After picking DeeAnne up at the Sacramento airport on Wednesday evening, we drove as far north as we could get before I got too tired. We stayed the night in some non-descript campground, but at least it was only $12/nt and it was very convenient to the highway. On Thursday morning, we headed to Mt. Shasta city, which was a real nice little town. Mt. Shasta is by far the largest mountain in the area and can be seen from quite a distance. It's also purported to have very strong energy according to a friend of mine. I'm not sure I felt any different, but it sure was a beautiful mountain.
After sampling some of the Mt. Shasta spring water, we drove up the mountain as far as we could and then took a short hike. There was quite a bit of snow after a while so we headed back down when my toes started feeling numb.
A forest ranger gave us a good tip for a nice trail and a nice place to boondock. The trailhead was a bit of a drive up a narrow, one-lane road, but at least the road was paved. The trail was actually part of the Pacific Crest Trail and had great views of Mt. Shasta as well as some real nice wildflowers.
I have seen so many different types of wildflowers so far, but I have no idea what most of them are. After the hike we drove back down the road part way and found a real nice, secluded spot next to a stream to camp. It was the best kind of camp - real nice spot, quiet except for a running stream and free. Abbey was so worn out after the hike she didn't even want to jump in the water.
