Tag: State of Jefferson

Above is what Mount Shasta looked like for the 15 seconds I got to see it mostly un-obscured. The weather in Mt. Shasta City (elev. 3,586 ft.) varied from overcast to mostly sunny during my stay. But at higher elevations, the views weren’t so good. These pictures of Mt. Shasta were taken from Bunny Flat (Elev. 6,950 ft.) I waited for about an hour for the clouds to repeatedly cycle through the pattern below, before I got the brief glimpse shown at the top of the page. Mt. Shasta itself has an elevation of 14,179 ft.

Mt. Shasta is a stratovolcano with an estimated volume of 85 cubic miles which makes it the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascades. It is considered potentially active and is on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway.

Mt. Shasta is said to be an energy vortex and the root chakra of the world. I am not competent to judge. I will say that if you are interested in crystals, or spiritual journey, there are plenty of shops in Mt. Shasta City that a ready to help you out.

It is an interesting mix of people here. The larger area is sometimes referred to as the State of Jefferson. A large swath of southern Oregon and northern California that are generally more conservative and agriculturally and extractive industry focused than what they see in the capitals of either California or Oregon. The state is real enough that as I traveled the Shasta and Cascades region, I listened to Jefferson Public Radio.

The weather was also not helpful in my failed attempt to hike from Castle Lake (Elev. 5,440) to Heart Lake (Elev. 6,037) for “astounding views” of Mt. Shasta. As I ascended, the weather deteriorated and I kept losing the trail. I chose to turn around and return to the car without reaching Heart Lake. For those interested, there is purported to be a dimensional portal on the back side of Castle Lake.