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We woke up on Friday at Brandy Creek Campground in Whiskeytown not sure where to go. We had two options, Lake Lewiston or Castle Lake, but mommy wanted to go into Redding to look for a hat to paddle in so we opted for heading north. Mommy does not do well in traffic and congested areas so we didn’t really shop. Instead we headed north. First stop was the Visitor Center in Shasta City so we could see where we were going. The nice lady gave us a map and told us where we could camp for free. Anywhere along the Castle Lake Road and in the little campground close to the lake. We headed in that direction and up the 7 mile road to the lake. It was a pretty drive.
We checked out the campground and decided that it was probably not going to work for us. It was free but had low lying branches and very rutted roads. We headed to Castle lake and decided to figure out the camp situation later.
The lake was small but beautiful. There were people kayaking and SUPing on it but we decided it wasn’t worth inflating the SUP for so we hiked instead. There was a nice .5 mile trail to the back of the lake.
We met a nice gal and her dog playing in the water and I swam and swam and swam. Mommy swam too and the girl thought she was crazy because the water was cold but it felt good. We hung out there for a bit and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
We found out that there were two other lakes within a short hike so of course we had to go check them out. One was Little Castle Lake. We heard that one was muddy so we set off for Heart Lake.
It was straight up from the parking lot. First we hiked through the trees and then it became rather rocky. Mommy picked me up to preserve my arthritic paws. It was an extra workout for her so she didn’t mind.
We got to the saddle and could not find the trail to the right that our new friend told us to go on so we went to the left. It took us down a very steep, rocky hill and we had no idea where we were. We finally came upon a great view of Mt Shasta and a lake! One look at the lake and we knew that we were at Little Shasta Lake. It was pretty muddy. So muddy that I didn’t even swim. We found out later that if we would have continued on, the trail goes to a beautiful lookout of Castle Crags.
We turned back and headed up the hill with mommy carrying me. She is such a good mommy. We sat on the rocks on the saddle and enjoyed the view of Castle Lake below. While sitting there we saw two gals and their dog heading down the trail that we were looking for! They told us that they too were confused and it took them awhile to find it but it was worth the hike.
It was getting dark so we decided to save it for tomorrow and headed back down with the girls from Kentucky. We had such a great spot in the parking lot by the lake that we decided to just take our chances and camp there. A few of the locals said that it should be find and that they had camped there before. What the heck?
The knock came at 7:30 a.m. from the Ranger saying we couldn’t camp in the lot. She was super nice and by then we were up and ready to start our day. We met a bunch of really nice people at the lake out SUPing. The lady worked for the Fish and Game commission and was telling mommy sad stories of how bad people are treating the wilderness lately. She said that they are throwing trash and toilet paper everywhere, painting the rocks and not respecting nature. She said that it is getting worse and it makes her sad. The park service is very underfunded and short staffed and can only do so much. So, if you are out and about on the trails. Do your part. Mommy always throws pieces of glass off the trails so no dogs will get cut and picks up any trash that we see. Also, if your dog poops on the trails and you don’t want to carry it, at least get it off of the trails. It you do pick it up, don’t leave the poop bag by the trail and then forget to get it on the way back.
She also told us about some trails to check out in the coming days so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, Jack and I headed back up to Heart Lake. You aren’t going to believe this but a little bit into the hike, mommy’s other shoe broke! Back down we went to tape it. On our 3rd attempt, we FINALLY made it to Heart Lake and it was worth it.
The lake was pretty low but it was nice. I got to swim so I was happy because it was getting hot. Mommy was enjoying the view when she met a lady named Linda that was looking for her hiking partner. They got split up. Mommy and her hit it off and the next thing I know; we are heading higher up the mountain! Mommy doesn’t need much encouragement to keep going! I was glad that we did because the view was INCREDIBLE and I got to chase more squirrels!
We sat at the top for so long that I took a nap. Linda was really cool and I hope that we go visit her someday.
We headed back down because it was getting hot. Mommy felt the trails and they were not too hot for my paws but she kept carrying me through the rocky sections. It was embarrassing to me but she meant well. Once at the bottom, we both went swimming in Castle Lake.
It was Saturday and it was crazy busy! The parking lot was so full that mommy didn’t think she would be able to get Spirit out! Cars were lined up down the road! Time to get out of here and let other enjoy it!
We headed down the mountain to Siskiyou lake. Yes, I got to swim in 3 different lakes in one day! I am so spoiled! Mommy parked on the beach on North Shores Road. It was 4:30 p.m. so not many people there. It was great. We practically had the entire beach to ourselves! We thought it would be crowded since it was Saturday but the locals told us that after Labor Day everything gets very quiet. Fine with us!
Mommy paddled 4 miles and stopped often so that I could swim. The water was nice. Not as clear as the other lakes but it felt good because it was still hot! Mommy swam too and just like all of the other times that we swim together, we raced for the toy. I am a fast swimmer!
The best part about this lake were the views.
We paddled down to a bridge and saw where the river and the lake meet. There were people jumping off of the bridge! If I wasn’t here, mommy probably would have joined them because she is crazy sometimes.
We paddled until sunset again. Mommy contemplated just camping on the beach but didn’t want to press her luck. There was no camping allowed anywhere along North Shore Road. It would have been so sweet to wake up at the lake.
We found another spot that was awesome. It was a little pullout on Castle Lake Road near the top and it overlooked Mt Shasta. We had the entire little area to ourselves. The stars were so bright and it was so quiet. I slept really well.
Thanks for reading. I am a tired boy. So we will see you at our next stop, continue to follow along and see what Mt Shasta has to offer!
