How many people do you think would turn out for a hike up a mountain trail on a day when it was predicted to be 110 °F in Redding and 102 °F in Mt. Shasta? Believe it or not, 16 people showed up for this field trip to beautiful Heart Lake, where there was still snow on a section of the trail. This joint field trip was hosted by Shasta Chapter CNPS and Shasta Environmental Alliance.
When we got to the trailhead, at about 9:30 AM, it was 70 °F, so we had a cool walk up the start of the trail. We hiked under a canopy of white fir, red fir, and western white pine. The huckleberry oak shrubs in the parking lot were up to 6 feet tall, but above the tree line they were only about a foot high. Other shrubs included creek alder, mountain maple, bitter cherry, and western and pallid serviceberry, mixed in with a few blue elderberry, mountain ash, and mountain whitethorn.
Photo by David Ledger.
Photo by David Ledger.
Among the wildflowers were pussytoes, western bistort; plainleaf fawn-lily; pussypaws; jewelflower; Davis’ knotweed; yarrow; and the small mariposa lily, beavertail-grass, which looks like a miniature version of the Tolmie’s mariposa lily commonly found on the hillsides of the greater Redding area.
We rested at Heart Lake and let the dogs cool off in the water. All the dogs had a good but hot time on the trail; all were kept on leash and the owners responsibly picked up after them.
As the temperature increased to about 80 °F, we headed back. This is a great short hike, but it is better to walk it on a weekday—there were a lot of people out enjoying the trail. ~David Ledger
Photo by David Ledger.