Test your mountain climbing skills – Where is your Summit?

First time visitors to Mt. Shasta are drawn to the 14,179’ mountain that towers over the town, and while some are content to watch the mountain, others choose hiking and climbing adventures on the slopes of the popular mountaineering destination.

Whether you’re a first time climber, an experienced alpine enthusiast, or a family looking to enjoy the lower slopes, you can find an option to suit you. First time climbers should climb with a guide service. The popular beginners’ route, Avalanche Gulch, is often climbed in two days, with a base camp established at Lake Helen and a steep climb up to Red Banks that requires crampon and ice axe skills.

Shasta Mountain Guides (SMG) takes climbers all over the mountain, from beginner routes in Avy Gulch and the West Face to more difficult routes. Steep, exposed Casaval Ridge and the Hotlum Glacier, with big crevasses, seracs, and ice falls, prepare climbers for conditions on Mount Rainer or Denali.

Chris Carr, co-owner of SMG, said that most of their clients are first-time climbers and that Mt. Shasta is the perfect peak for newcomers to the sport. If you’re thinking of climbing the mountain, Carr recommends a diligent training routine to prepare for the physical demands of climbing.

Plenty of families climbing together, and Carr said, “for the adventurous family this is a great challenge and experience for them.” This year’s climbing season is likely to extend well into the summer. Carr said Avalanche Gulch should be good through July, if not longer, and the Hotlum-Bolam route will be ideal June through September.

“It’s going to be a great season. All of the routes that we climb and guide are in excellent condition,” Carr said.

If learning to use crampons doesn’t appeal to you, explore lower elevations of the mountain by hiking. Day hiking from Bunny Flat to the Sierra Club cabin will take you into the tall trees and delicate landscapes of the sub-alpine forest. You can also hike to Hidden Valley, which Carr called “an incredible location to spend the day, and a reasonable hike in the summer from Horse Camp.”

Klamath Basin Wildlife Refuge Opens New Canoe Area

What’s better than the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars?  For the wildlife enthusiast it just might be canoeing under the trees! This unique opportunity is now available at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge complete with a canoe for visitors to use free of charge.  The new canoe area dedicated to former refuge employee, David Champine, has recently been opened to the public.  While visitors may use their own non motorized boats, there is also a canoe available at the site which visitors may checkout during the hours the nearby refuge visitor center is open.

The canoe area has been developed as a cooperative effort of the refuge staff and many friends of David Champine.  Mr. Champine died in 2009 after battling a lifelong heart condition which hampered his health but not his enthusiasm for life. The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Association has been instrumental in making this opportunity available.  The Association is a membership group dedicated to supporting refuge interpretive and educational programs.  For membership information contact the refuge at (530) 667-2231. A group of David’s friends donated the canoe which visitors will be using on the trail.  The canoe area is located in a remote portion of Discovery Marsh which is within walking distance of the refuge headquarters and visitor center.  The marsh is expected to dry up during the late spring and summer months most years so visitors should call in advance if they are planning a trip which includes use of the canoe area.

Wildlife viewing opportunities will vary seasonably with recent reports of interesting sightings along the trail including bird species such as Cinnamon Teal, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Long-billed Dowitcher, Violet-green Swallow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Marsh Wren and Common Yellowthroat.

The Refuge visitor center is located at 4009 Hill Road about 5 miles west of the town of Tulelake, California. Center hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm on weekdays and 9:00 to 4:00 pm on weekends and holidays. Contact the refuge at (530) 667-2231 for additional information.

Rafting or Kayaking it’s time to hit the rivers!

Whether you prefer the splash of whitewater on your face during a wild spring rafting trip or the bliss of sunshine on your cheeks on a summer float trip, Siskiyou County has the river for you. Thrill seekers and mellow river runners can find their joy with northern California rafting companies as they explore the Upper Sacramento, Scott, Cal Salmon, and Klamath rivers this spring and summer.

With late precipitation in the mountains, spring rafting is likely to hold on longer this year than usual, meaning that the Upper Sac, Scott and Cal Salmon will be running through May and possibly into mid-June, according to Turtle River Rafting owner Rick Demarest. A few trips have already gone out on the Upper Sac on the Class III section south of Dunsmuir that Demarest calls “by far the best spring rafting.” Memorial Day Weekend is high time on the Cal Salmon, which offers remote Class IV and V sections for advanced paddlers.

