Active Norcal November/December 2015

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA’S SPORT, FITNESS AND OUTDOOR MAGAZINE

™

November/December 2015 - Issue 12

THE

INSPIRATION

ISSUE

The North State: A Beautiful and Conflicted History Five of the Finest Hikes Trials and Tribulations of NorCal’s Best Brewers

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DIGITAL

Active NorCal Online Find exclusive content at ActiveNorCal.net Follow us on Twitter @ActiveNorCal

Landmarks – Pit River Bridge At 500-feet tall, NorCal’s Pit River Bridge or Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Bridge is the highest combination road/rail crossing in the world. The iconic structure holds a special place in the minds of those who love cruising up and down the North State and/or Lake

t

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Shasta. Learn the history and significance of the Pit River Bridge in our digital piece and stay tuned for more coverage of key local landmarks.

Comprehensive Location Guides

Depending on your interests, the season, weather and exact location, you can experience North State attractions in a number of vastly different ways. Look at Lassen Volcanic National Park – a park that differs drastically depending

Event Recaps – Mud Run

on the time of year or activity

As active advocates, it’s our job to occasionally get our

you want to do there. With our guides, view local attractions from all angles.

hands dirty, and take on notable active events. This year,

t

comprehensive digital location

Team Active NorCal completed the Shasta Mud Run 10k.

In our digital report, we put you in the soggy shoes of a mud runner with some quality GoPro footage.

National Media Coverage

November/December Digi Edition Print is great, and it’s nice to have a hard

Though somewhat overlooked on a national

copy in front of you, but did you know

scale, NorCal does occasionally draw attention

that you can also view every edition of

from national media outlets due to its incred-

Active NorCal for free on your laptop, tab-

ible scenery and recreation opportunities. We

let or smartphone? Just visit activenorcal.

keep you updated on national stories from the

net, and click on the Digital Editions tab.

North State.

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November/December Active NorCal

1

do you know what a drug dealer looks like?

Look carefully. The answer might surprise you.

More than 50% of people get the medicine they abuse for FREE from family or friends. Unused or unneeded medicines that are left in homes pose public health and safety threats and it is no longer recommended to flush or pour medication down the drain.

Free and safe medication disposal locations near you Redding Police Department

City of Shasta Lake Sheriff’s Office

855 Cypress Avenue, Redding

4488 Red Bluff Street, Shasta Lake

Anderson Police Department

Shasta County Sheriff’s Office

2220 North Street, Anderson

20509 Shasta Street, Burney

Medicines should be removed from their container and placed in a zip-type bag for disposal  Accepted  NOT Accepted • • • •

Prescription medications Over-the-counter medications Medications for pets Liquid medications in original containers, tightly sealed & personal information blacked-out • Medication patches • Ointments and powders in original containers, tightly sealed & personal information blacked-out

• NO pill bottles - Recycle the bottle at home

• NO illegal substances • NO needles or other sharps visit www.shastahhsa.net for a disposal location • NO thermometer or IV bags • NO bloody or infectious waste • NO businesses, nursing homes, group homes, pharmacies, medical facilities or doctor’s offices

Public Health Branch

www.rxsafeshasta.com (530) 245-6858

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CONTENTS

November/December 2015 Features 18 Beer

There’s no if, ands or buts about it, active people love their microbrews. And in recent years, the North State has built up a strong contingent of microbreweries crafting delicious beers. We sat down with brewers from Wildcard, Fall River, California Brewing Company and Woody’s to learn more about the brewing process.

24 Inspiration

With such charitable, kind and determined

residents, it’s no wonder that you’ll find

inspiration around just about every corner

in NorCal. From athletes proving that impossible

is just a word to communities coming together to

help their most vulnerable, our area is never short

of inspiring stories. Discover the REAL

NorCal from our three great tales of inspiration.

Departments

pg. 18

4

Publisher’s Note

6

Just for Fun

10 Technology 14 Photographer Spotlight 38 Outdoors 44 Fishing

pg. 10

48 Inspiration

pg. 32

32 History

NorCal’s history is many things. It’s one full of natural beauty, development, massacres, and of course, gold. In our tribute to local history, we turn back the pages of time, and tell some of the best tales of NorCal’s storied past.

activenorcal.net

pg. 38 Miguel Vieira

Cover photo by Cory Poole.

November/December Active NorCal

3

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Giving thanks The Holiday season is upon us. Here at Active NorCal, we’d like to take this opportunity to give thanks for everything we have. It is these things—family, friends and health that constantly remind me how lucky I am. I have an opportunity to take that luck and use it to help the less fortunate.

Our November/December issue has become a way to pay tribute to the people and activities that transcend traditional sports and recreation. The last issue of the year provides a chance for us to tell stories of people who inspire and provide perspective on how pedestrian our current plight might be in the grand scheme of things.

Last year, we brought you the story of Taylor Andrews, the 16-year-old West Valley student whose fight with cancer was able to bring together an entire community. Sadly, only seven months later Taylor lost his battle with cancer bringing those who had been touched by him to never take life for granted.

In this issue, we look at three stories that inspired us to live better lives.

We look at the story of local veterans and how their relationships with canine friends are helping them cope with life after military service. We meet the people behind Northern California Wheelchair Athletics and learn how they use wheelchair basketball to bring a positive outlook to people in our community. Also, we get a report from our very own Brien O’Brien about how he made systematic changes in his life to lose 30 pounds in 60 days.

I think everyone needs a reminder of his or her blessings every now and again. What better time than the Holiday season? We all have a lot to be thankful for. Every day, we wake up in one of the most beautiful places in the world and have the opportunity to spend each and every day manufacturing a happy, healthy life.

We also have people that mean so much in our lives. When we began telling stories of NorCal, we quickly realized that more than anything, we were telling stories of people and their dedication to helping others. We realized that even though an article may be about an organization, it is the people and their passions that help bring those organizations and their profound goals to life.

I feel so lucky to call this place my home, to call these people my friends and family, and to be able to give back to the community that has given me so much.

Happy Holidays. And, as always, Stay Active!

Zach

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

activenorcal.net

Publisher Zach O’Brien

Editor

Chip O’Brien

Content Manager Ross Lawrence

Business Development Brien O’Brien

Sales Manager Kevin Reinhart (530) 355-3018

Sales Associate David Horstman

Art Director Adrienne Rosone

Intern

Frances Griffey Active NorCal is published bimonthly by Active NorCal, 1350 Placer Street, Redding, CA, 96001, (530) 247-7330, Copyright 2013.

All rights reserved.

JUST FOR FUN

Toy Soldiers Making Fantasy Reality with Airsoft

BY ROSS LAWRENCE

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

First person shooter (FPS) video games like Call of Duty transport players to war zones around the world where they must strategize, maneuver and shoot their ways to victory. The staggering popularity of such games comes from their ability to exercise people’s imaginations – to cast them as valiant heroes committed to a noble cause. Also, with war simulation games, players experience realistic wartime scenarios without the financial, emotional and human costs of the real deal.

Though playing FPSs can be a blast, as a writer for an

activenorcal.net

active magazine, it would be sacrilegious for me to endorse such a lethargic pursuit. I can, however, throw my support behind something similar. The sport of airsoft features realistic battle scenarios and requires teamwork, shooting skills and strategy. It mirrors the gameplay of Call of Duty except participants are off the couch shooting to victory in person.

For those unfamiliar with airsoft, the activity utilizes guns that expel small plastic pellets as opposed to real bullets or paintballs. Many of the guns used imitate real firearms,

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and participants often wear clothing and gear that emulates things worn in the military. Airsoft games, held on fields with different types of obstacles and cover, simulate real world military operations.

U.S. Airsoft World in Anderson provides a full line of equipment as well as an impressive venue for playing the sport right in our area.

“When U.S. Airsoft World was first being built, I knew the owner and helped set up the field,” stated Robbie Ennis, airsoft extraordinaire. “I had played paintball before, but I wasn’t really that into it. I decided to give airsoft a try, and I was instantly hooked. It’s so realistic, and I actually work at a firearms store so it was a natural fit. When I started going, there were maybe 30-40 people that would come in a month. Now, you might get that amount or more in a single day.”

If you magically appeared on U.S. Airsoft World’s playing field during one of their military simulation or MilSim games, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d landed in a real warzone. Players covered head-to-toe in camouflage gear cautiously trudge around with authentic-

looking machine guns. They maneuver among huge concrete barrels and planters, blighted cars, trenches and barbed wire all the while taking aim and shooting at opponents. Team leaders can be heard barking instructions to teammates though their comm. links. It’s no wonder that you can find numerous ex and current military members enjoying the U.S. Airsoft World experience on any given day.

“Players here are basically doing the same kinds of things they’d be doing in military settings except the danger and cost factor is much lower,” stated Matt Gibb, manager at U.S. Airsoft World. “We even have a lot of law enforcement guys come out here and train during the week.

We open it up to them at no charge. We have six or seven SWAT teams, the bomb squad guys and the FBI comes out here.”

As a family facility that caters to many kids and teenagers, U.S. Airsoft World emphasizes safety and in particular, gun safety. At the beginning of each day, Gibb and others do a briefing where they go over the rules and provide instructions.

Participants are made to wear either goggles with a mesh mask or a full facemask

over their face at all times while competing. Though airsoft pellets are relatively benign even at high speeds, it’s important to teach safety techniques to newcomers especially if they ever plan on handling real weapons.

“For kids, the gun safety thing is important because for many of them it’s the first time they’re picking up a weapon,” expressed Gibb. “We don’t tell people, ‘oh it’s an airsoft gun don’t worry about it.’

Whether it’s an airsoft gun or a real gun, we instruct people to always treat it like it’s loaded. Hopefully, what we do passes over to real firearms. It’s a neat forum to teach gun safety and an experience that some of these kids probably aren’t going to have otherwise.”

Playing airsoft on a consistent basis comes with more benefits than just acquiring gun safety knowledge. Airsofters learn teamwork and how to quickly analyze information in order to formulate a plan.

Players may be given a long list of objectives a few minutes before a game, and they must quickly determine how to reach them in an efficient, effective manner.

This process exercises airsofters’ problem

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solving, communication and planning skills. Spectators can also spot burgeoning leadership skills in young airsoft gamers as they mentor new recruits to the sport.

Practical abilities one learns from airsoft go far beyond what he or she might take away from a traditional sport.

“Some of our players that are 12 or 14 have skills you won’t believe,” asserted Gibb. “It’s real world stuff. You can see them making decisions based on a risk versus reward assessment. Participants have to think about not only what they’re doing, but what others are doing too.

They learn patrolling so entry and linear crossing. They practice target acquisition and weak eye dominance. People gain skills that 80% of the US infantry lack.”

Naturally, airsoft attracts gun owners, young FPS enthusiasts as well as current and former military personnel. However, it remains a sport for everyone. In a day at U.S. Airsoft World, you might spot mothers playing alongside daughters, fathers and sons, little kids and older folks all taking aim. In fact, a woman in her 60s often comes out whom the kids have affectionately nicknamed “Granbo” (akin

to Sylvester Stallone’s “Rambo”). Airsoft offers an alternative to those bored with traditional sports and activities.

