We had an 8:00 AM start from Ashland as we were heading to hike the Castle Crags. It was drizzling with thick clouds covering all the surrounding mountains, but the forecast for the hike called for sunny weather with temperatures in the low 70s.

We had 8 for this hiking party, which is the same number we've had every year since the Monday group started hiking the Crags in 2022. Included was Nadine, our newest member, who signed the waiver in the Rite Aid parking lot.

The rain gave way to sunshine after driving through the Siskiyous and reaching the valley floor in California.

Our bonus stop before the Crags would be to experience The Hedge Creek Falls just off Exit 732. The trail goes down to the Falls and there's plenty of room to walk behind the Falls and get a group photo. The trail continues out to a viewpoint deck, where you can look up the Sacramento River and see the snow- covered top 7,000' of Mt. Shasta.

After enjoying the Falls, we continued 8 miles down I-5 to the Castella turnoff for Castle Crags State Park. It's still just $7.00 for entry and parking for carloads of seniors. 2.1 miles up through the campgrounds to the Vista Point parking lot for offloading. The weather was mild for the start of the hike at 10:00 AM.

The sign at the TH said 2.8 miles to Castle Dome, not far but challenging, with an elevation gain of 2,200'. The first part of the hike climbs up through shaded forest which helps to preserve your energy. On the way, there's a dramatic view of the Grey Rocks covered in snow off to the right. Then for the last 1.5 miles, you're out of the forest and onto the rocky trail leading up to Trails End. With several rest stops for water, clothing adjustments or just to catch your breath we all made it to the top! We had lunch and rested as soon as we reached the top of the trail.

Some wind blew clouds in that cooled us off and brought temps down into the 60s. We looked for a seasonal waterfall but with the snow gone on top of the Crags so was the waterfall. We explored around the base of Castle Dome and saw more dramatic views of Mt. Shasta, a brilliant white in the sun and letting off steam into the sky from its peak.

A six mile hike on the Crags with 2,200' of gain to 4,500'.

We took our time coming down, still being careful where stepped to avoid some rocks and roots.

Back at parking, I had bottles of refreshing water for everyone.

We stopped at Drizzles (formerly Yak's) in Mt. Shasta City for more refreshments, and strawberries from the Monday market across the street.

We. got back to Ashland, nearing 7:00 PM tired but happy to have met the challenge of the Crags.

Happy Trails,
Rich