Quick Summary

Enter Shasta.  I had no idea what to expect of this area.  Clearly, there is a giant, snow-covered mountain.  There is also a town called ‘Mount Shasta’.  When I viewed this area on Google Maps, it wasn’t colored in green to indicate a national park or forest area.  Was the entire area a big forest?  Are there trails?  Is it a dusty, desolate, gold mining town?  I had no clue.  This is an exciting aspect of traveling; venturing into the unknown and discovering new lands.

The night before arriving in Shasta, I had just conquered Castle Greyskull and spent the night in the spooky town of Dunsmuir.  I arrived at night and it felt like an abandoned gold mining town.  It definitely had the “Twin Peaks” vibe to it; heavily wooded, an eerie presence, sparsely populated, etc.  I found a parking spot and spent my first night truly “stealth camping”.  Technically sleeping in your vehicle is usually not allowed, but who would suspect that someone would sleep in a minivan with high school lacrosse bumper stickers?!?  I survived my first night on the wild streets of Dunsmuir and rolled into Mt. Shasta town about 5 minutes away.

I pulled into town keeping my eyes pealed for a coffee shop that may have internet.  I found EXACTLY what I was looking for at the end of town; a friendly coffee shop with good internet, high tables and plugs to power all my devices.  MUAHAHA, NEED POWER FOR DEVICES!  I caught up on more pictures, time lapse processing and blogging.  This is a lot of work!

After about 3-4 hours of staring at a screen, I needed to get the hell out of there.  I was still sore from the massive hike yesterday, so I decided to cruise to the nearby Lake Siskiyou to take a mini-hike and do a time lapse.  I was feeling pretty lethargic from the heat and staring at a screen; I lazily pulled into the parking lot and made my way to a map to scout out a trail.  A friendly looking bearded dude came by with his mountain bike and we started chatting about the trail.  A few minutes into the conversation, he said something to the effect of “I’m traveling around in my Sienna”.  “I HAVE A SIENNA TOO!!!” I instantly exclaimed.  Wow, I could not believe I met another vandwelling Sienna owner!  We excitedly showed each other our rigs and compared notes.  Sienna dude’s name is Michael, by the way.  Michael showed me his setup and it was pretty neat.  He gutted the floors and installed wood paneling.  Very slick and sturdy.  He had a more minimal setup than me: thin camping mattress and cot, storage up top (bicycle and storage bin) and used the end of his bed as a cooking area.  It was really neat to see another setup; definitely gave me some ideas for the future.

After chatting for awhile and comparing notes, we exchanged info and parted ways.  We agreed to meet up again to form a Sienna gang and cruise around town looking for other Sienna Van Dwellers.

The next day, Michael and I met up for a hike to Heart Lake.  It was 20 minute drive from town, deep into the mountains.  The drive was beautiful; trees and mountains forever.  The mountain smell is intoxicating.  Anyway, we arrived and went on a hike.  It was scorching hot and we had to invent our own trail for most of the way; but made it to a beautiful lake with an incredible view of Mt. Shasta and the surrounding areas.  I enjoyed spending time with a new travel buddy; turns out we have a lot in common.  We’re both super into photography, we’re both searching for something on this journey and have gone through several personal transformations.

Michael is 31, from Virginia, has lived in Colorado and Hawaii.  He used to be a bit of a jock but in the last few years has quit drinking, grew his hair out, lived on a commune, does yoga regularly, etc.  Two kindred spirits driving Siennas together, haha.  He has interesting ideas about life, what it means to be happy, spirituality.  It was a cool experience to hang out and find a like-minded person to pass time with.  When I travel, I meet a ton of people and I’m excited to chat and make conversation with them; but it’s rare that I meet someone that I connect with on a deeper level.  It was definitely a special experience.

That evening, we both headed to a wooded area that Michael had found the night before.  It was 10 minutes deep into the forrest, on a logging road next to the lake.  I was a bit nervous going in…were we ALLOWED to camp there?  Would the ‘woods people’ get mad at us for camping on their land?  Would the Sheriff arrest us?  Michael assured me it was fine the night before so I decided to take the risk.

 

The spot was spectacular; surrounded by trees and right next to a flowing river.  But most importantly, I achieved my life goal of living in a van down by the river!!!  It was liberating to sleep in the van with my curtain down and windows open (with bug screens of course) and not have to worry about random people judging me or calling the cops.  I awoke to the sounds of the river, made some coffee, did my stretches and then ventured down to explore the river.  I was still feeling a bit lethargic, but after stripping and dunking myself in the freezing water, I instantly felt alive and energized.  I spent about an hour in and around the river; bathing, stretching, journaling.  It is truly a magical place.