“If we went out to the mall and picked 50 people at random to suit up and play, I’m convinced at least 40 of them would come back and do it again,” proclaimed Gibb. “I don’t think you would get that with most sports especially one as aggressive as airsoft. I think we’re in a community that thrives on this kind of sport. It fits so well. There are a ton of people who

don’t know that our facility is here, and if they did, they’d be absolutely thrilled.”

Next time your imagination whisks you off to far away warzones where you’re fighting for the common good, get your butt off the couch and live the fantasy with airsoft. Make combat buddies, defeat the enemy and save the day all the while getting exercise, learning new skills and having a blast. So, quit bragging about your Call of Duty chops, and experience the real deal today.

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November/December 2015 Active NorCal

9

TECHNOLOGY

Technology Meets Adventure Apps and Meetups

BY ZACH O’BRIEN

A growing concern about living in the digital age is that technology stops people from getting outdoors and active. It’s easy to notice in young people who choose to play smart phone games instead of jumping in the mud. In many ways, technology has contributed to widespread lethargy, but there are also ways it can enhance and encourage outdoor adventures. Let’s take a look –

Meetup.com Groups Meetup.com is a website where groups of like-minded individuals come together to meetup and share their passions and hobbies. Here’s how it works – you go to meetup. com and search for the type of groups in your area that you might have interest in joining. Once you find a suitable group, you can join it and you will receive emails every time there is a new “meetup event” posted on the group’s page.

Obviously, this can be a great tool for any adventurer looking for partners-in-crime. If you search nearby “Outdoors and Adventure” Meetup groups, these are the top ones you will find…

Northern California Outdoor Adventurers “NCOA” (1,712 members) – This is our favorite group. They organize a variety of great events from Birding at Turtle Bay to many different hikes around the area. This group covers a much larger area than most Meetup groups making it a great way to meet new adventurers and explore new places in Northern California.

Chico-Oroville Outdoor Adventures (1,385 members) – Even if you don’t live in the Chico/Oroville area, this group provides great day trips to explore the area. Their self-

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

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proclaimed goal is to safely explore together through outdoor activities: hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, road bicycling, mountain biking, kayaking, moonlit hikes, cultural events, and anything else that volunteer organizers want to do.

Recreation Unlimited Fun and Friends “RUFF” (942 members) – This is one of the more passionate local Meetup groups you will find as they typically have a high RSVP rate. Their meetups include snowshoeing Lassen Peak, exploring Castle Crags and performing cleanup and maintenance on the Sacramento River Trail.

Lazy Bear Family Campers of Redding (134 members) – The idea behind this page is to bring people together for familyoriented camping trips around Northern California. Emphasizing food, fun, family and friends, this group provides a way for local families to get together and share a variety of outdoor experiences.

Shasta Rock Club’s Climbing Meetup (188 members) – Shasta Rock Club has a passion for climbing and their Meetup group brings climbers together to enjoy indoor climbing at the Shasta Rock Club facility, or at some world class Northern California climbing spots. This group is for beginners and experts alike so don’t be intimidated.

We Ski II (256 Members) – This group is small yet passionate.

Their meetups tend to be ski trips in the winter and ride bikes in the summer, but they also like to get involved with local events like outdoor film festivals or Whiskeytown Lake area cleanups.

Redding Ramblers Hiking Group (68 members) – Members in this group love hiking the best area trails. Typically congregating at 9 a.m. on Saturdays, this group hikes all sorts of trails that vary in length and difficulty. You can find them exploring

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

Swasey Recreation Area, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Westside Trails, Mule Ridge Trails and Cloverdale trails.

Shasta Paddlers (385 members) – These NorCal paddlers love more than anything to get out on the water! Whether you enjoy kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing or rafting, these enthusiastic water dwellers will show you some of the best lakes and rivers to discover. Known for their famous Friday night “social paddle” on Whiskeytown Lake, this tight-knit group is always looking for more people to enjoy local waterways with them.

Trinity Alps Wilderness (182 members) – In the Trinity Alps Wilderness, you’ll have a lot more luck utilizing the buddy system. With the dense forests and dangerous wildlife, hiking the Trinity Alps Wilderness alone is not recommended. This group allows you to meet other enthusiasts in the region for day hikes and camping trips. Many times, they will choose a lake or trail to explore, and find new places as a group.

Discover Lassen/Everything Outdoors (98 members) – Based out of Susanville, this group likes to hike, bike and camp in Lassen Volcanic National Park especially in the vast 1,000 lakes area.

Siskiyou Outdoor Adventures (291 members) – This group is great for people looking to adventure in the areas from Mt. Shasta to the Oregon border. With most of the members based out of Yreka, this group likes to go on hikes and bike rides. All ages and experience levels are welcome.

Mt. Shasta Meetup (424 members) – This group is targeted for the locals of Mt. Shasta and its surrounding areas though they welcome outsiders to join their meetups. These meetups include hiking Mt. Shasta, venturing to local waterfalls and even spelunking.

NORCAL

activenorcal.net

7

Wilderness Apps for all Explorers

BY FRANCES GRIFFEY To most, the internet and the outdoors do not go hand in hand. Many explore the outdoors to get away from technology and a wifi signal, but I propose a merging of the two domains. Whether you’re a camper, hiker, sailor, biker or tree-hugger (or all of the above), online apps can be very useful resources in the wild.

Need to see if a plant is edible? There’s an app for that. Want to find hiking trails in your area? There’s an app for that too! Check out these seven apps compatible with iPhones and iPads and prepare for your next adventure.

Camp and RV - Tent Camping to RV

tures instructional videos, photos and

Parks

advice on topics ranging from first

Explore over 30,000 tent and RV

aid to plant and animal identification.

campgrounds in the United States and Canada with this app. It works with or

Plus, you can test your knowledge on a 100+ question quiz.

without internet and provides details on camping areas, fuel, road grades, rest stops, stores and other services.

Camping just got a whole lot simpler.

Sky Map By simply pointing an iPhone or iPad towards the heavens, this app reveals the secrets of the night sky. It identi-

National Geographic Birds: Field

fies various cosmic formations includ-

Guide to North America

ing planets, stars and constellations

Providing detailed illustrations for

that are directly overhead.

over 995 bird species along with their seasonal locations, this app is a must for novice and pro bird-watchers alike. Track your own bird sightings, take quizzes and listen to bird calls to increase your birding knowledge.

What Knot To Do Becoming a master knot-tier is easier than you’d think. With detailed illustrations and step-by-step instructions, this app thoroughly explains how to tie 70 different knots including bends,

MotionX GPS

bindings and lashings, hitches, loops,

What makes this app unique is it’s in-

specials and stoppers.

clusion of both land maps and marine charts, making it perfect for individuals engaging in water and/or terrestrial activities. The app also allows offline access to maps, so it’s ideal for adventurers in remote areas without internet connection.

AllTrails Hiking & Mountain Biking Trails, GPS Tracker, & Offline Topo Maps With over 50,000 trails on the app, exploring hiking and biking routes is just a click (or touch) away. Explore trails near you with by accessing

SAS Survival Guide

topographic maps, reviews and pho-

Detailing all you need to know about

tos. AllTrails also lets you track and

surviving in the wild, this app provides comprehensive written and visual

record your own adventure and share it with others.

survival tips all explorers need. It fea-

activenorcal.net

November/December Active NorCal

13

PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

activenorcal.net

Time Lapse With Cory Poole

University Preparatory School math and science teacher Cory Poole always had an interest in photography. It wasn’t until a few years ago, however, that he started taking his hobby seriously. Since then, he’s amassed a large social media following as well as an impressive collection of stunning landscape photos. Poole is best known for his astrophotography work, which captures dazzling astronomical features over well-known NorCal landmarks. We sat down with Cory to discuss his evolution as a photographer, his process, the North State and more.

What really sparked your interest in photography and astrophotography in particular?

I’ve messed around with cameras for probably twenty years. Most of the time it was just clicking a picture to see what happened. I would put on some strange lens and just shoot. Just taking snapshots, which can be fun.

It’s only really been the last three years or so that I’ve started going out, and planning shots. By planning, I mean knowing where to be and when to be there. The thing that got me going was the Solar Eclipse in 2012. It was something that I knew about months in advance. Astronomical events are well timed so you know exactly where and when you need to take the photo. All of the sudden, I sort of had a vision for what I wanted to do. I wanted to put together a time lapse through a solar telescope. I bought special telescopes, and really spent hours and hours practicing to get good at astrophotography.

Once I started taking those types of images, I realized there are all these other cool things—moonrises and galaxy rises. This idea that as the world spins it’s not just the sun that rises, but the moon and the stars really intrigued me and influenced my photography.

Take us through your process from initial conception to finished product.

From initial planning to the finished product, it probably takes me about a month. I have a lot of projects though where that month hasn’t happened yet. I have a lot more unfinished projects than finished ones.

When I went out to Burney Falls. That one had been an idea for two years. I just knew that there were so many things that could go wrong with that shot so I just kept waiting and waiting and finally, I decided I needed to take a summer Milky Way shot. I spent many, many hours figuring out exactly where to stand because if you stand in the wrong spot you’re going to have a tree in the way or the Milky Way is going to be going off to the side instead of overhead.

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November/December Active NorCal

15

I spent a lot of time in Google Earth looking at photos other people had taken of the area. I even went out to the falls a couple weeks before I took the shot to find the best spot. On the day I took the image, I got all my gear ready, and made sure I had everything. You make sure you have all your lenses and extra batteries because I was taking pictures out there for seven hours.

You pack all your cool weather gear because by 2am it’s freezing.

You go shoot it, and that’s when the work really starts. I spend probably thirty hours or so processing each image afterwards.

Those ones feel really good because it’s a finished piece of art.

You’ve visualized it from start to end.

What makes a photograph “authentic” in your mind?

When it comes to authenticity for me, I ask the question, “could the image have been taken at a single moment in time?” Of course, my finished images are generally a layering of shots, but I aim to have the geometry of the image reflect the natural world.

Most people don’t do that because there’s an easier way.

I layer, but I don’t combine two different shots. There’s no such thing as a true photo, but coming from the fact that I’m a science teacher, I try not to do that. Instead, I stack images. I will take 100 images and I will separate it into a foreground and background layer—the stars and everything else. Using computer software and hand movement of images, I line everything up with the sky. So now, instead of one 15-second exposure shot, I’ve got 25 minutes worth of exposures. That noise (distortions or clutter) goes away. It takes hours and hours and hours because

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

of the distortion of lenses and all that. I am able to say with my images that they could be taken at one instance in time if you had a camera with a lot better noise sensitivity or if you put 100 cameras next to each other.

A picture is a piece of art, but there is some sort of science outreach thing going on too. If you post up a landscape photo and you’ve put a moon in that is 10x bigger than it should be, it’s not reflecting the natural world. The geometry would be impossible. I’ll sometimes enlarge the moon or other features of my images because of some sort of limitation where I’ll have to have a darker moon to show all the details. The moon will have to be just a little bit bigger than it really was.

