Gateway Trails: Foundation Trail

I have been really excited for spring to arrive, for the snow to melt, for the sun to come out, for the temperature to rise, and for the trails to open. When I was living in San Diego, we knew when spring arrived because there were flowers blooming in the desert, but we enjoyed pretty consistently moderate temperatures at sea-level. I’m finding that, living in the mountains, you have real seasons, and you have to actually pay attention to elevation. For one thing, even though we have had temperatures in the high 70s, there is still a TON of snow on top of the mountains, and some of the roads are still closed. I have had to change my plans several times because I couldn't get to a trail. Also, layers are a requirement here. I can leave the house wearing a t-shirt and then climb a hill or descend to a valley and wish I had brought a winter coat. And, wild animals. Now, this doesn't really have anything to do with elevation, just something I now have to think about as I hike deeper and deeper into the forest. Yep, you guessed it...read on.

After conquering a steep hill in the dark a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to try another trail with an elevation change that was also more than 2 miles long. That brought me to Foundation Trail in the Gateway Trails System in Mount Shasta City. Lollipop Loop was one of the first trails I hiked after moving to the area, so I was somewhat familiar with the landscape. AllTrails has you start out on an access road and then connect with the trail. I didn't want to do that. Instead, I started out on Lollipop Loop (yes, still singing "Lollipop Guild" from The Wizard of Oz as I type that name), took a left turn onto Sisson, and then turned onto Foundation when I came to the intersection.

Now, I made that sound really easy. We all know I backtracked and checked my map a few times because I thought I had missed my turn. Fortunately, I had cell service until I reached my last junction, and all of the trails are very well marked. I ran into an older gentleman heading back from his hike, who told me that the Gateway Trails System was originally started by one man. He had hiked and marked over 7 miles of trails before the Forestry Service took over. What a wonderful gift!

Anyway, back to the trail. Lollipop Loop is like walking through a forest of Christmas Trees. And I love Christmas! Once again, I felt like Buddy the Elf walking on that part of the trail. And the view of Mt. Shasta just before you come out of the pines is stunning. The branches of the trees above and the plants below make a kind of frame. I always have to stop at that point.

Coming out of the pines, there is a flat area covered in manzanita bushes and lots of other low-growing plants. Well, I'm short so many of them were taller than me, but none of them were as tall as the pine trees. Many of the plants had bright green shoots starting to grow, and buds were just starting to open. It was a completely different scene than the reds and golds from the fall last year.

Turning onto Sisson Trail, the path narrowed as it meandered through the brush and crossed Foundation Trail in a shady, forested area. This is where I got confused (well, one of the areas). I could have turned left or right onto Foundation Trail. So, I guess I could have just started on that trail and followed it the whole time, instead of making up my own turns. But, have I even hiked if I didn't miss a turn at some point? No, missing a turn or tripping over a tiny stone (or several) is just part of the experience.

Since I knew what direction I needed to go, I turned right onto Foundation and kept moving on. Most of the trail was shaded. It was beautiful. There were pines and oaks, new growth and centuries old trees. I started in a dryer area with sparse ground cover and came to an area that was covered in ferns. I was surprised because ferns need a lot of moisture, so you know I had to stop and marvel at the tiny little ecosystem that I had just entered.

Continuing on, I headed up the hill and back into the forest. Every once in a while, there would be an opening in the trees and I would witness the most beautiful views of the sun shining on the vibrant greens in front of me with different mountains in background. Eventually I got to a point where I was in total shade, completely surrounded by forest. It was magical and silent. The openings I came to were covered in fallen leaves or pine needles and the trees were old with bare trunks or branches that were completely devoid of green. I felt an old, matronly energy; comforting and safe, where you can let go of whatever is weighing on you because you are enveloped in the feeling that everything will be all right.

With a big "Thank You", I moved on into the forest. I heard a rustle to my left and realized that these sounds were now familiar to me. I could tell that it was just a bird hopping about. There were some squirrels jumping from branch to branch above me, too. It's like I was walking through their playground. That's when I noticed that I had been heading uphill for quite a while, and realized that I was actually climbing Mount Shasta, even if it was only 200 of her 14,000 foot stature. That made me think of what lives in the forest on the mountain and I started looking out for bears (of course I had my bear whistle with me, and I was singing out loud, too). And then there was a huge rustle in the bushes ahead of me that made me jump and turn around and start walking back the way I came.

I went about ten feet (or five or fifteen, we all know I need a tape measure for distances) and then stopped to assess the situation. I figured if the giant in the bushes was dangerous it would have come out to get me. But it didn't. So I scanned the bushes for a bit, didn't see anything alarming, and then I continued up the hill. I passed by several tree carcasses, some looked like they were remnants of a fire, others were home to a colony of moss, one looked like the glass roots that occur when lightning hits sand (Sweet Home Alabama, anyone?), and one even looked like a giant crown. There were also pine trees with branches that looked like giant fans covered in feathers, like the ones in Burlesque movies. The diversity in nature is astounding. There is always something new and different to see if you just pay attention.

I kept on trekking through the forest for a while. And then I realized that I had been out here for an hour already and I had been walking downhill. Having learned my lesson on the Bowen Trail in Arizona (where I didn't really tell anyone but I wanted to puke because the entire hike back to the car was up-hill and the mid-morning temperature was climbing), I decided to head back to the car. I have said it before, I love an out-and-back trail. It allows me to focus on what's ahead, and I'm always pleasantly surprised at how different the view is in the opposite direction.

When I saw the lightning glass tree, I realized this is where the loud rustle sound startled me before. I slowed down and started singing louder...and then it happened. A giant deer leapt over the trail in front of me. I stood there for a while waiting to see if there was a family following it, or if it was being chased by something bigger. Nothing else ran by, and there weren't any more rustling sounds, so I slowly moved forward. I was cautiously looking right and left as I walked, and there she was standing off in a clearing on the left, basking in the sun and chawing on something yummy. We stood there staring at each other for a while, her chewing and me telling her how beautiful she was and asking if I could take her picture. I felt like Snow White because that deer was not afraid of me in the least. She just kept chewing and looking at me and flicking her ears, even as I walked away. Such a humbling and magical experience.