Travelog VII || Mt. Shasta Getaway

Given the three-day weekend in February, we decided to escape into the wilderness again. This time, we opted for a cozy, charming cabin out near Mt. Shasta in Castella, California rather than staying overnight at some dingy (oftentimes, murderous) motel. Thanks to Glamping with Pet, I found a dog-friendly accommodation that provided all the amenities for three people and one corgi. 

The distance from San Francisco to Mt. Shasta is approximately 4 1/2 hours away, which is roughly 475 miles from one another. The four of us stayed at the cabin in Castella for two nights. We left early Saturday morning at 7 AM and checked into our cabin at around 3 PM. We had a few pit-stops during our road-trip and even stopped at a Denny's for breakfast. 

As we rolled up into the driveway, we were pleasantly surprised to see how quaint our cabin was! It looked a lot better in person. Since it gets relatively freezing cold here in Shasta, the cabin provided heating in the living room and had plenty of blankets to stay warm. There's a fireplace as well. Staying at this cabin didn't feel too far from home; it had a fully equipped kitchen where we cooked Japanese curry and made Vietnamese spring rolls. The living room had a television with a variety of entertainment systems. There was an abundance of board games and old VHS movies (along with some blu-ray DVDs). 

This cozy cabin is situated next to a river where fishing rainbow trout is allowed (catch and release only). Our favorite part about this cabin had to be the outdoor patio out in the back with its nice, large backyard. Cooper got his fetch game in and was joyfully frapping around the grass. He even took a dip in the river and got himself wet. There's also a nearby trail that sits across the river. We ended up exploring it during our evening stroll along the riverbank. To get to the other side, you would need to cross a wooden bridge. Our host told us that this bridge is a favorite sleeping spot for the residential mountain lion who likes to come out at night. Nothing to worry about.

On day two (Sunday), we woke up bright and early to prep ourselves for a day of hiking in the mountains. Cooper had his hiking gears on and was ready to go. He was the most eager and immediately hopped into his car crate with a clear focus for a new adventure.

The first trail of the day for us was Heart Lake Trail from Castle Lake. This is a 3 mile, moderately trafficked out and back trail. When we arrived at Castle Lake, the sun was just peeping out and the lake was frozen. It gave me a golden hour type of feeling. As we started our hike, we were blasted by icy winds. Heart Lake trail gave us a challenge as it was difficult for us to find the main trail due to all the snow. Luckily, there was a lot of foot traffic so after surveying the area, we found the correct path to follow. If it weren't for the ice and snow on this trail, I would have considered this an easy hike.

As we ascended up the mountain and around Castle Lake, snow started to fall. I was very much amazed as this was something I wanted to experience during this trip. I knew there was a forecast for snow shower in the mountains and Mother Nature proved me right!

Cooper trudged along the icy path with ease while the rest of us watched our foothold since the trail was slippery. More snow started to come down as we continued our way up. After ascending for about 1.5 miles, the view at the top made for a winter wonderland spectacle. Frozen Castle Lake was slightly visible in between the snow covered trees and there was a small glimpse of Mt. Shasta in the distance. We all decided that it was best to not hike any further since the snow was starting to come down hard. The last thing we all wanted was to be stranded at the top of a snowy mountain. 

After basking in the view at the top, we turned around and started to descend down the trail. It felt serene to be the only people on the trail and we had the whole place to ourselves. Although while we were heading down, there were two people and two dogs that were coming up to the top. Definitely good timing on our end. During the descent, I unfortunately ended up slipping and falling on my back (which I now have a bruise to show for). Luckily, nothing broke. The weather became harsh with the icy wind while the snowfall continued to pelt us. The thought of warming up in the car felt like a dream waiting to come true. After doing just under 3 miles, we made it back to our car. Safe and sound and warm. This whole hike left us all freezing while Cooper was unfazed by it at all. What a trooper.

By the time we were done with Heart Lake Trail, it was just barely noon. We still had a whole day ahead of us and decided to check out a few more trails right after we had lunch. We headed back to our cozy cabin to eat our homemade Japanese curry and then headed out for an attempt at Black Butte Trail.

Getting to the trailhead for Black Butte posed one problem for us: the road was covered in snow. With a two-wheeled drive, we didn't want to risk getting stuck along the way. We parked our car before the snow covered road. There was a fresh layer of powder snow that I felt underneath my shoes as I stepped out of the car. It was an oddly satisfying new feeling. The four of us decided to just walk Black Butte trailhead in which we ended up circling around for 2 miles. I would have love to tell you how easy or moderate the Black Butte Trail was but sadly, it was a bust. Not every adventure will be full of thrills but it was definitely a lot of fun walking on fresh snow.

We made it back to our car after getting slightly lost and headed straight for Lake Siskiyou. We took the scenic trail around the lake which had us cross a lovely blue colored bridge. The Lake Siskiyou Trail was easy and relaxing compared to Heart Lake Trail. Cooper enjoyed the 6.5 miles roundtrip and he had a blast romping around in the lake with a bunch of pine cones. The view of Lake Siskiyou was incredible and it was even more special when there was light snowfall that came from the mountains nearby.

After a long day out and about, we were back at our charming little cozy cabin. For our last night, we made Vietnamese spring rolls for dinner and Cooper was finally knocked out after hiking over 9 miles. The following morning, we left at the crack of dawn and said goodbye to the cozy little cabin in the woods by the river. All in all, this weekend getaway to Shasta was much needed.

This post was in collaboration with Glamping Hub for Glamping with Pets. If you're struggling to find dog-friendly accommodations (like me) for your weekend getaway, Glamping with Pets offers copious amount of places that will allow your furry best friends to come with you for an adventure. All opinions and photos are my own. 

:✘: Outfits :✘:

Blanket :: Earth Rated
Harness :: Small Ruffwear Harness 
Bandana :: Unleash the Hound | Earth Rated
Dog Jacket :: Pendleton National Park in Yosemite
Collar & Leash :: Bearytail Leather Co The Kyoto Collection
Human Backpack :: Topo Design Rover Pack
Hiking Boots :: Vasque Breeze 2.0 Gore-Tex