Some photographers are definitely interested in being absolutely authentic, and they’ll do minimum processing. I’m not that guy. I process the hell out of my photos. I’ll boost the contrast, saturation and layer stuff. But my thing is I do not change the geometry of the shot, and I like to believe that it could have been taken with a single shot. There are people on the other end of the spectrum that look at photography in terms of it being an art, and they’re going to make an image however they envision it. There’s nothing wrong with any of those visions. I just think you should tell people if you’re manipulating a photo.

How has photography enhanced your experience living in the North State?

This region that we live in is just amazing in terms of its diversity. You got your volcanoes and you have your granite mountains. The wildlife has a lot of variety. I think that photography

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is a good way to experience the area. Taking photos makes me look both at the wide scene—looking at everything all at once (like panoramas), but it gets you to focus on smaller things like certain flowers or insects as well.

What advice would you give to aspiring photographers?

Taking a lot of photos is the biggest thing. I take close to 50,000 a year. Just go out, and shoot as many images as you can. Don’t worry if you’re just taking snapshots at first. I would also encourage people to actually read their camera’s owners manuals. Check out all the different online tutorials. If you see something you like, try to replicate that image or create something similar.

At some point, you’ll learn what types of photography you enjoy. I enjoy nature and landscape photography. I focus on the astrophotography thing. All the disciplines have their different realms, but it’s really just an experiment. You go, you take the photo and you think about it. Ask yourself, “is it good? How could it have been better?”

There’s a lot of value in sharing your work with others. My Facebook page has really helped me as a photographer because I get a lot of instant feedback. Facebook does another thing too.

I’ll sometimes post up my planning shots. The reason why I do that is because once I’ve posted the planning shot, I have to go take the photo. There’s accountability. Sometimes you need that push, and social sharing can help that.

This most recent supermoon eclipse shot I took over Mt. Shasta; I wasn’t planning on doing it. It was my 10th Wedding An-

niversary. I was down in San Jose, and I got up here at 5pm the day of the eclipse. I realized when I got back that if I didn’t get a shot of the eclipse, I’d have thousands of people on my Facebook page going, “why didn’t you take a picture of the eclipse?” Sure enough, I go tearing up I-5 to get the shot, and I was so glad not just that I got to take the picture, but that I had that experience.

Seeing the moonrise over Mt. Shasta was an amazing thing. I wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t had some peer pressure.

When and why did you begin selling your photographs?

People have been telling me I should sell photographs for three years, but I kept holding off. Finally, what happened was I had about a thousand people on my Facebook page, and I shared a photo somewhere of the Andromeda Galaxy. I’d wanted to get a photo of the Andromeda Galaxy rising over Lassen Peak. So last year, I climbed up Brokeoff Mountain and it lines up nicely so I took a picture. The image sort of went viral.

Some guy contacted me, and wanted to use the photo for a video. NASA released an incredibly massive image about a third of the size of Andromeda Galaxy, and this guy sort of panned and zoomed his way through it. He started out with my image of Andromeda rising over Lassen Peak. The video has about 13 million views, and he put a link to my Facebook page. So all of the sudden, I have five thousand instead of a thousand followers.

Now, I have this many more people pestering me for a picture.

It’s been crazy becoming a small business owner, and figuring out everything mostly by myself.

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November/December Active NorCal

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

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Ask Your Local Brewer Gaining Insight from the Men Behind Some of NorCal’s Favorite Craft Beer Sometimes it’s easy to take a delicious beer for granted.

You think of it like it emerged from a beer tree and was plucked for your liking. The truth remains that great craft beer requires a lot of time, creativity and love. So, we sat down with four great local brewers to see what goes into each batch of beer from their respective craft breweries.

Pat Wlodarczyk – Woody’s Brewing Company John Hutchings – Fall River Brewing Jeff Hansen – Wildcard Brewing Company Bart Hauptman – California Brewing Company

How did you get in to brewing beer?

Hutchings (Fall River) - I got into the brewing business when I started home brewing as a hobby to relieve the stress from my construction job. One night during a 3 a.m. brew session, I imagined brewing beer for a living and decided I needed a change.

Two weeks later, Fall River Brewing Company was formed.

Hansen (Wildcard) - My first brew was at Central Coast Brewing in San Luis Obispo. My wife and I brewed and bottled the beers that we later gave away as wedding favors nearly 10 years ago! The beers were a “Blue Eyed Boy” blonde ale and “Brown Eyed Girl” English Style Brown. This also marked the end of my marketing career.

Wlodarczyk (Woody’s) - When I turned 21, (Ok, I was close to 21) and first discovered beer, probably like most young beer drinkers, I started drinking big beer company beers. I won’t mention the names but there was Rocky Mountain Spring Water, a Team of Horses and some Champagne Beer. We didn’t have many choices in 1982 – Light American Lagers made with rice and I think there may have been a single hop hanging over the brew kettle for bitterness. Then I discovered a German restaurant

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November/December Active NorCal

19

Beer Mile

The New Craze Among Runners and Beer Drinkers Alike

BY ZACH O’BRIEN

Running a mile isn’t all that challeng-

Active NorCal’s very own Brien O’Brien

ing. It calls for crisp movement of the

decided to give it a try. Considering he

body for anywhere between six and ten

had been training diligently (read about

minutes. Now, imagine adding 48 ounces

his training in the Inspiration section), he

of hops, yeast and malted barley to that.

came into the challenge with confidence.

That’s right, add approximately 400

Brien swiftly chugged a can of Pabst Blue

calories of beer to that one-mile run and

Ribbon beer and took off, completing

you have one of the newest challenges in

the first quarter mile in a jiffy. Coming

the world of fitness gimmicks. We’re talk-

around the bend and taking hold of his

ing about the dreaded Beer Mile.

second beer, O’Brien began to feel the

So what is a Beer Mile? Let’s break it down into the simplest of terms –

siderably with both his running and beer

Drink a beer, run a quarter mile.

drinking. Pushing himself to complete a

Drink a beer, run a quarter mile.

sub-ten-minute Beer Mile, O’Brien tried

Drink a beer, run a quarter mile.

to run the entire course, but was forced

Four beers, one mile.

to walk at times in order to settle the liquid in his stomach. In the end, Brien

fittest runners in the world. It’s not the

completed the challenge in under ten

length of the run that makes it difficult,

minutes, but it certainly took a strain on

but rather, the struggle of consum-

him and his body reacted in ways that I

ing four gut-wrenching brews during a

don’t care to explain in this article.

quickly paced mile-run. Beer Miles are

The Beer Mile is not to be taken lightly

becoming hot public fitness events in big

both from a physical safety aspect as

cities around the world. The beermile.

well as a logistical standpoint. With

com database currently houses over

open container laws and the rigors the

89,000 entries and 2,350 races.

challenge can put on your body, only

The current (and somewhat unofficial)

people with confidence in beer drinking

record holder is Canadian Corey Galla-

and physical activity should give it a try.

gher who completed the Beer Mile in a

For Brien’s Beer Mile, we mapped out an

blistering four minutes and 54 seconds.

eighth-of-a-mile trek from a house and

Just drinking four beers in that amount

had him drink the beer on the private

of time seems hard let alone running

property, ensuring no open container

a sub-five minute mile. For the truly

laws were broken.

competitive Beer Mile runners, the key is drinking the beer with such tenacity that no time is wasted. Of course, physical fitness also plays an important role.

To see what the fuss was all about,

Active NorCal November/December 2015

By the second lap, he had slowed con-

Drink a beer, run a quarter mile.

It’s a challenging trend for even the

20

burn.

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The question remains, “why would I want to try the Beer Mile?”

The answer is simple – to test your physical capabilities, and have some fun doing it.

that had two German beers on tap, Spaten Optimator and Franziskaner. I had my first homebrew in 1984 and I knew then I wanted to learn all I could about brewing beer. I discovered there was a lot more to beer than we were making here in America. Brewing in 1984 was out of necessity, other than a few German beers or Guinness if you wanted a good beer you had to brew it yourself. I won my first ribbon in 1984 and I was totally hooked.

Hauptman (California Brewing Co.) – I started by home brewing and just gobbled up any info I could find about beer styles, brewing technique, etc.

What’s your favorite beer that you don’t brew?

Hauptman (California Brewing Co.) – I would say my favorite beer is not always the same but Old Rasputin or Old Stock Ale from North Coast Brewing Company would be near the top of my list.

Wlodarczyk (Woody’s) – I tend to enjoy beers for the season. On a nice warm summer day at the beach a good cold light apricot wheat is perfect. A fresh hop ale during hop harvest season is awesome or an Octoberfest in the fall is always fun. But if I were to be pinned down to a style it would be a Baltic Porter or Barley wine. I enjoy a big malty beer with lots of caramel and chocolate flavors. So, my favorite beer I don’t brew is probably Black Boss Porter from Poland or Old Foghorn from my favorite American brewer – Anchor Brewing Company.

Hansen (Wildcard) – Anything that comes out of Firestone Walker in Paso Robles. If it has their name on it you know it is going to be quality.

Hutchings (Fall River) – I love a lot of different beers, but I would say one of my all-time favorite go-to beers would have to be Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ from Lagunitas. I love a lot of other rare brands, but if you can only find them a few times a year, then they aren’t a go-to.

Explain the process of brewing a new beer, from the conceptualization to the final product.

Hansen (Wildcard) – Once I have decided on a style, I go to the store and buy what I consider the best examples of beers in that style. I then blindly taste the beers with others and we talk aloud about what we like and don’t like about each beer. I then take what I consider to be the best characteristics of those ales and put a “Wildcard” twist on them. I tend to put a great deal of focus on balance of flavors. I run the numbers based on our sized brew house and draw up a recipe which usually features some specialty malts and a good measure of hops. I make the beer and then for two weeks tell myself that the beer is going to come out horrible and I should have done this or that different. Once finished, my staff and I taste it blindly with other examples of that style, that way I can get an honest option from people. After completion, I can relax and enjoy a great beer that I have unnecessarily stressed about for two weeks.

Hauptman (California Brewing Co.) – Well for me, I think the starting point has to be inspiration. It may start with a beer I’m familiar with or something I’ve eaten or smelled. Something sparks an idea. It’s hard to explain, but it comes from experience and paying close attention to the results.

Hutchings (Fall River) – For us, the creation of a new beer starts as an imagined flavor concept in your head. It usually comes at the most odd time, but it always seems to just pop up. Then, we take that flavor concept and put it on paper with our brewing soft-

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November/December Active NorCal

21

ware and brew a pilot batch on our half barrel system. If the beer makes the cut, it is then scaled up and brewed by our large brew house for distribution. We utilize our 12 Beers of Christmas event each year to explore creative freedom while receiving feedback from our taphouse customers.

Wlodarczyk (Woody’s) – I enjoy brewing for the season so that’s where I start thinking of the beer I want to make. After I have a beer in mind and think of the flavor profiles I’m looking for I start putting together the list of ingredients. A big part of brewing seasonally is using the correct mash and fermentation temperatures. I usually like something dry and crisp during the summer and something a little maltier and sweeter during the winter.

