By Geoff Forcella
Oh Eskimo Hill, this is one of those majestic, snow covered hillsides that every child and adult needs to sled down at least once in their life. From Redding you take CA-44E for about 45 miles. And on the left (if you get there in the afternoon) you’ll see a parking lot filled with cars while bright sleds slide their way to the tree line. Leaving your car you’ll follow snow covered tracks for 40 yards through the tall pines until you reach a clearing. Emerging from the trees I arrived to a scene that looked something like a small native village–families hunker around fire pits after a hard day of sledding, the smell of barbecue and roasted marshmallow fills the air, and the snow covered hill teems with life. Kids, dogs, and adults make the climb up the left side of the hill (tubes, sleds, boogie boards, and friends in tow) avoiding errant sledders on their way down. It takes me a good 10 minutes to make the trek. At the top you have about 100 yards of beautiful, snow-touched downhill sledding that’s over before you know it. . Some people bring 8 of their friends and one giant inner tube (VERY entertaining to watch), others have those nifty little frisbee looking seats; one family has the Costco du jour, and many people skin down the hill in nothing but a black trash bag. And yes, I have seen college students drag a queen sized mattresses to the top of the hill. No matter what you bring, it will be fun. When you get tired of sledding, go wander off and build a snow-man, or an ice igloo, or anything you can imagine– you’re in the middle of nature with tons of snow and good company. What more can you ask for?