Come summer time, the boating shifts to the Klamath River where multiple-day camp trips are very popular with families. Turtle River takes its clients on three to five-day trips where the sense of wilderness envelops you in nature as you camp along the river and watch the wildlife throughout the day.

“These days it seems that our cultural routines don’t include much time in nature. Being in the wilderness is especially valuable to children to expand their world and open up new possibilities,” Demarest mused.

For those that can’t get away for a multiple day trip, the float trip from Tree of Heaven outside of Yreka is an easy one or two day trip that can usually be booked on short notice. Even with a short day on the water, you’ll reap the rewards.

“Probably the biggest benefit of rafting is just time together and the chance to spend a few days with nothing to do,” said Demarest, whose daughter is a guide.

Upper Sac and Klamath are ready for you!

Flows on the Upper Sac also high, 3,000 to 4,000 cfs and will likely remain so as runoff from an above normal snowpack has begun. Some exceptional fish are podded in some of the bigger runs making this one of the best times of year to pick up your best fish of the season; several friends have enjoyed this good fortune in the past few weeks. The Klamath River still has a few spring run steelhead to be had on the swing but with the recent release of steelhead smolts it can be a challenge to get to them. For those so inclined the smolts will attack caddis dries during the hatch and small nymphs most anytime with abandon.  Salmonflies are on the way, so now is the time to schedule a great local guide for this hatch as available dates in late May and June are becoming far and few between.

Fly Fishing the Upper Sacramento

The Upper Sac is very high from snowmelt and runoff, but it is flowing clear and is fishable. Dedicated upper Sac anglers can find a few fish to take by concentrating on the deeper, slower moving pockets and pools, but it may be more work than it’s worth until runoff subsides later this spring.

The key to success when fishing high spring water on the upper sac is using plenty of weight to get your flies down, and concentrating on the deeper pools and slower-moving pockets. The fish will try to get away from the heavy currents, and can sometimes be concentrated in certain calmer waters.

Upper Sac River Rafting & Kayaking

Experience the incredible beauty of the Upper Sacramento river Canyon in full spring bloom. Watch fresh flows of creeks and streams that feed water to the thirsty state of California. Challenging without being demanding. Exciting for novices and experienced rafters alike.

Fly Fishing on the Klamath

FRIENDS FISHING THE KLAMATH

Our longtime good friend Ross joined us to explore a lower drift on the Klamath River he had not yet seen.  We dedicated the day to the swing and loaded up a couple new rods with some new lines which can be an adventure in itself.  Ross has a new twelve and a half foot Scott T2h eight weight that he has tried to match a number of lines to.  On this day he found the sweetheart he was looking for, a 600 grain Rio Skagit that balanced so well with a 10? T14 tip and his own beautiful blue and black  tied Intruder that he swung up a bright chrome springer Steelhead.  Craig sampled some new lines including Rio’s 325 grain short head Skagit Flight on his favorite switch rod, Sage’s Z-Axis six weight eleven footer and found the perfect fit.  It also turned out to fit a bit better than Air Flo’s 360 grain short head Skagit on his Scott twelve and a half foot T2h six weight though he didn’t have as much luck finding willing fish as Ross.

Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing Trip

by: Shasta Trout
Guide: Graig Nielson, March 31, 2010

Dustin with Trophy Rainbow

The Lower Sacramento was exceptional for the action, numbers of fish as well as the size of the fish we found.  We hooked several trophy fish including a couple that would make a season, let alone your day.  We even landed a couple while the biggest ones got away of course.  One fish was so hot, it freight trained upstream with so much power we thought at first is was a Salmon.  It was not, but was Salmon sized.

Spring Warber Watching

Spring Weather Brings Fishing to the Klamath

The spring like weather has turned the bite on with very few anglers taking advantage of the opportunity.   Some fresh grabby fish arrive in the upper river which can spark the bite as well.  Fishing for Klamath River Steelhead on the upper river typically holds up well through March in most seasons.  Most of the action has been on eggs, legs and nymphs though the swing has been surprisingly good as water temps are approaching the mid forties.  On the Klamath on most winter days we can count on catching fish on the swing rather than merely practicing our casting and hoping. We most enjoy swinging with Switch Rods and Skagit or Scandi lines and can provide them if you’d care to give them a try.  Though there are still a few half pounders around the majority of fish on most days are hefty adults.  Now is an ideal time to plan your final steelhead trip of the season as we still have some openings available.