How do you choose your ingredients? Is there a lot of trial and error?

Wlodarczyk (Woody’s) – I enjoy experimenting and being creative with new styles of beer. Like Double Trouble is a White IPA with Belgian candy, orange peel and hand ground coriander seed, but then I pick fresh hops through the brewing process to add during the boil for a crazy fresh hop flavor. My heart is with making traditional style beers. So when I choose ingredients, I want them to be correct for the style of beer I am brewing. I’ll use German pilsner malt from Germany or Noble hops from Europe.

Nutty Woody is a traditional Northern English Brown Ale. I use ingredients from that region for that style, English malts, hops and yeast.

Hutchings (Fall River) – Ingredient selection is done much the same way we design our beers. Start with a flavor concept, try it and then utilize trial and error if we don’t like the results. Some

beers we nail right out of the gate while others are an ongoing work in progress.

Hansen (Wildcard) – I have been brewing professionally for seven years and have built great relationships with several suppliers. I stay apprised of new hops coming to market or developments that improve final product. For the most part, our hops come from Oregon and Washington and most of the brewing barley in North America is grown in the Dakotas and plains of Canada. If we can support someone local then we always will.

Hauptman (California Brewing Co.) – Trial and error is part of it, but experience is how you know where to start with the ingredients. Then the recipe only takes minor changes to get right.

Have you ever spent a lot of time trying to develop a beer that you ended up disliking? What was it?

Wlodarczyk (Woody’s) – I can’t say I made a beer that I didn’t like, but there was this blueberry ale I made a long time ago. It was one of my first fruit beers I made early on using carboy fermenters. I added the blueberries to the secondary fermentation. My parents were visiting and I had the carboy in the living room. I just happen to look at it and noticed the fermentation lock wasn’t doing anything. I said aloud, “that’s weird the fermentation lock isn’t bubbling”. Just as everyone looked at it the rubber stopper, the lock shot out like a missile! I had ten pounds of blueberries on the ceiling in five seconds! Luckily I was in an apartment with popcorn celling at the time. After a week or so, the blueberries dried and the ceiling got a new coat of paint and all was good.

Hutchings (Fall River) – Absolutely. Not every idea is a

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dients like, honey, lemon and ginger but they never came out the exact way that I had conceptualized them. I think that I just really don’t like wheat beers because they have a low bitterness to them.

homerun. We’ve experimented with numerous Belgian styles, but unfortunately weren’t able to gain any traction with them and eventually scrapped the ideas. Demographics play a huge role in how your beer will sell. As the brewer, you may love the recipe, but it’s worthless if it sits on the shelf or tap.

Hauptman (California Brewing Co.) – No, not yet, but my experience is pretty limited. I am sure that will happen.

Hansen (Wildcard) – In my brewing career, I have tried to make several wheat beers that were not my personal favorite.

They were good beers that were flavored with some great ingre-

What advice do you have to any homebrewers on how to make really good beer?

Hansen (Wildcard) – HAVE FUN! If you don’t love what you are doing you will taste it in the beer. It is just like cooking.

The best restaurateurs and home chefs are the ones that have a passion for what they do. There are no secrets in beer so if you research what style you want to make and then make it the best you can while having fun it will come out great.

Wlodarczyk (Woody’s) – Have fun and enjoy the hobby.

There are a lot of good brewers these days along with a lot of good beers! Hanging out at your local homebrew shop or your local homebrew club you’re going to find a lot of folks that are ready to talk beer. I’ve learned a lot talking to other homebrewers and professional brewers.

Hutchings (Fall River) – Sanitation. It’s typically the number one problem home brewers have. Be a clean freak and follow a rigorous sanitization scheme. With time and practice, everyone can develop into a decent home brewer, but the best recipe will taste bad if it is infected.

Hauptman (California Brewing Co.) – Don’t be afraid to try something new. One of the biggest growing phases for me was when another home Brewer that I knew refused to help me with a recipe telling me that I could do it and to have some confidence in myself.

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November/December 2015 Active NorCal

23

COVER STORY

FIND Y UR

W

hether it’s an account of one Mt. Shasta woman’s harrowing journey to the top of the world or the tale of a community rallying to help a sick teen, Active NorCal lives for inspirational stories. They’re our lifeblood. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find an issue that didn’t include at least a few rousing tales. Inspiration is the unofficial theme of every issue. Each edition gives us an opportunity to inspire you to try novel things and travel new places.

As you navigate the active and/or outdoor world in NorCal, you uncover an abundance of inspiration.

In people, places and at times you didn’t expect you unearth accounts of overcome adversity and incredible determination. Humdrum interview questions such as, “how did you get into hiking?” unexpectedly lead into tangents in which the subject describes his miraculous transformation from morbidly obese to adventure extraordinaire. Our own Business Development Director, Brien O’Brien, decided to leave excuses behind him, and burned off 30 pounds in 60 days.

Remarkable tales of personal achievement permeate the North State, but they’re not the only stories from which to draw inspiration.

Speaking with important community members in the North State, you quickly recognize the unbelievable generosity of its residents. When someone in the area needs help, people always seem to step up.

For instance, when the devastating Boles Fire burned down a number of structures in Weed, the Love Weed Project sold shirts and pint glasses to raise (a lot

24

Active NorCal November/December 2015

of) money for victims. Identifying that service dog companions could help veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Red Bluff resident Bruce Riecke started his non-profit, Veteran’s K-9 Connections. All around you, compassionate individuals are doing everything possible to make the North State a better place.

Ultimately, sharing motivational stories encourages some sort of action. Inspiration is not an end in and of itself. Through our editorial, we push readers to get active. Whether that means inspiring people to go out on the trail or help out in the community – it doesn’t matter. Reading about another person who has overcome the same challenges you face can provide you with the impetus to make a change. Indeed, hearing about people with physical disabilities excelling on the basketball court leaves most with few excuses not to get out and active.

Our Inspiration Edition runs the gamete of inspirational stories. Brien O’Brien’s successful quest to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle proves you can make a change and achieve your goals with a little planning and determination. The success of Riecke’s Veteran’s K-9 Connections showcases the power of compassion. The amazing skill of local wheelchair basketball players reminds us that limitations are more often imagined than real. Our hope is that these tales will compel you, through your actions, to craft an inspirational tale of your own. Maybe one day, we’ll be sharing your story.

activenorcal.net

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November/December Active NorCal

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COVER STORY

Dribbling Through Life FINDING WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL

BY ZACH O’BRIEN

O

n a cold night in a vacant Redding YMCA gym, a group of men emerge onto the court to play a little basketball. They shoot layups and free throws until a pickup game begins. Eventually, gym-goers pass by, but they can’t continue without stopping to watch the action.

On display is unlike any game of basketball spectators have seen before. It’s wheelchair basketball at its finest.

Van Williams, Frank Willis and Eric Sawyer have played wheelchair basketball together for over 15 years and it seems they are having as much fun today as ever. The experienced players zip around the court using an array of pick-androlls, box-outs and long-range three pointers. Bucket after bucket and pass after pass, shots splash in the basket pleasing the crowd.

“Most people like watching it,” said Williams, who organizes much of the team’s activities. “It’s not people trying to dunk over everybody.

You have to use your brain on where you’re going to be on the floor and with beating a guy to a spot.”

Williams, Willis and Sawyer all seem to have their own defined basketball style. Williams is the talented and confident showrunner – calling his shots

26

before they go in and rarely missing. Willis is considered the big bruiser. He uses brute strength and strategic positioning to grab rebounds and score tough baskets from close range. Sawyer is the scrappy veteran who dives for loose balls and sinks long-range shots with ease.

With their trademark styles, these athletes play on the Shasta Lakers – a recreational wheelchair basketball team that’s based in Redding and plays in the NorCal Nevada Recreation League. The ballers practice weekly at the Redding YMCA and play in monthly tournaments around NorCal and Nevada.

“The league’s been going on for over 30 years now,” said Williams. “You don’t have to pay any dues and it’s a great way to get new people to play.”

On the surface, wheelchair basketball seems like a different game than traditional basketball – a little bit slower and a little more clutter. As you watch the players strategically get open shots for one another, shout encouraging words and playfully trash-talk, it quickly becomes clear that wheelchair basketball is the same game on so many levels.

The sport observes the exact same rules as NCAA basketball with slight modifi-

Active NorCal November/December 2015

cations. Every time you touch the rim of your wheel twice, you have to dribble. It’s much like taking a step in basketball.

If you lean too far out of your chair to get a rebound or play defense, you’ve committed an advantage foul. Players have designated ratings called functional classifications based on their level of disability along with their skill level.

“I’m a 2.5. My disability is a 2.0, but because of the way I play they made me a 2.5,” explained Williams. “A team is only allowed 15 points on the court at a time. A player with less disability may have more balance so the rating system creates competitive balance.

Many local players perform at an incredibly high level.

Williams and Willis play on a competitive travel team in Sacramento where they register high yearly rankings on the national scale amongst top teams in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA). With this team, they travel all over the country to qualifying tournaments with hopes of being ranked high enough for the annual NWBA National Tournament.

“Last year was our first year in the championship division and we were the 16th seed,” said Williams. “This year, our

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goal is to be in the top ten of about 200 teams in the nation.”

In Sacramento, the team’s superstar player is acclaimed wheelchair basketball player Joe Chambers who earned a scholarship to play at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and twice represented Team USA in the Paralympic Games.

He even got offered a hefty salary to play professional wheelchair basketball in Europe, but declined in order to keep his family rooted in NorCal. While wheelchair basketball is a wonderful game, it is so much more than a game. To the many that play, it is an outlet – an escape from their physical hardships, a way to be healthy and exercise and maybe even a way to connect players to their lives before suffering tragic injuries.

Williams grew up in Redding where he played basketball for four years at Liberty Christian High School. As a college freshman, he headed to Maryland to play basketball at Columbia Union College (the school eventually changed its name to Washington Adventist University). Basketball was a big part of Williams’ life until a head-on car accident put him in a wheelchair in 1991.

He was forced to find a new competitive outlet in his life.

“It was very hard for me to

envision playing basketball in a wheelchair because I thought that was pretty stupid,” explained Williams. “So it took me five years after I got hurt to even think about it, but then when I played, it reproduced some of those competitive feelings that you didn’t think you’d be able to experience anymore. It replaced the thing in my life that I never thought I’d feel again.”

Basketball wasn’t Williams’ only means of staying competitive. He also played tennis, eventually getting so good that he won two national championships at the top amateur level. Finding a new passion

for sports, he attended Loma Linda University in Southern California where he received his Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy. He now owns Williams Physical Therapy located in Shasta Athletic Club.

The Shasta Lakers are constantly recruiting anyone they can find that might want to play on the team, but it isn’t a cheap endeavor. The Lakers travel to a different tournament every month, and a specialized basketball wheelchair runs around 3,500 dollars. So, Williams created Northern California Wheelchair Athletics, a non-profit organization aimed at helping people get the right equipment

and funding to participate in wheelchair athletics.

