OP
Yep LR, that was it. Fun trail and a beautiful lake up there. Would like to go back and explore more of that area someday.
California NorCal Jeep adventures!
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Me too. I'm hoping there are fish in that lake. Maybe I'll get a fish report back from @Mr. Bills after this weekend.
OP
Awesome. Take plenty of photos so I can live vicariously through you
Ran sour grass yesterday had a blast fun lil trail even with the traffic jam at the river crossing
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Waiting for wife to down load from camera a lot of carnage when we were up there
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OP
Got back from Cow Mt. a bit ago. I don't think I can put into words the sadness and devastation from the fires last year. I went as far up as 4 mile Glade and checked out Buckhorn camp. The toilet and cement picnic tables were still standing, but not much else was left. We took a bunch of pics and will post them once I get them off my camera. It was an emotional day for my wife and I going up there. I don't think I'll be going back for some time.
OP
Briefly:
Yes, there are fish in the lake but only a few were caught this weekend. Word is that there is/was an invasive species of some kind that made trout fishing difficult in the past. Sorry I can't give a better fishing report, but I don't do much of it and am not attuned to local conditions.
As for jeeping, we did a little known "trail" near the lake that turned out not to be for the faint of heart or the ill prepared. It was an example of why one should ask a clarifying question or two when the guys with purpose built crawlers on one ton axles and 42" tires say "only 200 yards are tough and there are bypasses." For normal human beings reality translated to "Two hundred yards are impossible, the rest is extremely difficult, and there is really only one bypass and even that isn't easy." I would describe it as a sluice more than a trail. Winches were used frequently, as were chain saws. It took 4 1/2 hours for the group to do 1.1 miles.
It was great fun and other than minor rock rash that can be addressed with a bit of rattle can semi-flat black paint my rig made it through unscathed. Someone asked how the trail compared to the Rubicon and Fordyce Creek trails and the guys in the club who ran those trails last summer universally responded that it was as tough as anything on either trail. I am familiar with the Rubicon Trail but not Fordyce Creek and would concur. It reminded me of the Little Sluice but with no end in sight.
We made it back to camp about 2:30. Then the clouds blew in and it started raining. Rather than sit around waiting for the rain to stop (which it eventually did) we decided to take the switchbacks to the top where one can look down on the lake. It turned into a snow run because there was still several feet of snow at 6,000'. Even in mid-June. Even though it was 80* in camp and 100*+ in the valley below. There was too much snow to make it to the very top so we turned around and headed back down.
All in all a great trip. I didn't take any photos but I will post some taken by others in the group when they become available.
Yes, there are fish in the lake but only a few were caught this weekend. Word is that there is/was an invasive species of some kind that made trout fishing difficult in the past. Sorry I can't give a better fishing report, but I don't do much of it and am not attuned to local conditions.
As for jeeping, we did a little known "trail" near the lake that turned out not to be for the faint of heart or the ill prepared. It was an example of why one should ask a clarifying question or two when the guys with purpose built crawlers on one ton axles and 42" tires say "only 200 yards are tough and there are bypasses." For normal human beings reality translated to "Two hundred yards are impossible, the rest is extremely difficult, and there is really only one bypass and even that isn't easy." I would describe it as a sluice more than a trail. Winches were used frequently, as were chain saws. It took 4 1/2 hours for the group to do 1.1 miles.
It was great fun and other than minor rock rash that can be addressed with a bit of rattle can semi-flat black paint my rig made it through unscathed. Someone asked how the trail compared to the Rubicon and Fordyce Creek trails and the guys in the club who ran those trails last summer universally responded that it was as tough as anything on either trail. I am familiar with the Rubicon Trail but not Fordyce Creek and would concur. It reminded me of the Little Sluice but with no end in sight.
We made it back to camp about 2:30. Then the clouds blew in and it started raining. Rather than sit around waiting for the rain to stop (which it eventually did) we decided to take the switchbacks to the top where one can look down on the lake. It turned into a snow run because there was still several feet of snow at 6,000'. Even in mid-June. Even though it was 80* in camp and 100*+ in the valley below. There was too much snow to make it to the very top so we turned around and headed back down.
All in all a great trip. I didn't take any photos but I will post some taken by others in the group when they become available.
The first photo to surface from the afternoon snow run. There was a lot of it for June.
My friend Ken managed to dig down far enough to get traction. He drove through this without incident.
My friend Ken managed to dig down far enough to get traction. He drove through this without incident.
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Some pics from sour grass
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I liked the trail it was fun just way to many people up there the bottom pic is the bypass for the main water crossing witch was about a 2 hr wait with everyone getting stuck in the river
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4 days on Lake Shasta and it was a blast.
Lake was cool, beer was cold, fish were bitting all weekend. I pulled in about 5 bass, had a fish fry Monday night. Had my phone turned off for most of it so not a lot of pics.
My boys got up on skies for the first time.
Great family time
Lake was cool, beer was cold, fish were bitting all weekend. I pulled in about 5 bass, had a fish fry Monday night. Had my phone turned off for most of it so not a lot of pics.
My boys got up on skies for the first time.
Great family time
That looks like a blast. I've always wanted to rent a houseboat in shasta. Last time I was at Shasta it was super low so it's nice to see photos of it looking full.
I am planning on running it next weekend, I sure it is getting a lot of use because Slick Rock and Deer Valley most likely have snow