Like molten glass, the upper Sacramento River glides beneath golden maple, sun lighting the scene in explosive complimentary colors. One of my favorite paintings of the year, Flowing Light is inspired by the view downstream from Mossbrae Falls in Dunsmuir, California, a top day hike for daring friends—access being part of the adventure.
Hiking to Mossbrae means either walking alongside an active railroad track (yes, actual trains, actual trespassing), or alternatively, fording the Sacramento River. I prefer the latter, truly an audacious thrill when just an hour south, this river is already the mightiest in California.
Only 12 miles upstream from Mossbrae, the Sacramento gushes from a hole at the base of Mt. Shasta, starting its 400-mile journey to the sea (just ask the salmon, they run it all the way to Shasta Dam), watering millions of acres of farmland and providing a third of California’s water supply.
A River Reborn
Tragedy struck this section of the pristine river in July, 1991, when a Southern Pacific train derailed near Mt. Shasta, spilling 19,000 gallons of herbicide into the river—still the largest hazardous chemical spill in California history. Within days, the poison reached Shasta Lake, leaving behind 45 miles of lifeless water. Not even algae survived.
Then came the comeback. CalTrout stepped in, opposing quick fixes and championing a smarter recovery plan—protecting wild trout and the untouched tributaries. And it worked. Today, the Upper Sacramento flows clear and strong again, officially designated a Wild Trout fishery and blue-ribbon stream.
Art and Resilience
So here’s to second chances, brave hikes, and rivers that refuse to quit. May Flowing Light bring you that Sacramento River sparkle—and its comeback spirit.
Textured emotive paintings activate neural networks of reward, emotion, and executive function simultaneously—an integration that supports resilience under stress by building the brain’s capacity to hold complexity without overwhelm. (Bolwerk et al., 2014)
Flowing Light, 36 x 24 in, 2025, oil on canvas by Lauren Forcella
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