Williams wants to change people’s lives for the better. He is extremely proud of one of his recruits in particular – John Piazza.

Following a motorcycle accident that left him wheelchair-bound in his teens, Piazza was looking for answers on how to respond in his life.

He struggled in the beginning, but eventually began to play basketball, and got really good.

He received a scholarship to play at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater (just like Chambers) and is now attending college in London to obtain his Master’s Degree.

“That’s our trophy guy,”

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said Williams “He was struggling after his accident and basketball gave him a reason to go on to college. We would like to do that with other kids who are in our program now. I started this non-profit to raise money for us to play and travel, but it’s turned into some neat things where I’ve been able to affect people’s lives.”

If anyone would like to donate to the Northern California Wheelchair Athletics and help make a drastic change in someone’s life, you can contact Van Williams at (530) 241-1559 or search Northern California Wheelchair Athletics on Facebook.

November/December Active NorCal

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COVER STORY

Burgeoning From Grassroots VETERAN’S K-9 CONNECTIONS

BY ROSS LAWRENCE

It

doesn’t take a PHD, extensive studies or expertise to understand why people call dogs “man’s best friend”. Dog owners and those who have spent time around K-9s know the unconditional love that these creatures display on a daily basis. Our furry friends comfort us through sadness and lift us even higher when we’re happy. They possess an innate ability to sense the feelings of people around them. For this reason, K-9s make perfect companions for individuals who have suffered trauma.

Following his retirement, Red Bluff resident, Vietnam War veteran and helicopter pilot Bruce Riecke came faceto-face with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His busy professional life kept old wounds out of sight, and enabled him to somewhat ignore past trauma. After calling it quits though, old scars reemerged in a big way. Bruce found solace spending time with his dog.

“It’s funny, when you’re busy, your PTSD and other things take a backseat,” stated Riecke. “You sort of close the door, but when you’re not so busy, those doors fly open, and you have to deal with things you’ve pushed down. We let my dog basically get away with anything, but the unconditional love she provided was a big thing in terms of helping me cope.”

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Through his experience, Bruce recognized that K-9 companions could have a positive impact on other veterans dealing with PTSD and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Numerous scientific studies existed confirming Riecke’s observational findings, but he did not discover that until later. Modestly equipped with a passion for helping fellow veterans and a love of dogs, Bruce developed a concept for his non-profit, Veteran’s K-9 Connections.

“I heard about a program in Sacramento that paired pet dogs with veterans, but I wanted to go even further and help veterans get service dogs,” recalled Riecke. “So, I identified a need for something new.

The director of the Veterans Resource Center in Redding told me to just start my own organization. I didn’t really want

Active NorCal November/December 2015

to do that at first. I just wanted to volunteer, but everything sort of came together.”

Trainer for Veteran’s K-9 Connections Andrew Figueroa explained how service dogs benefit people with TBI and PTSD: “Sometimes disabilities are not visible. When people think of service dogs they expect their owners to be physically disabled. Some of our veterans are really able-bodied, but the dog offers emotional support because the veterans are having anxiety or panic attacks or flashbacks. The dog is able to help take their mind off of things, help them cope and be comfortable in society.”

Veteran’s K-9 Connections centers around veterans with PTSD, TBI and other issues training their own dogs with the assistance of a trainer. The

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veterans participate in group classes and occasionally oneon-one with an experienced trainer to teach their dogs new skills. Entrants into the program start with a six-week basics class, and then move on to the advanced training course. Ultimately, the goal is for the K-9s to earn their service dog certifications.

Having the class participants train their own animals has a number of benefits.

“The group classes are structured so these veterans are taught the technique to go home with homework and train their dogs,” observed Riecke. “They learn how to handle a dog, and the bond is even stronger because he or she has taken an active role in the training. In my opinion, the strong bond really develops that intuition that enables

a dog to sense when its owner needs some comfort. Many of our veterans have anxiety, and it’s difficult to see the symptoms, but the dogs can tell.”

Something special about Veteran’s K-9 Connections is that the program and classes come at very little cost to the veterans. Aside from minor incidental costs like cages, collars and food, the only additional charge for participants is a small advanced training fee that goes right back into the program. Also, shelters, nonprofits and generous individuals donate the dogs. So, very few obstacles stand in the way of veterans eligible and willing to get involved.

While having veterans do much of the training themselves takes longer, it saves a significant amount of money compared to having profes-

sional trainers do all the work.

Many groups that provide fully trained service K-9s to people charge upwards of ten thousand dollars. Veterans returning from a tour, particularly those suffering from TBI and/ or PTSD, usually do not have the financial resources to shell out that kind of money. So, a veteran playing an active role in the training process not only builds a stronger bond between him and his doggy friend, but also, keeps costs down.

“We’ve created something where you don’t need a bunch of money,” stated Riecke.

“You need the desire to work with you dog and the time to do it. A lot of these veterans are medically disabled so they can’t work or they aren’t allowed to work. Luckily, they have time available. The

maximum amount you could spend on our program is $520 a year, and we’re hoping to have some graduates before June of 2016. We just started this past June.”

Since its inception, Riecke’s brainchild has grown exponentially. It has more than tripled its number of participating veterans (and dogs), added a skilled volunteer trainer in Andrew Figueroa of Woof Training and connected with many local organizations including the Veterans Resource Center in Redding, the VA clinic, Redding’s Veterans Service Office (VSO), Tehama County’s VSO, Pets Without Partners as well as several shelters and rescue centers.

Getting passionate volunteers especially a trainer has also allowed Veteran’s K-9 Connections to prosper.

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Lacking resources and certain expertise in the beginning, Riecke reached out to others to see his vision thrive.

Bruce’s out-of-state friend agreed to develop a website and Facebook page. Dog lover Kylie Irwin was brought in to help with the vetting process and administrative issues.

Others volunteered to aid the organization in earning its 501(c)(3) non-profit status.

Jenna Kritzer, a high school sophomore, is currently raising and training a young German Sheperd named Blaze for the program. All of the volunteers share a passion for helping veterans and a love of animals.

“Just giving back to veterans who gave so much to us is so fulfilling,” expressed volunteer trainer Andrew Figueroa. “I had family members in the military, and I’ve seen the effects. I know I can help, and I know they need the help so I’m doing what I can do to give back.”

Burgeoning from grassroots, Veteran’s K-9 Connections continues to look for new and better ways to assist as many veterans suffering from TBI and PTSD as possible. Riecke as well as Figueroa and others active in the organization dismiss business plans or limitations.

As need grows, so will the organization, and their efforts are sure to receive a huge boost in the near future when they gain their official non-profit status. In the few short months since the non-profit’s inception, it has already proven that compassion, commitment and a can-do attitude are all it takes to make a HUGE difference.

For information on how to volunteer, get involved, donate money or if you’re a veteran looking to participate, contact Bruce Riecke by phone at (530) 529-4433 or by email at bariecke@gmail.com.

November/December Active NorCal

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29

COVER STORY

Taking Control HOW I DROPPED 30 POUNDS IN 60 DAYS

BY BRIEN O’BRIEN

L

et me start off by noting that I am in no way an expert on weight loss. I’m the kind of guy who enjoys a burger over salad, beer over cucumber water and Netflix marathons over real ones. I have never bought a gym membership, never taken a nutrition class and never tasted a protein shake. I even purchased a laundry basket with wheels because rolling your dirty laundry is the lazier option – more my style.

Since I’ve established my general aversion to healthy lifestyles, let me tell you how I lost 30 pounds in 60 days.

Well, it was actually 26.6 pounds in 61 days if you’re a real stickler for the details. All in all, I dropped 40 pounds this year implementing several strategies. The first few months of my weight-loss voyage proved the most educational.

Before setting off to drop the pounds, I wanted to mentally and physically prepare myself. I started by seeing a doctor. I had blood work done on two separate occasions a month apart to make sure everything internally was working properly. Initial tests showed some irregularities so the doctor wanted to test again to make everything came back to normal levels (they did).

Clean bill of health – check.

Next, I decided to get some baseline measurements. To calculate them, I began by weighing myself. Knowing my

30

weight, I was able to determine a few important things. The first was my place on the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale based on my weight, height and gender. This gave me an idea of how much weight I needed to lose to be considered “normal weight”. If you are starting your diet plan in the “normal weight” range, you’re already on track. I started in the “obese” range.

After utilizing the BMI scale, I set out to uncover how many daily calories I could eat while still losing weight.

What I found was a something called the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Basically, your BMR determines the amount of calories your body burns when you’re idling or not doing anything. I discovered based on my BMR that my body burned 1850 calories per day on its own.

Once I came up with the 1850 figure, I needed to know how many calories my body burned from walking and exercising. I found that the best tool for this was my iPhone. Smartphones have come a long way in the last few years with many of them transforming into full-fledged fitness and nutrition trackers. My phone, for example, has a built in step tracker and perfectly syncs with apps that help calculate the amount of calories you burn through ex-

Active NorCal November/December 2015

ercise. I use MyFitnessPal every day because it not only tracks the amount of calories I burn, but also, has a user-friendly calorie counter. Also, apps like MapMyRun, MapMyRide and MapMyHike help me track many different aspects of my exercise life.

I knew my place on the BMI scale, my ideal weight, my BMR and how to track the amount calories I was burning, but what was I supposed to eat? As one might imagine, the vast amount of information out there on nutrition can be overwhelming. So, I decided to delve into one particular area – macronutrients.

This nutrition term deals with the amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats all foods contain. Manipulating the different levels of macronutrients you eat per day can help the weight fall off – simple as that.

Understanding what macronutrient levels I needed to accomplish my goals, I decided that I wanted my macronutrient ratio to be 50% Protein, 35% Carbohydrates and 15% Fat. The ratio allowed the weight to fall off while keeping me satiated on a calorie deficit.

activenorcal.net

Before diving into a rigorous exercise plan, it’s important to know your body’s capabilities. I tested my limits by running on a treadmill. When I got on the machine, I put a towel over the screen, and increased the speed to a “heart pumping” level, but not fast enough for me to exhaust too quickly. After running for a while, I pulled the towel off to see how my progress. I had run for a full hour at 5 mph. I was surprised and impressed with myself; had I really just run five miles without stopping?

The treadmill test taught me that my body was capable of much more than I’d imagined and it gave me the confidence to embrace a rigorous workout routine. I logged my time so that I could test my progress in the future.

After my baseline was established, it was time to put a workout/diet plan together. In order to lose weight, I had to have a calorie deficit (more calories burned then consumed).

It was vital that my diet plan

took into account how many calories my body burns a day by itself (1850) and how many calories I wanted to burn per day with exercise. Using the information I had gathered, I carefully crafted a plan.

Walking served as my first foray into exercise. The goal was to push myself without injury. The first few weeks, I briskly strolled around my neighborhood several times a day and tried to run a mile or two a few times a week. My exercise routine quickly evolved from walking around to daily 10-mile bike rides. Soon, I was jogging two to 3.5 miles most days in addition to riding my bike.

