Hedge Creek Falls

This was the very first place I was planning to go to when I moved to Mt. Shasta. But, after reading the reviews and seeing that it was labeled as a Moderate hike, I decided to wait a bit. Well, the wait is over my friends.

This trail is right off Interstate 5 and parking is basically a patch of gravel on the corner. The entrance to the trail is right across the street, marked by an adorable sign in the shape of an old train engine. As you walk toward the entrance to the path you will pass a picnic table, water fountain, and gazebo, all of which are extremely inviting after the trek back up the hill.

Being my first trail with any kind of grade, I opted to wear my hiking shoes, and I'm glad I made that choice. The trail is not extremely steep but it is dusty, there are some loose rocks, and the ground is a little slippery when wet (as noted on the sign by the gazebo that I disregarded because we haven't seen rain in weeks and it didn't occur to me that I might step in water while crossing under the waterfall...duh!).

Turning past the gazebo, I saw what I thought were switchbacks, and I could hear the water. Passing giant, moss covered boulders and ancient trees, I came to the first turn and got a glimpse of Hedge Falls. Beautiful, with the trees above and the greenery growing out of the rock and the little pool at the bottom, this is definitely a time to pause and listen and take it all in.

Continuing on the path, I zigzagged a couple of times before I arrived at the bottom of the fall. This city girl had mixed emotions about walking behind the water. Yes, it's gorgeous, and how often do you get the chance to walk behind a waterfall, and the sounds of the water and the lush forest were really calming and gorgeous. But let me tell you that, at that moment, the area behind the waterfall looked exactly like the wild cat enclosure at the San Diego Zoo and I could not get a good look in the crevices. It was a little scary...so I put my bear whistle in my mouth and crossed behind the water, stopped to get a look, and jumped about ten feet when a drop landed on my shoulder. I high-tailed it out of there real quick.

The path ahead was pretty straight, only curving around trees and boulders, following the stream out to the river. I stopped several times as I noticed all of the things that the water had to traverse; fallen trees and branches and leaves and rocks and the land itself. In moments like these I think about how amazing water is. We drink water all day long (or at least we should), it makes up over 60% of our bodies, and yet, if it drips continuously on a piece of stone long enough, it will create a hole all the way through. It is a force. And that force had me mesmerized today. So much so that I followed the path to a landing and actually got up on top of this manmade viewpoint with a chain link fence that had clearly been bent into submission by some other visitors. Have I mentioned that heights are not my thing? Especially heights over water...like I don't even walk on top of a drainage grate in the pavement. But I walked right on up to the platform and proceeded to the edge to snap some pictures.

Yeah, I think the risk was worth the reward.

I thought this was the end of the trail but as I turned to go back, I noticed some switchbacks down to the river, so I followed them to check it out. I came to a place where you could cross the stream and follow the river south. I think this is the path people follow to cross the Sacramento River to get to Mossbrae Falls, but that was not the plan for the day. Also, this girl is not crossing a rushing river all by herself, no matter how shallow or "worth it" people say it is.

So, instead, I headed back to the cave of wild cats to cross back behind the waterfall. This time I was less afraid, it might have had something to do with seeing another human on the trail heading my way. I courageously put my bear whistle in my mouth once again and stood in that cave behind the waterfall. This time though, I actually stopped to check out the view. Breathtaking. Full stop.

Heading back up the switchbacks the way I came, I paused to thank the trees for their shade and the boulders for the structure they provide. I also ran into some humans, one in slides, he looked like he was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to warn him. The other was an out of shape city girl like me, so we stopped to chat and I encouraged her to go all the way to the platform for the view of the river.

Back at the top I took advantage of the picnic table as I caught my breath and sipped some water. Once again, I caught a view of Mt. Shasta watching over everything below her. She is becoming a sign that I'm home...like the Denny's sign in San Clemente or the Nuclear Boobies on Camp Pendleton. IYKYK

I saw a lot of comments saying that this hike should be rated as easy, and I completely agree if you're an experienced or frequent hiker. But for those of us who are just getting out there, who might be a little or a lot overweight and a little or a lot out of shape, it's definitely on the moderate side. Just know that it's doable and absolutely worth the time.