Summer is typically a time when my posts on Hike Mt Shasta tend to be at a low ebb. This is largely a result of my being away from my computer more. Nonetheless, I have tried to keep up the site and put up at least a couple of posts each month. Meager output for sure, but life ought to be lived away from a screen (something I need to work on for sure!). I appreciate everyone sticking with the site even when the blog slows down to a glacial pace.
This summer portends something different. I now have a contract with Falcon Guides for my third book and it involves the nothern two-thirds of California. Consequently, I will be on the trail all over Northern California, from the Sierra Nevada to Big Sur to the Redwood Coast. This journey through the state will likely continue through October. Not only will I be hiking all these trails, but I will have to work on the text of the new book, working ont he maps, arranging the images and numerous other things that are part of putting a large book together. Hopefully this will be a much smoother process than last time, which was challenging because I was doing two books at once and because I had no idea how the whole process worked. Now I have only one book and I know the process. The challenge this time (at least the one I can most easily forsee) is simply getting all the trails hiked. It is horrible, I know, but someone has to do it.
So, all that being said, I am not sure exactly what my out put will look like this summer. I am tempted to blog my way through the mountains of Northern California. However, this runs against the grain of my approach to Hike Mt Shasta. First, I have always tried to maintain the focus on Mount Shasta and the surrounding area. The Coast Ranges, Bay Area, Sierra Nevada et al have little to do with the area except in the larger scheme of things geographically. Blogging about hiking in the Dardenelles or the Little Lakes Valley just does not seem to fit the mission of this site. Second, I have always kept the focus on the land and tried to keep all the focus off of me personally (other than an occasional image of my kids on Facebook, of course!). This has never been about trip reports and the like. I posted one trip report back in May of 2013 and it nevere sat well with me. I have had no plans to add more. So, talking about my journey this summer will seem contrary to the purpose of this website. I am open to thoughts my friends and readres have on this matter!
All that being said, I will continue to post on Mount Shasta when I can. Even in a state with spectacular coast and magnificent mountains like the Sierra Nevada, Mount Shasta continues to stand out. I love writing about this magical region and the many wonderful places therein. If I have not said it before, I want to put it on the record here that I appreciate everyone reading this blog and using the site as a resource. Also, a special thanks to everyone who bought my book!
