The Castle Crags State Park has been reopened!! The Mount Shasta Trail Association invites the public on a strenuous and sometimes steep, 5.5 mile round-trip hike to the sky scraping granite spires called the Castle Crags scheduled for Saturday, June 8th.

The elevation gain is 2200 feet. Participants will first walk through the forest to Indian Springs and then hike out in the open, amid the granite slabs and pinnacles where the postcard views of Mt. Shasta and the Crags become more and more spectacular.

Castle Crags are actually part of the Klamath Mountains, not the Cascade Range, and are much older. They were formed by granitic magma slowly cooling underground (as a “pluton”) and subsequently became exposed at the surface through uplifting and erosion.

This is the same way that the granites of Yosemite formed. In fact, the Klamath Mountains broke off from the Sierra Nevada about 60 million years ago. Mount Shasta, in contrast, was formed by relatively recent surface eruptions (within the last several million years), and its rock is andesite (a type of basalt).

Hikers will meet at the Fish Hatchery at 9 am and carpool to Castle Crags State Park. Bring lunch and water and expect to return about 4:30 pm. Pets are not permitted on this trail.

For further information contact Joan Roemer 926-0647.

Want to volunteer to help maintain the Pacific Crest Trail this summer?  Then check out the Pacific Crest Trail Association’s website where a variety of projects are listed in both a table and an interactive map:

http://www.pcta.org/volunteer/project-schedule/

In our local area there are projects scheduled for Deadfall Lakes, Toad Lake, Soapstone, Section “O” and Soda Creek.  These work projects range from a single day of trail maintenance, up to 10 days of camping out while working. The regional groups coordinating these work parties include Lyons’ Pride, the NorCal Trail Crew, and the American Conservation Experience (ACE) crews.

For more information contact our local PCTA representative Ian Nelson at inelson@pcta.org or phone him at 541-778-3252.

McCloud Local First Network Invites You to

CELEBRATE THE GSRT

An evening of wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres and silent auction benefiting the Great Shasta Rail Trail

Featuring the music of Gerry Smida

Wednesday, May 1, 2013  6:00—9:00 pm

At the McCloud Hotel, 408 Main Street, McCloud

Tickets:  $20 in advance; $25 at the door

 Tickets in advance:

McCloud:   McCloud Outdoors, McCloud Mercantile, Other Side of the Mountain

Mt. Shasta:  The Fifth Season, Village Books, Mount Shasta Book Nook

Redding:  Shasta Land Trust, 1918 West St # D

Accommodations offering a 40% discount when you purchase tickets include:

McCloud Hotel (964 2822); McCloud Mercantile Hotel (964 2330) and The Eagle’s Rest vacation rental (April 30—May 2) (926-6400)

Please help us spread the news. Share this on your favorite social network. Thanks!

The Mt. Shasta Trail Association invites its members and the public to join in a 2 mile round-trip gentle hike scheduled for Saturday May 4th to the historic Ney Springs resort site and Faery Falls

Ney Spring was discovered by John Ney in 1887. It became a destination health resort based on the mineral waters there. The water has a ph of 11.6 and a silica content of 4,000 parts per million, the highest values known to occur in natural ground waters.

To get to Ney Springs, visitors would take the train to Cantara, then follow a trail upriver to the small gorge below Box Canyon where there was a bridge over the river (the abutments are still there). The trail then followed the west side of the river to and up Ney Springs Creek to the resort. The trail was wide enough for carriages so that visitors could get a ride from the train.

The Ney Springs resort consisted of a hotel that housed 50 guests, a bath house and boardwalks that meandered through the wooded forest. There was also a carriage house, a barn and several piped spring enclosures. All that can be found there now is some masonry foundations and a small trickling stream under the tall pines. It’s a wonderful stretch of one’s imagination to envision a lively resort at this now tranquil location.

A short walk upstream from the resort ruins leads to nearby Faery Falls, where Ney Springs Creek crashes nearly 60 feet down a granite cliff face, forming a clear pool at the bottom. It could be the tallest waterfall in Siskiyou County, and at this time of the year it will be running with a roar. This will be a great photo op.

For those interested, a bonus 2 mile round-trip hike will go along the Box Canyon trail afterwards.

Participants will meet at the fish hatchery parking lot at 9 am to form carpools. Bring lunch and water and expect to return by 4 pm. There is no charge for this event. For further questions call Joan Roemer 926 0647

At the March 28th members meeting at the Sisson Museum, Joe Wirth announced that he will be stepping down as the president of the Trail Association on June 1st.   John Schuyler,  who has served as the board’s vice president and treasurer, will replace Joe as the president.     Joe has been a very successful leader, overseeing several significant projects advanced by the Trail Association, including:  completion of the Lake Siskiyou Trail; celebration of the completion of the Squaw Valley Creek Trail; and the recent construction of the Gateway Trail adjacent to the community of Mount Shasta.  Even though he won’t be the president, Joe plans on staying active with the Association.

MT. SHASTA TRAIL ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL MEETING

Please join us on Thursday March 28, 2013

at the Sisson Museum from 6:30- 9:00 PM.

This will be an evening to:

~ Review 2012 accomplishments and activities

~ Talk about future dreams

~ Get an update on California State Parks

~ Meet with trail friends and supporters

Contact Joe Wirth @926-2858 if you have questions

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