 |
Castle Crags as you see them
from Interstate-5
six miles south of Dunsmuir
greatly zoomed. |
The State of California, in its wisdom for austerity in
economic hard times, has closed one-fourth of its state parks, including Castle
Crags near Dunsmuir. The savings should
be great, economists say. And today I
felt quite happy that the park had closed.
Finding the gate locked, I entered it by a back road as the locals do
and hiked quite nicely to its main attraction, those rugged spires of granite
called the Castle Crags. The park has
only been closed for a month, not long enough for the trail to need maintenance
or for vandals to remove the signs. In a
year or less hikers will start getting lost or injured when they lose the
trail. I imagine the search and rescue operations
will undo the savings to the state. And
if not, the destruction of unguarded facilities probably will.
 |
| Castle Crags |
 |
| Castle Crags
|
Hiking up to the Crags through forest of douglas fir, sugar pine,
ponderosa, oaks, and many kinds of succulents close to the ground, their broad
leaves taking any sunlight the trees miss.
 |
| Castle Dome |
 |
| Castle Dome
|
My goal on a journey that is primarily not for the goal but
for the journey, is Castle Dome. And how
can there be a journey without a goal.
Mt. Shasta seems small alongside Castle Dome, a smaller
mountain, good as backdrop.
 |
| Castle Crags |
 |
| Castle Dome |
Here in a saddle between Castle Crags and Castle Dome,
climbers rope-up and make sure their ropes are strong. But today I saw nobody. Maybe they don’t know about the back road.
Perhaps the journey is the goal. Beautiful pics and thanks for the aesthetic respite. I look so forward to your posts.
ReplyDeleteLois, you have put some lovely pictures on facebook of late, especially those rock-paved paths between quaint stone buildings with little windows and shadows just right.
Delete"The moon and the sun are travelers of a hundred generations. The years coming and going are wanderers too. Spending a lefetime adrift on boat decks, greeting old age by holding a horse by the mouth, for such a person, each day is a journey, and the journey itself becomes home." ~ Basho (Hirshfeld trans)
ReplyDeleteLove your castle rocks and the perspectives. You are your journey! A beautiful adventure. ... we view from afar, admire and journey on each of us in our way...
Hopefully economic austerity will be found ineffective and a gracious generosity and sense of wonder will encourage adventure and pleasure in the wilds!
Yes, Kathabela, Basho is right because he can do it that way. I wish I could, and maybe someday I can. Now it seems to take direction, a point in the distance, or a map with a mysterious mountain on it.
DeleteHow sad that one fourth of the State parks are closed in this plentiful state! Several parks and Ranger stations have been closed down in my area too. Volunteers are scrambling to upkeep as many trails and parks from vandalism and destruction as possible. Your journaled adventures will be a treasure for future generations to enjoy what they may never be able to wander upon.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos!
I am sure it’s a mistake, both economically and environmentally, to close the parks. Maybe they will soon wake up and realize.
DeleteHearing “Great photos” from a great photographer is a real treat.