Special show art by Bryn Hotes. Follow this dynamic designer on Insta here!

As the summer continues to dazzle with clear lake waters and lazy hazy days, my inner spooky season fangirl is relieved that the days are FINALLY getting shorter. That said, if you venture out into the wild, don't get caught without a light source. The woods feel different when the sun dips below the treeline!

This week, Curious Cat CASCADIA ventures into the wilds of Northern California's Siskiyou County. As Weird California aptly states, "No place in America is the subject of as many occult legends and stories as the majestic snowcapped dormant volcano now called Mount Shasta." Personally? The place scares the crap outta me. As a kid of divorced parents, I was forced to drive past the mountain at least twice a year and when the peak was in eyeshot, I curled into a ball in the footwell of the backseat! Thinking back, to say Shasta scared me comes up short. It made my guts bubble, my heart pound fast, and my brows glisten with sweat. While researching Shasta for this episode, I've had a tandem goal in mind, hunt down the logic behind my reaction to what most consider a spiritual mecca. Let's get into it!

If you liked this episode, listen to one of these NEXT!
Bothell Hell House with Survivor, Keith Linder

The Restless Spirit of Sister Irene: Our Quest to Bring Her Peace

Show Sources and Materials:
Legends of Shasta:
https://www.exploringtraditions.com/in-search-for-the-hidden-city-under-mount-shasta/

Fantastic LA Times article: https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2012-jan-23-la-me-shasta-legends-20120124-story.html

https://documents.latimes.com/a-people-of-mystery/ (LA Times article from 1930s)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_of_Mount_Shasta

The Mysterious and Very Recent HOLE that Appeared on Mount Shasta:
https://www.kqed.org/news/11684091/the-whole-story-faith-and-fraud-in-mt-shasta

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mount-shasta-spirituality

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Support Curious Cat, an independent, human-made podcast!

Anxious about AI? Take two minutes to contact your local politician and ask them to tap the brakes on this technology. Still worried? Contact one of the orgs below and get involved. 

But for today, hug your kid, cook food and really breathe in deep as it simmers, walk in nature, brush a cat, donate to the food bank, brew a cup of tea, or draw a five-minute portrait of your dog. 

***Is AI the Devil? on Substack!***

Hero Organizations:

80,000 Hours

Center for Humane Technologies

State of Surveillance, an organization that helps foster online privacy

Buy Curious Cat Podcast a Coffee!