Ahjumawi Lava Springs paddle trip report

“Wow, I just had a great weekend of paddling! I took my doggies and headed off to a really cool place up near Mt. Shasta called Ahjumawi Lava Springs. I’ve paddled there before a couple years ago and was eager to get back. The camping is boat-in only. The place is lousy with all kinds of migratory birds, as well as resident birds. How do I know the difference? Because I asked them. Have you ever gone up to a bird and asked, “Do you live here often?” You can learn from my techniques and I’m glad to share my tips with you. I have many more, but I don’t wanna give them all away at once. Anyway, I launched my canoe in the late evening, packed with gear and two dogs who shall remain nameless. I paddled on glassy water filled with rings of rising trout and ducks and geese flying around everywhere. Mt. Shasta loomed above the lake, as did Mt. Lassen. If both those volcanoes had gone off at once, I would’ve been doomed. I probably could’ve out-paddled a major eruption from either one, but not both. I was surrounded.

The sounds of geese and the quiet sound of my paddle dipping into the water was all I heard as the sun set behind Mt. Shasta. It was so peaceful. If it was any more peaceful, I would have dozed off and flipped the canoe and drowned, so I’m glad it wasn’t THAT peaceful. But it was plenty peaceful. After crossing the major part of the lake, we cruised along a marshy bank for a couple miles. My dogs just sat there in the canoe, amazed at all the sounds and birds around us. Some ducks would fly off in a startled flurry at close range as we approached, hidden in the reeds. Soon the first stars appeared, and then the night sky was filled with them. If you’ve ever seen stars at night, that’s how it usually goes, a few at first, then more later. Anyway, paddling at night was a delight with all the birds in flight as I had limited sight, bite, might, height (no rhymes intended). I finally found my intended campsite and I let a big stink as I carefully stood up and stepped off the canoe onto the grassy shore. It was dark and no one was around, shoot, it was a good one too. I crashed out under the stars on the grass and woke up well before the sun to one of the most amazing bird-singing mornings I’ve ever heard. I explored the various Indian stuff in the area, like grinding rocks, fish entrapments on creeks, and other stuff that is super cool but requires top-secret clearance and I won’t divulge, etc., and then I continued to explore various springs with my canoe.. I sat in the canoe in the middle of one inlet and watched huge 5lb + rainbow trout rise all around me. They didn’t like my fly. I took it personal but there wasn’t much I could do about it. Later I casually paddled back to the put-in with my shirt-off, which had a scarecrow effect on the birds and got me a little sunburned in the process. It was a lose-lose situation. But the trip itself was awesome! I’ll share some photos in a few days. Luckily for you, my batteries went dead in my camera so they will be limited. Buh-bye.”

“i have said it before and i will say it again....
u kill me...
i love to read your trip reports.
you have such beautiful trips


"do you live here often?" LOL!”

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This is from my canoe trip last weekend to Ahjumawi Lava Springs. Like I said earlier, there are lots of Indian-ish stuff all over this place. There is something very very magical to me about being in such places. I love this kind of stuff, from grinding rocks, to fish traps, to pictographs, to arrowheads, to wickiup sites, etc. I feel a huge sense of wonderment and awe when I come across places like this one, and my mind is filled with imagination about how it was like back then, who these people were, what were they thinking or saying or singing as they used these grinding stones. Did they laugh when someone farted? I see little kids playing and mothers talking as they grind various foods into flour here. They saw the same mountains and birds and trees and fish that are there now. As I took this shot there was the most incredible chorus of birds you can imagine, and rainbow trout were rising in the lake.

I used 5 hard stops of GND here to keep the rising sun from blowing out the pic, it was probably a bit much. I'll post more photos from my trip as I scan them.”

“Buck - great report and picture. If the holes in that rock are an indicator, Indians certainly did fart! I know from the Native Americans in this area that they also laughed when they did it. Why not? It's the one thing the Christian Missionaries couldn't eradicate from their culture. In the northwoods this practice gradually, through inter-marriage or inter-breeding, passed on to other groups such as the Irish, Germans, scandinavians, etc. Relative of those who live in more conservative Bible belt areas, people up here are proud to let 'er rip. It's an Indian thang.”

“Hey, I'm a conservative Christian and I laugh at farts! :^D”

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It was a sweet experience paddling as the sun set, and then later paddling under the moon and stars. Actually I paddled while my dogs just checked out all the birds, muskrats, and skookums. Dogs can't paddle... that's silly. I mean, who's ever heard of a dog paddle? Wait... shoot, I guess they could've. Oh well.

I'm not real happy with the way Velvia 50 film captures sunset colors when it is pointed right at the sun... it's a litte garish. No filters were used, nor any colors added in Photoshop, it's just Velvia.”

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My beautiful dog Sierra as she lays in the grass near where we camped. I thought she looked especially pretty in the soft early morning light. If I was a boy dog, I'd date her. Sure.”

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This is Mt. Shasta towering above Ahjumawi Lava Springs at sunset. "Ahjumawi" means "where the waters come together" and was named by the Indians who lived here. The waters which come together are Big Lake, Tule River, Ja-She Creek, Lava Creek, and Fall River. It's one of the least visited State Parks in CA, and comprises one of the largest system of springs in the country, if not the entire universe. This is because the area has lots of porous lava rock. Birds really really like it here.”

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This was the last shot I took early in the morning before my camera batteries went kaput... and my spares were in my backpack, but I wasn't backpacking, I was canoeing. SHOOT! I suck and I hate myself. Actually, I didn't mind, it was a glorious weekend!”

“Buck your pictures certainly great. I just can't seem to get the same quality with my Walmart disposable, but I'm trying. Now, respecting the conservative Christian thing, evidently you're just not conservative enough. They will find out about you.”

“"Now Jesus was amongst His disciples and He bent over to loosen His sandel when He tooted. Jesus chuckled and blamed it on John." - 2nd Hallucinations 3:14”

“The picture of your dog is great! Actually all the photos you post are wonderful.

How old is Sierra? She is a pretty girl. My Shepard is a good looking girl as well.”

“Hi Wounded Knee! Thanks! Sierra is mostly all German Shep, but she's not a purebred like her mom, Heidi. Here's a shot of both of them together near Kings Canyon.
Photo of Heidi

Here's another shot of Heidi on the Lost Coast. I love German Shepherds!

Heidi on the Lost Coast

Heidi fetching, Lost Coast

Heidi is 10, Sierra is 9. They're startin' to slow down a bit and feeling their age, which makes me sad. They still seem like puppies to me.”