Now I’m at a point where I run 3.5 miles three times a

week and lift weights five days a week with the occasional bike ride sprinkled in. It took me seven long months to get to this point. Slowly increasing the intensity of my workouts taught me how to push myself without injury and helped me stick with it.

I view my daily workout routines as a set of personal challenges. Every workout, I try to set personal best times during my runs and rides as long as my body feels up to it (remember avoiding injury is more important than setting personal bests). Setting personal records feels good because they allow you to see your progress on a regular basis.

Recording my progress was important to me, but I didn’t want to become obsessed with numbers. Initially, I tracked

my progress just by considering how my workouts were going and how I looked in the mirror. I did weigh myself, but only on the 1st and 15th of the month so as not to get bogged down by the occasional bad day that can occur when you weigh yourself daily.

From June 1st to August 1st I went from 190 pounds to 163.4 pounds. Meaning I had dropped a total of 26.6 pounds or 14% of my total body weight in 61 days. I was happy with not only how I looked, but also, how I felt. The changes were apparent in my appearance and my brain function. I became aware of my

activenorcal.net

significantly increased work productivity and dramatically improved mood. All in all, I am a better person after the experience.

If you find yourself in a situation where you may be a little heavier than you would like to be, don’t fret. There is hope. Take it from me. Life is better on the healthy side and it is possible to get there. The key is to start. Not tomorrow or next week or next month, but right now. There is never a better time than the present so get up and get active!

November/December Active NorCal

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31

HISTORY

Before the Fall NorCal’s Beautiful and Conflicted History

BY CHIP O’BRIEN

Peering into the lives of the first non-Native people in Northern California, dreams, imaginings and real history clash in a bloody battlefield swirling in shadow.

T

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Native Achumawi people had been living a fairly prosperous existence, even though the Shasta Courier described them in 1853 as “the most warlike Indians in California.” History says otherwise.

Setting the Stage Fall River Mills today is known as a quaint little town along Hwy. 299 east of Burney.

You wouldn’t necessarily know without looking at a map that it’s located at the confluence of Fall River and the Pit River.

Water, of course, is a basic necessity for life and the Achumawi found this and abundant food sources nearby.

Upper Fall River, the land between Big Lake and Hwy. 89, was heavily timbered

activenorcal.net

in those days. As the river glided downstream it spread out substantially, slowly bleeding into a vast labyrinth of swamps and endless stands of tules. It wasn’t until the turn of the century that the swamps were drained for farmland and the lower river confined into man-made levies, most so old now they seem perfectly natural.

The Achumawi took advantage of the lush, natural setting by constructing canoes out of tight bundles of tules they used for moving up and down the river.

Much of their food came from the river itself, an endless bounty of trout, pikeminnows and suckers. In wet years salmon and steelhead from the ocean also made their way onto the Natives’

illustration: istock.com

hings in the eighteenth century were much different than they are now, or were they? Mount Shasta was exactly where it is today, and so was Lassen. If we could be magically whisked back to Fall River Mills in the 1850s, untold numbers of settlers were pouring into the area with almost no regard for the people already here. It’s a shameful truth of history. Yet both the European settlers and the Native peoples still speak to us in presenting their lives and their world.

They also warn us about ours.

GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! was discovered at Sutter’s Mill on the American River in 1848 signaling the mass human migration known as the Gold Rush. Tens of thousands of would-be millionaires poured into the area transforming it into the human equivalent of a thriving anthill.

Almost every trickle of running water was turned inside out in the fever for yellow metal. Shortly after the strike at Sutter’s Mill, gold was also discovered on Clear Creek southwest of Redding. While attention was focused west of the Sacramento River, pressure was building in eastern Shasta County.

You’re not as likely to hear how the gold rush and accompanying population explosion impacted the people who were already here. In eastern Shasta County the

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HISTORY

“The water was so clear in these springs that it was difficult to tell where the atmosphere left off and the water commenced.”

—Lieutenant George Crook

menu. There also harvested freshwater mussels, crayfish, deer, elk, antelope, black bears, grizzly bears, grasshoppers and (ugh) Salmonflies.

Conflict between the Native peoples and the immigrants was inevitable as the pioneers often threatened the Indians’ livelihood and ancestral homes. In parts of Shasta County it wasn’t unusual for mining camps to toss sticks of dynamite into the rivers, and whatever floated up was dinner.

Lockharts Ferry Massacre (Part 1) The winter of 1856 was one of the snowiest on record, and the first snow-shoed wayfarer of the new year to make it into Fall River encountered a grizzly sight. Samuel Lockhart’s Ferry and the tiny settlement that grew up around it (now Fall River Mills) had been attacked, obviously by Indians.

Ferries were nothing more than boats guided across rivers by ropes to assist people in getting to the other side, and this one was just below the confluence of the Fall and Pit Rivers. Buildings had been torched; provisions plundered and some white settlers had been slaughtered.

It became known as the Lockharts Ferry Massacre. Upon hearing news of the raid a group of vigilantes arrived on the scene seeking vengeance, but the whereabouts of the perpetrators went undiscovered. Nevertheless, it was decided the Indians’ “depredation” could not go unanswered.

In May of 1857, U.S. Army Company D under the command of Lieutenant George Crook marched from Fort Jones to the Fall River Valley with orders to subdue the hostile Natives. It took a mere four bloody months for the soldiers to rout the Natives paving the way for safe occupation of the area by immigrants. All acknowledged the Indians fought bravely, but spears and arrows were no match for rifles and the superior firepower of the United States Army.

Early Fall River Valley Lieutenant Crook was quite taken with the natural beauty of the

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

area, especially the giant springs in the upper river. He wrote: “The water was so clear in these springs, that it was difficult to tell where the atmosphere left off and the water commenced.

There was notably one spring that was forty-five feet deep, and so clear that the smallest trout could be seen at its bottom with ease. The water was ice cold and full of magnificent trout.”

The fact that Fall River is now held primarily in private hands has probably helped keep it a thriving ecosystem, still full of wild trout. But other aspects of the river have changed much. Take the name, for instance. The “fall” in Fall River was taken from the 30-foot waterfall (now all but dewatered) that use to exist where the Fall plunged into the Pit River. There also use to be a second waterfall on Fall River not far above the town site called Manning’s Falls. Water surged over these falls into a cascade of riffles and runs that extended through the town. In the spring a huge insect called a Salmonfly use to hatch from the river and fill the air around the town.

An April 1888 edition of the Shasta Courier described the phenomenon painting a picture likely to get any angler’s blood boiling: Salmonflies are now ripe and are to be had for the picking. Consequently the small boy is in his glory and may be seen in pairs and gangs hieing their way to Manning’s Falls to cast their line with the certainty at each cast of drawing forth the speckled trout that anxiously awaits their coming. Not only the small boy but the small girl, the man, the woman, the Indian and the Chinaman are all infatuated with the delightful sport and all return well-satisfied with their success.

A successful merchant named I. H. Winter found the ambience of the town-river site so desirable that he built a grand mansion on a large island in Fall River just above Fall River Falls. The mansion came to be known as Island House.

“Tis a home suited to a poet’s fancy, claimed an article in the Republican Free Press, “or a retreat charming enough to please the eye of the painter.” The Shasta Courier also romanticized it in 1887: On this green spot surrounded by the raging waters, I. H. Winter has erected his residence and can probably claim that nowhere else its equal exists. Owing to the fact that Fall River is fed by springs, it’s waters are warm in the winter and cold in the summer, and the temperature of the island is the same. In the spring when the trout bite, the family can stand at the kitchen door, and with rod and flies in a few minutes land a sufficient number of the finny tribe for a meal.

Island House and Manning’s Falls are now long gone, drowned by the hydroelectric projects so common in NorCal. Only a small bridge across a dammed section of frog water (once mighty Fall River) remains to mark the spot. Most of the water

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is now shunted through two-mile long pipes that drop Fall River water into the Pit 1 Powerhouse.

Between Fall River Mills and the Pit 1 Powerhouse (also marked for Clearwater Lodge) extends the deep, rugged six-milelong Pit River canyon. At one time the Winters brothers (builders of Island House) owned a toll road and bridge across the Pit River just below a still-substantial waterfall. The waterfall and old canyon bridge can still be seen from the vista point at the top of the Hwy. 299 grade just west of Fall River Mills.

Most people enjoying the canyon today are kayakers, since hiking the old road is nearly impossible. Rockslides have buried long sections turning the canyon into an uncomfortable place for humans, but an excellent place for rattlesnakes. The waterfall in the Pit Canyon was the principle geological feature halting salmon and steelhead from going any further upstream, hence it was popular with the Natives as a salmon spearing site.

In wet years there was sometimes enough water to allow salmon passage over the three falls (Pit River Falls, Fall River Falls and Manning’s Falls) and records indicate the fish spread into various waterways of the Fall River Valley. Various settlers hatched grand schemes to dynamite Pit River Falls in hopes of lowering it enough to allow regular passage for salmon upstream, but the blasting had too little effect. This account from an 1881 Shasta Courier describes one such attempt: E.E. Van Sikel and the Kenyon brothers have commenced work on the Pit River Falls. For the purpose of lowering these falls there has been an appropriation of $2300.00. The object is to allow the salmon to pass up the river. The scenery about the falls is grand. Towering rocks lift their heads above the thread-like river. Hardy pines and other evergreens are growing along the canyon while the river winds its course narrow and rapid to its ocean home. There is in the canyon food for much reflection.

Lockhart’s Ferry Massacre (Part 2, the aftermath) During the hostilities at Lockhart’s Ferry the 1850s, the Pit River Canyon became a stronghold for the Indians greatly feared by travelers of the day. Lieutenant Crook even took an arrow to the leg, and the arrowhead stayed with him for the remainder of his life. The following account, paraphrased from Crook’s autobiography, is a poignant reminder of how bravery and sacrifice turns a blind eye to race, color or creed: One of Crook’s scouting missions brought he and two of his men to a place where the Pit Canyon opens up, roughly where the Pit 1 Powerhouse and Clearwater Lodge sits today. From their vantage point they discovered an Indian encampment of about 100 men, plus women and children. The language he used to describe the scene reflects racial attitudes of the time: “The squaws commenced gathering grass seed while the bucks stood sentinel.” Nearby Crook found a discarded wash boiler and photographs he considered plunder from the Lockhart Ferry Massacre, and that was all the evidence he needed.

Hiking back to where the soldiers had tied their horses, the men came face-to-face with an Indian woman carrying a basket of grass seed, her baby in a sling on her back. “She was very much frightened,” wrote Crook, “but not confused. She seemed

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35

HISTORY to realize the situation.” Not wanting her to warn the others, they brought the woman and child back to their encampment while the soldiers prepared. The plan was for a surprise attack under cover of darkness.

“The night came on very dark,” continued Crook, “a severe thunderstorm overtook us on the mountain. The clouds were inky black, and the darkness was so intense that we could not see our hands before us except when the flashes of lightning lit up the country.” Well armed and on horseback, the soldiers forced the woman to walk in front of them along the trail. “Her child would cry occasionally,” he noted, “when she would stop, nurse, and sing to it.”

