Heart Lake Trail is another trail in Mt. Shasta area that is highly popular and well-reviewed. It's just under 3 miles round trip with around 800 ft elevation gain and a promise of amazing views. I had to check it out. I arrived at the parking lot early in the morning, and the lot was already pretty filled up.
I started the hike right at the level of the lake and slowly gained elevation.
The trail wraps around the lake in a semi-circle. Surrounded by the hills, the sounds of humans kayaking and their barking dog were bouncing around in the "pit" hopefully deterring nearby bears. I was pretty alert though.
Alertness never hurt anyone, because about half way into the hike, I found this guy peacefully crossing the trail. I allowed him lots of space and time as he slowly crawled into the grass away from the trail and I continued my hike.
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| Beautiful rattlesnake :) |
Soon I found another smaller body of water.
I saw the top of the mountain and my destination and didn't stop here for too long. I wanted to see the final view. And again, it did not disappoint.
I stayed there for a while until a couple of people got to the same spot. It was time to head down. As I was walking down, I encountered more and more people. At the base of the lake, it was a picnic paradise with people lounging on their chairs on the "beach" or their parking spots.
I decided to stop at Ney Springs and Faery Falls trail on the way back to the house. It is a mile and a half round trip in-and-out trail with around 250 ft elevation gain. Unfortunately, I can't say too many great things about this one. It was overcrowded, unimpressive and just a waste of time. I honestly think that people spoil the experience in nature with their loudness and the desire to show off their selfies.
After waiting for a few minutes until people disappear from my shot, I was able to capture just the nature without humans - so much better!
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