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Big flakes coming down this morning!

Anyone for a cup of coffee?
A few inches of freshies out of this. Get the Pow-Pow!!!

Took this yesterday driving home from Reno. Lassen's North side. Great skiing to be had. Road is open to Devastated Area on north side and new visitor's center on south side.

Looks like weather is going to clear a bit for the weekend. Should be good for skiing, climbing and just having FUN!

Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Birthday Sis!

Marshall Discovery State Park

2009-04-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

This week was all about my book and slide shows at the REIs in the Sacramento Area.

I got to sneak a trip up to Coloma where the Marshall Discovery Gold Park is.

This is Marshall Monument in honor of James Marshall who first discovered gold in California on January 24, 1848. The second biggest gold rush was 1851 in Yreka, Ca. Check out the driving tour in my book, "Mount Shasta Guide to Fun".

This is where the gold was first discovered. Marshall was digging out dirt that was too high from the water overflow and noticed sparkles in the water. It was GOLD!This is an original stagecoach used back in the day. Who knows it could have been one that Black Bart robbed. He was famous for leaving poems after each robbery.Now back to the serious stuff. The corn skiing has been wonderful. Gotta hit it early. This picture I took this morning at 9400 ft. Green Butte Ridge via Sargents Ridge.Looks like the weather going to change and maybe some snow this weekend. I always say some of the best powder is the spring pow-pow!
I'll be doing a slide show at REI in Reno Wednesday April 22. Mount Shasta Adventures. Check it out.

April Powder Showers

2009-04-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

We received a few inches of fresh snow over the past couple days. Spring Powder-Chowder!Today was interesting with white out conditions to it clearing up. One of those unpredictable days. With it warming up, the snow was a bit on the heavy side.

Hooked up with Frank and Jim at Lower Broadway 9,000 ft. Beyond that it was White-Out!Frank carving some turns in the heavy pow-pow!Jim doing the parallel stance. Oh yeah, thanks for the beer.You gotta love it. True Backcountry Enthusiasts!
Have a great weekend!

Next week I'll be at the Sacramento Area REI's doing a slide show called Mount Shasta Adventures. Check it out!
April 14 at Roseville REI at 7:00
April 15 at Sacramento REI at 7:00
April 16 at Folsom REI at 7:00

Whipping Winds on Mt. Shasta

2009-03-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

For the past couple days there have been high winds on Mt. Shasta. Winds were gusting up to 85 m.p.h. from the northwest.

Today I went up to 50/50 Flat. I was planning on going to Helen Lake but it got pretty windy.

Getting ready for the descent. Corn snow all the way down.
Looks like it's going to be a pretty good weekend.
Happy Skiing!

Eastern Sierras Trip

2009-03-18T08:09:00.001-07:00

This is known as Chicken Wing. Our first ski day. Mammoth Area.

We spent two days skiing this area. Found some good powder stashes.

Looking down onto Obsidian Dome.

Lots of skiing terrain.

This is the Blue Couloir. It was very crusty. Didn't ski it. Great spring skiing descent.

Mammoth Lakes Basin Area.

Ed getting ready for the ski descent.

Thanks Ed for a great trip!

Surface Hoar and a tidbit on being Avy Savy

2009-02-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

Word for the day "Surface Hoar" Crystals.

Great for skiing but very poor for the bonding process between two layers of snow. Creates weak layers throughout the snow pack leading to possible avalanche activity.

These "Surface Hoar" Crystals are feathery looking. Spending time getting familiar with different crystal types will help determine the strength of the snow pack throughout the season.

Here, I am using a slope meter on the ski pole to measure the slope. The slope angles that are most likely to avalanche are between 30 and 45 degrees. 38 is the Bullseye. This slope is measured at 20 degrees. I also like to do the ski pole check as I'm skinning up. In this picture I feel the weak layers as I punch my pole through the snow.

This slope meter is a essential tool to carry with you. Small and lightweight, it can help determine whether the slope is safe to ski or save it for another day and go to lower angle slopes.

Sun Bowl and Powder Bowl looking sweet. Click on the picture and check out the tracks.
Not my tracks. I'm on the cautious side and waiting a little while longer.

Here's Bunny Flat. A good 5-6 feet.

Have a great weekend and Happy Skiing!

Snow, Snow, and More Snow!

2009-02-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

Here's what it looks like outside my door. Maybe close to 2 feet of new freshies.

Looks like I have some shoveling to do. The forecast is SNOW~Bring It On!

Bend, Oregon-Smith Rock and Mt. Bachelor

2009-02-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

I drove up to Bend to pick up a laptop computer and got some good skiing in too!

Here's Mt. McLoughlin. I've always wanted to ski it.

I camped at Smith Rock. It's such a beautiful place.

Early Morning Sunrise~Smith Rock

Mt. Bachelor has 93 inches at its base and their complaining about not enough snow...ummm
Great Hooky Weekday Specials for $29.00
www.mtbachelor.com

Anybody for Spring-Like Corn???