When the soldiers arrived at the spot where they’d seen the Indian camp, the soldiers were surprised to discover their fires were now burning on the other side of the river. Evidently they had moved across while it was still light. “The river here was nearly one hundred yards wide,” wrote Crook, “and we could tell nothing about its depth.” The men found a damaged canoe along the bank and proceeded to discuss how this might be employed to help get them across the river. Said Crook: The squaw laid down her papoose and, taking up her basket hat, commenced bailing out the canoe, gradually working her way toward the end farthest from shore. All of a sudden she dove under the water and disappeared. It did not seem a minute before all the fires were put out in their camp on the other side.

We returned to the opposite bank where the papoose was, which by this time was squalling at the top of its lungs.

The soldiers tried luring the Natives back by hanging the baby from a rope and letting it cry while they hid in the bushes, but the Indians didn’t fall for it. George Crook went on to an auspicious military career eventually achieving the rank of Major General.

No one really knows how many Achumawi were murdered during the brief military campaign. Those who weren’t killed outright left the area, were directed to nearby reservations or died of white man’s diseases.

Sometime after Crook moved on to his next assignment a quiet rumor took root in the community suggesting the so-called Lockhart Ferry Massacre was not exactly what it was billed in the first place. It claimed the attack was revenge for “depredations” against Indian women at the hands of local white men. Sam Lockhart was not present when the ferry was attacked, but he lost several family members in the encounter. From then on he dedicated his life to killing Indians, and died in a knife fight with one in the Idaho country.

Crook’s autobiography doesn’t mention whatever became of the baby or the Indian woman along the Pit River who made the only sacrifice greater than her own life, but he did acknowledge her courage. After a career of killing untold numbers of Natives, he was criticized later in life for going “soft” on Indians. If that really happened, I wonder if a certain courageous woman on the Pit River had anything to do with it.

I wonder.

NORCAL

Retired.

Grandma.

Disaster volunteer.

Friend.

And I bike.

We all share the road.

In your car: Don’t drive distracted. Don’t text or talk on the phone while driving.

On your bike: Make eye contact with drivers, especially at intersections.

Meet Nancy and learn more at www.healthyshasta.org/and-i-bike

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

activenorcal.net

The Importance of Physical Therapy for Active Lifestyles

A

n active lifestyle increases joy and leads to better health outcomes down the years. In order to prevent injury and continue performing at the highest level, it is imperative that you care for your body. That’s where physical therapy comes in to play.

Physical therapy is a branch of rehabilitative medicine aimed at helping patients maintain, recover or improve their physical capabilities. Although it can help improve anyone’s physical condition, much of the time it is used during orthopedic and sports rehabilitation. The goals of physical therapy include improving mobility, pain management, increasing strength and optimizing fitness levels.

Bryan Burch, owner of Burch Physical Therapy in Redding, has seen the calculated, positive effects that Physical Therapy has had on athletes coming off of injury.

“Rehabilitation post injury is critical,” explained Burch. “Early intervention is key in prevention of advanced soft tissue and motor control changes. We use science based rehabilitation protocols and techniques so patients can be assured they are getting up to date and comprehensive treatment techniques and applications.”

At their facility, the Burch team treats a wide array of muscoskeletal injuries (ex: ligament damage) and pain disorders including balance and neuromuscular disorders. Combining the use of high-tech equipment and highly skilled physical therapists, Burch PT has helped numerous patients return to their prior level of function following injury.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Burch Physical Therapy opening their doors in Redding. In 2006, they moved into a state-of-the-art facility on Hartnell Avenue that includes an indoor pool, fitness center, hand therapy center and a variety of rehabilitation equipment. With all of the facility’s resources, Burch PT can offer personal training, yoga classes, aquatic aerobic sessions, ergonomic assessments, pain therapy as well as Lymphedema treatment for cancer patients. They also own the North State’s only Biodex Isokinetic Testing Unit, which allows accurate measurements of joint velocities, range

of motion and the strength and power of muscles.

The positive outcomes experienced by many of Burch’s patients stem from his specialization in a number of physical therapy areas and techniques. Not only does he hold a Master’s Degree in physical therapy, but he also holds two board certifications as an Orthopedic Specialist and Sports Specialist. Along with 30 years of experience in the field, Burch holds a PT, MS, OCS (orthopedic specialist) and SCS (sports specialist) making him one of the more qualified physical therapists in the state of California.

“I have always felt that a multi-disciplinary approach to physical therapy was the most effective treatment for the patient,” said Burch. “Physical therapists with specialty certifications in specific areas of rehabilitation are going to be more beneficial to the patients.”

With state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, qualified staff and a passionate leader in Bryan Burch, Burch PT will continue to provide top quality care for those recovering from injuries or people just trying to stay healthy. Here’s to another 20 years of excellence in physical therapy!

Located in the Cobblestone Business Park, 320 Hartnell Avenue

OUTDOORS

5

Quintessential NorCal Hikes

A day’s drive exploring NorCal could land you on smooth granite mountains, golden hills, snow topped volcanoes and expansive, wildflower speckled meadows. On the trip, you’d invariably encounter cascading waterfalls, crystal clear lakes, numerous worldclass trail systems and all manner of unique wildlife. It’s the diversity of the North State region that sets it apart. This

variety lends itself to hikes that are…well…perfect.

Before listing some of the best trails and hikes in our region though, it’s critical to consider which elements contribute to a great hike. Obviously, subjectivity comes in at some point, but most avid hikers apply similar criteria when it comes to rating trails. Lifelong camper, backpacker, hiker and administrator of hikemtshasta.

MT. EDDY Difficulty: Moderate Distance: 10 miles Dismissing the splendor of the view from Mt. Shasta’s summit takes a serious lack of aesthetic awareness. On the other hand, the vistas available atop Shasta exclude NorCal’s most visually

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

com, Bubba Seuss, has written several Falcon guidebooks about North State hiking and trails. Seuss has long contemplated what makes an A+ hike.

“My brother and I have sort of developed this “bang-foryour-buck” scale to rate trails,” said Seuss. “Not that we’re not willing to put in the effort, but if a trail is really grueling, we would want it to have the best scenery, awesome views,

plenty of running water and interesting geology. All that stuff combined makes an A+ hike and being able to combine several trails into a loop is really the benchmark. Really though, you have to have views, water and something unique to look at.”

Using some of Seuss’s criteria and recommendations, we developed a list of some of the best hikes in NorCal…

stunning feature – the mountain itself. Luckily, the scene from Mt. Eddy’s peak includes all of our favorite landmarks as well as Mt. Shasta.

“I think view from the summit of Mt. Eddy, for my money, is the best in the region,” expressed Seuss. “The amount of things you can see from up there is pretty staggering. It’s a pretty easy hike. It’s not that long and not that steep. It goes through the deadfall lakes so

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SHASTA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION

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SOUTH GATE MEADOW

you can pass right along some cool sites, and when you get to the summit, you have just this incredible 360 degree view.”

On the trail to summit Mt. Eddy, you’ll pass through verdant meadows speckled with colorful wildflowers, the three lakes of the Deadfall Basin, huge cliffs and peaks all around that provide a glance into the distinctiveness of the Trinity Divide. To get the full effect of the scenery, try hiking Eddy between June and midNovember.

Directions to trailhead: From Redding, take I-5 North to exit 751 (Edgewood/Gazelle). Go West (left) and then take a right towards Gazelle. In a half mile, turn left onto Stewart Springs Road. In 4.5 miles, take a slight right onto poorly marked Forest Road 17 where the road forks. Take Forest Road 17 as it winds around the mountain for 13.8 miles and park at the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) trail marker.

MT. SHASTA – SOUTH GATE MEADOWS/ SQUAW VALLEY Distance: 5 miles (if you use the loop) Difficulty: Moderate One of the best hikes available on Mt. Shasta, the South Gate Meadow Trail combines nearly all the elements that characterize

TRINITY ALPS

Miguel Vieira

a first rate hike. Lush meadows, barren valleys, thick forests, glaciers and cascading streams can all be spotted along the way. The South Gate meadow area is somewhat unique to Mt. Shasta in that it can be reached using well-maintained trails. Also, you can connect the Old Ski Bowl and Panther Meadows trails to create a convenient five-mile loop.

“For the Mt. Shasta area, I think the best hike, which sums up being on the mountain is the hike up to South Gate Meadows,” stated Seuss. “It’s got a ton of great views, big meadows, awesome geology and the wildflowers are spectacular. Even when you’re in the forest, it’s an old growth forest.”

Starting from the Panther Meadows trail, along the way you’ll encounter stunning views of Mt. Shasta and an old growth, Shasta Red Fir forest. Continuing on, you’ll pass a barren boulder field that despite its homogeneity, leaves a lasting impression.

Hiking further, you finally reach South Gate Meadow. At this point, behold a lush meadow crisscrossed by spring-fed streams and dotted with unbelievable wildflower displays. Visit in late July or early August to see the flowers in their full glory.

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WARNER MOUNTAINS

Directions to Panther Meadow trailhead: From I-5, take exit 738 to Central Mt. Shasta. Head East on Lake Street and continue onto Washington Street. After you pass Mt. Shasta High School, the road becomes Everitt Memorial Highway. Continue for about 12.5 miles until you see the Panther Meadow campground.

TRINITY ALPS – GRIZZLY CREEK TRAIL Distance: 14 miles Difficulty: Not for the faint of heart Duration: An extremely trying 12+ hour day or overnight Considering its length (14 miles) and altitude change (5,400 feet), Grizzly Creek trail doesn’t exactly fit into the category of “casual hikes”. Following the motto: “nothing worth doing is easy” though, Grizzly Creek Trail’s grueling hike leads to one of the best if not THE best payoff in Northern California.

“For my money, Grizzly Falls, Grizzly Lake might be the most spectacular place in Northern California,” said Seuss. “Everything

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LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK

is arranged in a way that makes it absolutely breathtaking. The lake is huge and it has a 2,000-foot vertical granite wall coming right out of it with a glacier on the wall. The lake has no creek coming out of it because it’s right up against the cliff and the outlet of the lake is a 600-foot waterfall. It has a really remote trailhead, but it’s definitely worth it.”

Grizzly Creek Trail boasts all the features of an A+ alpine trail – stunning scenery, vertical climbing, towering granite summits all around, a one-of-a-kind glacier, a massive lake, an enormous waterfall and an open, green meadow. It displays the largely anonymous beauty of the Trinity Alps and the incredible diversity present in Northern California’s vast mountain landscapes.

Directions to China Springs Trailhead: On I-5, take exit 751 (Gazelle/Edgewood). Head West and turn right almost immediately onto Old Highway 99. Go seven miles until you hit the town of Gazelle. At this point, turn left onto Gazelle-Callahan Road. Proceed for about 27 miles (it merges with Highway 3 towards the end), and turn left onto Callahan-Cecilville Road. Go on this road for about 28 miles then turn left at the sign indicating East Fork Campground. Go five miles further until the pavement ends and turn right at the China Springs Trailhead sign.

(For more detailed directions, visit: hikemtshasta.com).

