The return of the sun to Northern California, after weeks of rain, prompted The Idiot to take one of his favorite winter walks along the Sacramento River Trail in Redding, CA. The six-mile loop on a spacious paved path begins at the Diestelhorst Bridge, completed in 1915 and now used exclusively by bicyclists and pedestrians.
The Sacramento River is lower than usual because winter rains have reduced the need for water downstream. The result: the level of drought-impacted Shasta Lake is rising.
The two-hour stroll begins at the Diestelhorst Bridge.
The Idiot, standing at the middle of the Diestelhorst Bridge, is ready to “Walk It Off” after two weeks of steady rain brought relief to drought-impacted northern California. (Photo: Liz Chapin)
The Idiot described the two-hour hike in “The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Magic and Madness on the Mediterranean.”
“The Sacramento River, on which I was raised and where I spent a lot of time fishing for salmon and hunting for quail along the banks, isn’t quite the Mediterranean. But there are some Mediterranean touches here.
There’s a Greek orthodox monk from the monastery in nearby Platina who hangs out at the library and I can keep in shape for the MedTrek on the local trail network, from a little six-mile river trail loop to the twenty-five mile descent from Shasta Dam to downtown Redding.” – Excerpt from “The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Magic and Madness on the Mediterranean.”
After three miles, the trail crosses an impressive 418-foot stress ribbon bridge, opened in 1990 and the first of its kind in North America. Supported by 236 steel “invisible” cables drilled into bedrock, the bridge has little impact on the natural rock lining the river.
Looking north at the middle of the Sacramento River Trail ribbon bridge.
Once across and now walking downstream, The Idiot and his companion Liz Chapin saunter into The Peace Labyrinth.
“We frequently walk through a Peace Labyrinth on the river trail. It’s a short and simple but peaceful meander, and it’s customary to leave a stone, either in decoration or to increase the length of the path, on each visit. Before one walking meditation I shared a bit of knowledge picked up on the Med from archeologist Sandy MacGillivray on Crete.
“To the ancient Greeks the labyrinth was a metaphor for life,” Sandy told me. ‘It’s a complex of twists and turns, deceptive dead-ends, double-backs, and long meandering diversions, through which the explorer, having entered, had to find his way in order to confront the monster, half-human/half-divine, which lurked there.’ – Excerpt from “The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Magic and Madness on the Mediterranean.”
The Idiot arrives at the Peace Labyrinth on the Sacramento River Trail.(Photo: Liz Chapin)
Liz Chapin mindfully walks the circular 500-yard Peace Labyrinth path.
Peace Labyrinthers regularly leave rocks that simultaneously convey a message while lengthening the labyrinth.
This is just one section of the wondrous Sacramento River Trail that stretches north to Shasta Dam, west to Whiskeytown Lake and the Trinity Alps, and southeast to the iconic Sundial Bridge. Just the place for The Idiot to “Walk It Off” during the indulgent holiday season.
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