Happy President’s Day Week!

President’s Day is on third Monday in February and was established by Congress in 1880s. It honors George Washington, the first president of the United States and Abraham Lincoln. It also honors the legacies of the U.S. Presidents.

George Washington, Mt. Rushmore

My first park ranger job was at Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota in 1989. I volunteered through a program Student Conservation Association (SCA). It was the beginnings…

Yep...me in action!

Mt. Rushmore’s history is very interesting~

Seeking to attract tourism to the area in the early twenties, Doane Robinson, who was the South Dakota’s State Historian, came up with the idea to sculpt historic heroes of the west in the natural granite pillars.

Up Close and Personal

 Gutzon Borglum, the sculpture artist hired for the project came up with the idea of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to be the carved as that would attract more national interest. He later added Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt to the list in recognition of their contributions to the birth of democracy and the growth of the United States.

On George Washington's Head!!!

Back in the 1950′s, visitors were allowed to go up to the top of the monument. Due to safely and vandalism concerns, it only lasted for a short time. Fortunately, the crew I worked with had the opportunity to hike to the top.

Oh yeah…and what’s happening here in Mt. Shasta~

President's Week SNOW!

This last storm we got powder~7-10+ inches!

 Come on up and enjoy the Mt. Shasta  Backcountry!

Looks like wintery weather this week into the weekend on Mt. Shasta.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.37062534198901&lon=-122.19818115234375&site=mfr&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=en

 President’s Week Specials this week and weekend on backcountry ski and snowshoe tours.

Give me a call for more information~530-926-3250

Snow is BACK…1 inch so for!

It’s better than none!

Avalanche Gulch Feb. 10, 2012

Good skiing from treeline down. Pretty firm and icy above treeline with an inch of new snow.

Looks like some more snow on the way…

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.37062534198901&lon=-122.19818115234375&site=mfr&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=en

Looking at Casaval Ridge from Avalanche Gulch

Sun breaking through on and off.

Bunny Flat Trailhead Feb. 10, 2012

This one’s for you Demitri!

Winter’s been coming on slowly~You Never Know what Spring will BRING!

Have a great weekend!

Corn on Mt. Shasta…Well Kinda!~Snow Conditions

 After getting our first significant snowfall, powder turns into February Corn Skiing!

Avalanche Gulch at 9,400 ft.

This past weekend offered superb corn skiing or what my good friend Ed says, “Baby Corn”!

Skier Climbing up to Casaval Ridge

Coverage is good to ski from Giddy Giddy Saddle down into the Gulch.

Above Giddy Giddy Gulch 10,000 ft.

Lots of wind blown snow above 10,000 ft.

Nice ICE Slide off Casaval Ridge

Climbers Beware!!!

Looks like a little weather is moving in over the next day HOPEFULLY bringing snow!

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.37062534198901&lon=-122.19818115234375&site=mfr&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=en

Have a great week!

YES……………………………………….SNOW!!!

Avalanche Gulch Jan. 29, 2012

Our winter has finally arrived!

In the past week,

Green Butte Ridge/Broadway

we’ve received over 4 ft. of snow!

Check out video of current conditions January 24, 2012~

Green Butte Ridge 01-24-12

Black Butte

Black Butte is starting to look sweet for skiing this season!

Mt. Shasta Ski Park is open and all three triple chair lifts are in full operation.

http://skipark.com/

My Winter Awareness Clinics are now running. First one of the season this Saturday January 28, 2012. For further details, check out~

http://mountshastaguide.com/tours-clinics/winter-awareness-clinic/

Have a great week and come check out the snow this weekend!

Snow???

SNOW, SNOW and MORE SNOW!!!

Is it really coming???

Friday the 13th!!!

There is hope…

http://www.shastaavalanche.org/advisories/advisories/avalanche-advisory

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.37062534198901&lon=-122.19818115234375&site=mfr&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=en

How desperate has it got…

Ouch!

Thursday a few of us headed up to Crater Lake, Oregon to check out the snow conditions. There’s a good 3-4 ft. I took a nice 30 ft. slider on the rocks.