 Shasta Thoughts

I ended up staying in town for 3 nights.  It’s an amazing place.  It’s literally surrounded by wilderness and hiking trailing.  The entire area could be a national park.  The town is cute and quaint.  The locals are SUPER friendly and genuine.  Everyone I met asked me about my plans and gave helpful suggestions.  The vibe of the place is very hippy and spiritual.  I can understand why; the natural beauty is stunning.  I would compare it to Lake Tahoe if you removed 95% of the people and developments.  I purchased a map with 25 hikes in the surrounding area; I only did a few of them – there is so much I want to explore.

Hiking and exploring the pine forests and blue lakes during these summer months has made me super nostalgic for the carefree days of my youth when my family vacationed in Lake Tahoe/Lake Almanor during the summer.  I don’t remember a lot from these trips (or even how old I was); but I do remember hiking, biking, playing ping pong, being in water and smelling that distinctive pine needle smell that is extra strong during the summer months.  Feeling the heat of the sun and then bathing in a lake to cool off.  It also reminds me how carefree I was when I was young.  I thought I would live forever.  The idea of being a “grownup” did not even exist in my head.  Time moved slowly.  I didn’t worry about what people thought.  I simply lived in the moment and was happy playing outside.  I hope that this trip will allow me to get back in touch with those values.

I went on a hike around the entire perimeter of Lake Siskayou.  The hike was listed as “Easy” in my book and should take 1-4 hours.  It was 7.5 miles and the trail disappeared in many areas!  I thought I was lost dozens of times and had to ford several rivers; it was such a fun adventure!  I love the challenge of making my own trail and not being 100% sure that I’m going the right way.  It was mildly anxiety-provoking, but it was such a feeling of accomplishment when I found my way and completed the loop.  At 7.5 miles, I was extremely proud.  I think I can safely say that hiking is the one activity I can do that does not aggravate any injuries.  It feels great to accomplish this and I want to continue hiking my ass off.

Oh yeah, I hiked up to the first base camp of Mt. Shasta; Horse Camp!  The hike was brutal; through snow most of the way and I forgot to put on enough sunscreen.  Once again, I could not turn back!  I needed to reach the first camp.  It was a small town of tents and intrepid mountaineers getting ready to summit.  I definitely felt accomplished by hiking several miles up steep snow!

Journal Scribbles

Random thoughts from the dark corners of my mind:

• What day is it?  Thursday?  Friday?  I think Friday.
• Been hiking a shit-ton.  Hip feels amazing.
• Tons of TL
• Last night I stayed in a minivan down by a river.
• Loving vandwelling; the mobility and freedom.
• Getting more used to cooking/sleeping in the van.
• Excited for the last few nights here and then the commune.
• You’re right where you need to be.
• Working with your hands / building stuff is super fun.  I miss it.
• Just played volleyball for the first time in over a year!  It was sloppy, party vball but it was a perfect re-intro for me.  Got a few good bumps and sets in.  Felt good.  No hip or knee pain.  The family was hella funny; all the dudes had tattoos, were rough around the edges, constantly gave each other good natured insults in a hilarious way.  Everyone was pounding coors lights.  It was a blast.
• Try to reserve your judgements.  Just notice things without putting a label on it.
• People are so nice here.
• Love choosing my own adventure.

Commune Thoughts

In a few hours, I’ll be at the Commune.  I always joke with my friends that we should all move to the woods and start a commune where we enjoy each other’s company, raise each others children and live as a harmonious, blissful village family.  Anyway, I call this place a commune, but it’s basically a ranch where 12 people live off the grid.  They grow their own vegetables, raise animals and basically live in a Utopia.  The plan is to stay there for 2 weeks and help out with chores and experience life on the commune.  In return, I get housing/food and the experience of living in isolated nature.  I found it through a work exchange website called helpx.  It’s basically WOOF’ing.  Hopefully I can learn various construction, gardening or other “living off the grid” techniques.  I think it will be a unique experience to meet different types of people and see other possibilities of how to live.  If it’s weird/creepy or they try to get me to drink ayahuasca juice to cleanse myself of evil spirit demons, I can simply get in my van and leave!  If you don’t hear from me in a few weeks, I’m gonna need someone to chopper in and save me.

Recap

1. Herm and Alberta in Sactown. 
2. The Devestated Area.  Semi stealth camping.
3. The Devestated Area.  Semi stealth camping.
4. Manzanita Lake Shenanigans and Tomfoolery
5. Manzanita Lake Shenanigans and Tomfoolery.
6. McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park.
7. Castle Crag state park.  STEALTH CAMPING for the first time.  Spooky town of Dunsmuir.
8. Shasta.  Town Center.
9. Shasta.  Down by the river in the woods at a magical spot with two siennas.
10. Shasta.  Town Center.
11. Yreka.  Walmart parking lot.
12. Commune….