November/December 2015 Active NorCal

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WARNER MOUNTAINS – PATTERSON LAKE VIA WARNER SUMMIT TRAIL Distance: 12.5 miles Difficulty: Difficult You’d be forgiven for not knowing much about Modoc County’s unsullied and unique-for-California Warner Mountains. Looking for serenity among huge red-rock plateaus, stunning waterfalls, marbled aspen fields and crystal clear lakes? Go no further than the Warner Mountains and, in particular, Patterson Lake via the Warner Summit Trail.

“The Warner Mountains hold their own against any other mountain range in the country; it’s just that fewer people have heard of them,” expressed Seuss. “They are one of the state’s best kept secrets. They have great backpacking, some of the best fall colors and wildflowers available anywhere.”

Along the hike to Patterson Lake, jaunt through forests of Pine and Fir, view strange rock formations more reminiscent of California’s near-Eastern neighbors and take in out-of-this-world vistas of and from Squaw Peak. From barren areas reflecting a volcanic history to steep cliffs, sparkling streams and meadows glittered with wildflowers, the Warner Summit Trail proves that you can have your cake and eat it too. If you’re taking your time with this trail, there are also plenty of good camping spots along the way. Head up to the Warners in the Fall for spectacular Autumn colors.

Directions to Warner Summit Trailhead: Head South on 395 at the junction of Highways 299 and 395. Reaching the southern end of town, go east on County Road 56. The road leads into Modoc National Forest and turns into Forest Road 31. Go a few miles and turn right onto Forest Road 42N79. Look for Pepperdine Camp.

LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK – CINDER CONE Distance: 5.5 miles Difficulty: Moderate Lassen Volcanic National Park can be accurately described as both a geologist’s wonderland and an adventurer’s paradise. The hike to Cinder Cone combines both characterizations. A notable geological feature, the 700-foot Cinder cone was formed from scoria or gascharged lava rocketed into the sky during a volcanic eruption. The Fantastic Lava Beds as well as the Painted Dunes, which flank Cinder Cone, also serve as a reminder of the volcanic origins of the area.

After a gentle hike for the first mile or so at the beginning of the trail, prepare for the strenuous climb to the top of the cone.

As you climb, be on the lookout for views of Lassen Peak, Chaos Crags, Prospect Peak, Snag Lake, the Fantastic Lava Beds and the Painted Dunes. At the top of the cone, you have the option of traversing down into the cone’s crater (highly recommended).

Cinder Cone is a must-hike for frequenters of Lassen or those with an interest in our region’s geology.

Directions to Trailhead: Head East on CA-44 until you reach the junction with Butte lake Road, aka Forest Route 32N21. Continue South for seven miles to Butte Lake Campground.

For more information on great NorCal hikes, more detailed directions and comprehensive trail guides, visit: hikemtshasta.com or purchase A Falcon Guide to Hiking California’s Mount Shasta Region

by Bubba Seuss.

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43

FISHING

Baum Lake, a Terrific Fall and Winter Fishery

BY CHIP O’BRIEN

Describing a time of year when this small impoundment east of Burney doesn’t fish well can be a real challenge. But when cooler weather sets in Baum Lake tops a short list of fisheries that might actually be at their best when temperatures take a nosedive. Even though it does get pretty cold up there in the wintertime, sitting in a small boat or casting from the bank hooking fish after fish tends to keep attitudes toasty warm.

Beyond anything else you could say about Baum Lake; that it’s a critical cog in a giant hydroelectric power-producing

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

machine, a sanctuary for exotic bird life and an archaeologically significant site for Native Americans, it is first and foremost a big bucket full of trout.

Anglers never need to wonder if they’re fishing in the right place. There are healthy populations of wild rainbows and browns, plus the lake receives generous allotments of hatchery fish throughout the traditional fishing season. The bounteous food supply even allows hatchery fish that elude capture long enough to grow to prodigious proportions. There is a five-fish limit at Baum Lake, any method of take is allowed (no hand grenades, please) and it’s open to fishing year-round.

To the casual eye fishing Baum Lake might seem deceptively simple and straightforward. It slips out from beneath Hat Powerhouse 1 as running water far more like a stream than a lake.

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Flows from Crystal Lake join with Baum due west of the parking lot creating another great fishing area. The icy-cold springwater creeps slowly downstream until, about a mile down, it achieves an almost stillness before slipping under yet another dam. The sheer biomass beneath the surface of the water, life that is, gently massaged by this water is staggering. It oozes through verdant forests of aquatic plants, gives flight to untold billions of underwater insects and finally moves through the gill rakers of tens of thousands of hungry trout.

No, you’re not allowed to fish in the hatchery.

Upper Baum

MARY’S NIGHT

It’s awfully hard to ignore the big humming building at the top of Baum Lake. While that baby is probably powering light bulbs in beautiful downtown Kathmandu, I’ve come to see it as a massive sign saying, “FISH HERE!” Not that it’s easily accessed, but the plunge pool directly below the powerhouse is Trout Central.

There are some very large specimens here, and they got that way by being hard to catch. More accurately, they get a lot of fishing pressure and are hard to get to. Because the water is so clear, the fish are deeper than most anglers think. Reason #1 for failure to catch fish here is that most anglers are not fishing deep enough.

So you’ve cast your gob of worms into the bucket with a weight the size of a bowling ball, and you’re still not catching fish. Reason #2 for not catching these fish has to do with the fact that these fish feed mainly on tiny bugs. Sure you can get the odd fish on bait or even spinners, but Mother Nature usually serves bugs and that’s what the fish have come to crave. It makes sense that fly anglers would have the advantage here, but not necessarily so. (See Reason #1.)

Middle Baum Think of the Baum Lake Parking lot as the center of this universe.

From the honey-hole below the powerhouse the water shoots down a straightaway with few fish in it, then makes a lefthanded U-turn. Once around that corner just east of the parking lot, great fishing water literally surrounds you again. The current collides with the parking lot before heading back downstream

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

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We’ve got a little bit of everything • Groceries • Home Grown Local Products— Eggs, R&R Meats, Jelly/Jam, Honey, Wine and much more • Coldest Beer on Bowman Road • Official Village Post Office Site • Commercial/Office Spaces For Month to Month Rental • Support Your Local Merchants

again, and fish stack up on the eastern side to intercept whatever food the current is carrying. To the west of the parking lot is a levy and small concrete structure where a large spring called Crystal Lake drops in. The water between the levy and the parking lot is also stacked full of trout, usually feeding.

As the currents on both sides of the parking lot converge down below, every bit of the water between here and the island downstream is loaded with trout. On some days you can see trout taking insects from the surface of the water. Other times they hurl themselves out of the water like freshwater porpoises in hot pursuit of fast-moving food.

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The island marks the lower limit of the really trouty water, but good fishing also extends down the west side of island. It’s not that there aren’t trout between the island and the dam at the bottom, but they tend to be fewer and larger. This signals a different kind of fishing best left for anglers willing to catch fewer fish in hopes of a real trophy. Bait anglers typically fish higher up on the reservoir, but solitary fly and hardware anglers can sometimes be seen tossing good-sized baitfish imitations to hook-jawed leviathans down below. ©2009 Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. Member SIPC. All rights reserved. 0409-4013 [74346-v1] As mentioned above, there isn’t really a bad time to fish Baum Lake, but the winter season has a few advantages. First, there are far fewer anglers. Trout that get fished on mercilessly naturally become harder to catch. Another advantage is the abundant weed beds that all but clog the reservoir in summer leaving little open water to fish have receded. In other words, you don’t have to fight trying to get your hooks out of weed clusters during winter. The water is much easier to access.

Small prams are the most efficient (and comfortable) way to fish Baum, but you can get plenty of fish from shore as well. Pontoon boats are popular as long as they have anchors to hold you in the slow current. Float tubes are not a good idea since most do not have anchors, and because it’s generally too chilly to spend more than a few moments bobbing around in moving water like a Gore Tex covered ice cube.

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Redding, CA 96001 Direct: (530) 243-7561 susan.eastman@wellsfargoadvisors.com Susan Eastman wfadvisors.com/susan.eastman First Vice# 0F72180 President – Investments CA Insurance 2705 Park Marina Dr Redding, CA 96001 Direct: (530) Investment and243-7561 Insurance Products: u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee u MAY Lose Value susan.eastman@wellsfargoadvisors.com Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC, is a registered broker-dealer and a separate non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2014 Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved. wfadvisors.com/susan.eastman CA Insurance # 0F72180

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INSPIRATION

Save Us, Batkid!

BY ZACH O’BRIEN

On November 15, 2013 in the middle of the day in Gotham City, the Riddler was in the midst of a callous attempt to rob a downtown bank. As a frenzied crowd gathered outside, out of nowhere, the Batmobile arrived with Batman behind the wheel and in the passenger seat, the hero of the day—Batkid.

Unsurprisingly, Batkid and Batman quickly foiled the Riddler’s devious plot, locking him in the bank’s safe. This was only one of many triumphs on the day for Batkid. The November day also proved a triumph for the human race.

If you unmask Batkid, you will uncover the shy face of five-year-old Miles Scott who resides in Tulelake, California.

Amidst Mile’s long and trying battle with Leukemia, he was given a wish from the Make-A-Wish foundation—a wish that he used to inspire the world. He wanted to be Batman for the day.

The Make-A-Wish foundation starting planning out how to fulfill the odd wish.

They decided to stage San Francisco as a modern-day, crime-riddled Gotham City.

As the organization began to reach out to people to help out with the project, word got out to locals, and volunteers started to flood in. Soon, news of the Make-A-Wish plans went viral.

Tens of thousands of people flooded city streets on the mid November day to cheer on Batkid. Roads were barricaded off to handle the event crowd and when more police were needed, officers came to work for free. Over a billion people on Twitter posted about the event using the hashtag #SFBatkid including actors who have played Batman as well as President Barack Obama. The streets were lined with signs that read, “Save Us Batkid”.

The morning started with the Chief-ofPolice summoning Batkid to save a damsel in distress who had been tied to a trolley car track. After untying the victim, Batkid

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Active NorCal November/December 2015

learned of Riddler’s scheme to rob the bank and quickly dissolved his plot. After a hearty lunch, Batkid found out that his enemy the Penguin had kidnapped Lou Seal—the San Francisco Giants mascot. During a final battle at AT&T Park, Batkid defeated Penguin and freed Lou Seal. Not a bad day’s work.

At the end of the day, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee presented Batkid with a key to the city in front of thousands of fans. The San Francisco Chronicle published a special Gotham City Chronicle edition with the headline “Batkid Saves City”. After that day, Gotham was safe again.

This story hit me to the core. Batkid really did save us that day. For at least one day, he saved us from the self-absorbed world we live in. He taught us that helping others, as a community, but more importantly as human beings, is a worthwhile venture. Can you think of another event in which thousands of people gathered together to cheer up one kid? To many, including myself, it was a life-changing story.

That day, Miles got a little bit of his robbed childhood back, and we got a reminder of the beauty of being a child.

Thank you, Batkid.

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