2009-01-30T16:42:00.001-08:00

Today there was definitely a warm temperature inversion going on. Making conditions...

YUMMY!!!

I skinned up to 50/50 Flat. Perfect Weather. No wind to be had.

Here's what it looks like from Helen Lake and above.

Here's looking at the first window on Casaval Ridge. The s.e. slopes have good lines to be skied.

Have a great weekend everyone and as always Happy Skiing!

Keep On Snow Dancing!

2009-01-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

Here she is all dressed up in WHITE!

Bunny Flat today 6950'. A little rain/snow accumulation here.
2-4 inches of freshies at treeline.

I skinned up the right of avy gulch to 9000'. Took this picture looking towards Helen Lake.

Got some great turns in. A little bit sticky in some places. It's best to stay in the gulch below treeline. Lots of rocks and obstacles starting to come out.

Have a great weekend and Happy Skiing!

Spring/Summer Like Conditions on Mt. Shasta

2009-01-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

This is what the mountain looks like as of January 14, 2009. Where's our WINTER???

I'm still optimistic! February, March and April may still bring lots of Snow!

Casaval Ridge. Even with the rocks, there are still some good lines for skiing on the s.e. slopes.

The right side of Avy Gulch. North side of Green Butte Ridge.

There are corn stashes to be had. Just be careful of the rocks.
Have a great 3- Day weekend and
Happy Skiing!

Mt. Shasta Tree Skiing Weekend

2009-01-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Lucy welcoming in the 2009 "New Year". Soon to be the next Mt. Shasta Shredder.

Tim and Sandy's beautiful daughter.

Me getting ready to ski down from Green Butte Ridge. Great tree skiing!

Another great Bunny Flat tail gate party.

Chris Marrone shredding turns Friday. The shutter wasn't cooperating. Great picture anyways!

Looks like up to 3 inches of freshies coming up and then who knows...
Pray for SNOW!!!

Mt. Shasta Skiing Getting Better

2008-12-23T17:31:00.000-08:00

As the days go by the skiing gets better and the snow a little bit firmer. Fluffy powder with no base makes for some rock skiing. Here are some pictures from today. Not to bad in the trees.

There are still a lot or rocks up there. One more good storm should do the trick.

There's nothing like fresh virgin tracks!

Bruce taking pictures of beautiful Mt. Eddy.

Mt. Eddy taken from right above Horse Camp at 8,000 ft.

Another awesome day on the mountain!
Happy Holidays Everyone!

Mtn. Biking Mt. Shasta Lower Trails

2008-11-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was all about awesome Mountain Biking. This weekend Mike, John and I rode the single track on the mountain. It was great. There are lots of variations to choose from. We started from 9 mile down to the Tunnel Trail.

Taking advantage of the trails before the snow comes. Hopefully sooon!!!

One of the crossings and jumps on the trails. We walked it.

One of the local boys showing his stuff...

Here's Mike, the photographer of this trip. Great shots!

John tearing it up. Way to go!

Another great Mt. Shasta trip. Great warm-up for the SNOWY upcoming ski season!

Dumping on Mt. Shasta/First Ski for the Season

2008-11-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken yesterday at the Old Ski Bowl parking lot. The County truck was waiting for the last of the skiers to come down . It's official. The gate is closed at Bunny Flat.

I'm sure there's way more snow now. It's Dumping!

Getting ready for the decent.

First ski tracks of the season. I skinned up from Bunny Flat up Avalanche Gulch to 9,000'. The visability wasn't too good but the skiing was! I was very cautious from treeline down. There are still rocks out there. With this new snow it will be covered soon.One of my favorite places on the mountain. The Gemini Tree.

Hike up to Horse Camp Rainy/Snowy Day

2008-11-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Bunny Flat Trailhead.

I first drove up to Bunny Flat and it was raining. I really wanted to see the snow so I continued up to the Old Ski Bowl and got my wish.

Here I am at the Old Ski Bowl Parking Area.

I took a hike up to the Horse Camp (Sierra Club Cabin)

Here's one for you Ed~3 inches or so...

Dumping!!!

North Coast Trip

2008-10-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend Jude and I took a trip to the north coast. We headed up to Oregon and cut across Highway 199. Stopped along the way and checked out the winerys. That was FUN!

Patrick's Point located at Redwood National and State Park along the Northern Coast.

Beautiful Fern Canyon.
Laying down in the Redwood Forest.Waking up on the wild coast.Jude making a new friend.Here I am.This is where the Klamath River meets the Pacific Ocean.

Beautiful Sunset.

Jude making a joke about the Elk. I finally got it!!!

Another Great Trip!

Mt. Shasta's First Fall Frosting

2008-10-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here it is the first frosting of Mt. Shasta this fall. My earliest ski date on the mountain was a couple years ago October 17th. Looks like clear weather for the next few days.
Check it out-New Website up and running. www.mountshastaguide.com