Beautiful Crater Lake, Oregon

Martin Luther King Weekend is weekend is free on fees at National Park entrances.

Oh yeah, don’t forget the~

January 21, 2012

http://www.fmsac.org/

Have a great weekend!

 

Mt. Shasta…Latest Weather Report

January 1, 2012

New Snow!!!

Happy New Years!

We did get a few inches to a foot of new snow. There are still lots of rocks and logs out there. Very cautious skiing and snowshoeing.

Weather has finally made a change. It’s raining in town and snowing at the higher elevations on the mountain.

Wednesday at Bunny Flat-

Looking Pretty Grim

Let’s hope it’s snowing up there. Here’s the latest report from the Avalanche Advisory and weather~

http://www.shastaavalanche.org/advisories/advisories/avalanche-advisory

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.37062534198901&lon=-122.19818115234375&site=mfr&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=en

Tree Skiing...No Really! 12-28-2011

There are a few obstacles on the road from Bunny Flat to the Old Ski Bowl.

Where is the SNOW!

My friend in search of snow…hope you find some in Utah!

As always, have a great weekend and I’ll update any new SNOW!

Happy Winter Solstice and Happy Holidays!!!

I wish I could report lots of snow…

2011-2012

What else is there to do… snow hiking and great ice skating opportunities at Castle Lake, Cliff Lake and Gumboot Lake and mountain biking trails on Mt. Shasta are in awesome condition right now. Oh yeah and keep doing the “SNOW DANCE”!

 Have a fun and safe Weekend!

Mt. Shasta…A Windy Tease!

Wanna know how much snow we got…

New Snow on the Road

Enough to tour up the road~3 inches

Snow Getting Wind Blown!

She peaked out from the clouds. A few new inches up there.

Windy Up High!

Above 12,000 ft, winds are predicting to reach up to 90 m.p.h…that’s WINDY!

How about ICE SKATING~Check out this awesome video of Castle Lake my friend Ken Nelson put together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5YnIBIiCsQ

I know I keep repeating myself…Keep doing the “SNOW DANCE”!

and as always, Have a great weekend!

 

What’s Happening at Castle Lake…

With no snow in the near future, I’ve been wondering what the conditions are like at Castle and Heart Lake?

Castle Lake 12-09-2011, Klamath Mountain Range

I took a hike up to Heart Lake this morning to check out conditions. It’s absolutely beautiful for snow hiking.

There’s snow and a well booted path up but early morning makes it a icy hike up. Be prepared with the proper footwear.

Heart Lake

Heart Lake is frozen over. I didn’t see any skate tracks but did see foot tracks.

Here’s the scoop for safety and walking on ice from the National Association for Search and Rescue: 2 inches=walking, 4 inches=fishing, 5 inches=snowmobiles, 8-12 inches=vehicles

Castle Lake Up Close

There’s a nice thin layer of ice on Castle Lake.

This lake was once known to the Shasta and Wintu Indians as “Castle of the Devil”. They believed an evil spirit “Ku-Ku-Pa-Rick” lived in the lake and made the eerie echoing sounds heard in the winter. These noises were later to be discovered to be the movement of ice. It’s making those sounds!

and latest conditions on Mt. Shasta~

Avalanche Gulch 12-08-2011

Not much snow!

Down Gemini Tree

A great place to hang out and enjoy the mountain views!

Have a great weekend!

Very Windy Mt. Shasta!!!

RIP...Gemini Tree December 2011

 This beautiful Red Fir was known as the Gemini Tree and a prominent landmark on Mt. Shasta. Sadly to say, it was blown over this week in the major wind storms we had. I took this picture last week. Not much snow left…kept doing the SNOW DANCE!

This week’s conditions has been “WINDY”!!!

Everitt Memorial Hwy Dec. 1, 2011

Very high winds predicted for the rest of the week. Be cautious out there!

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.37062534198901&lon=-122.19818115234375&site=mfr&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0&lg=en

Green Butte Ridge/Broadway Getting Wind Blown

Too many rocks for my like~Keep doing the SNOW DANCE!

Bunny Flat Dec. 1, 2011

Have a great weekend!