WHEN THE MOUNTAINS CALL

By Donald Amador

Those fortunate to have been raised in the Pacific Northwest know the lessons that are learned or healing gained by exploring the mountains, forests and streams of that special region. In fact, noted conservationist John Muir once said, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” I first heard that call more than 30 years ago, but with all the noise from the land management side of things, it pains me to admit that call was getting increasingly hard to hear.

After working round the clock on a number of stressful OHV recreation-related state legislation and federal rule-making proposals for the last several months, it was time to answer that “Call of the Mountains” once again. I needed to reconnect with the “why” of our Sisyphus-like struggles. Instead of getting crushed under the boulders of legislation, it was time to climb to the mountain tops.

The mountains called for a journey up to portions of the Lassen National Forest that I had never visited. So I loaded up the 13-year-old Nissan Xterra PRO 4-X on what would be a 265 mile day trip - from the Recreation HQ in Cottonwood, California, with the intention to circumnavigate the Lassen Volcanic National Park on 142 miles of Forest Service roads and trails.

The route up from the Redding area takes about one hour, but is a pleasurable experience since you have Mount Lassen in full view for most of the way until you arrive in the Lassen National Forest. The gravel or native-surfaced roads that are part of the loop can be traveled in a passenger car. However, they are more enjoyable if experienced on an Adventure Bike or 4x4 SUV so you can take one of the more difficult OHV-type trails that stem off the main loop.

There are a number of sub-alpine developed areas and dispersed camping opportunities in this part of the Forest where you can stage or stay overnight. Some of them have access to OHV “green sticker” routes where you and your family can do some backcountry exploring.

This is a beautiful alpine region that has some spectacular large diameter trees, streams, lakes (be sure to bring your fishing pole) and amazing vistas. The view from the top of the mountain magically makes the days in the trenches worth it. The mountains are calling!

This was one call that I was glad to answer. Although navigating the loop was challenging given that many of the road markers were destroyed in the 2021 Dixie Fire that burned 963,309 acres, the journey was refreshing. It helped remind me of why I answered another call some 33 years ago to champion our access to the great outdoors.

Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for almost 29 years. Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting. Don served as a contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018. Don served on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from 1994-2000. He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don currently serves as the government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California. He may be reached via email at: damador@quietwarriorracing.com