Hike Mt. Shasta

Fresh snow blows off of Mount Shasta during a winter sunrise.

I am probably tempting fate here, but I think that, with last night’s snow, we are seeing the winter of 2017-2018’s final stand here in Mount Shasta. Looking at the forecast, the temperature is going to climb up into the mid-60’s and the sky will be clear and sunny. It looks perfect. I am sure more rain will come, but the snow, such as what fell last night, may be done. This is timely, since I, my family, and most of the people I have talked to, are ready for spring, ready to get outside in warm weather, and ready to enjoy the sun again.

Last night we got about 3-4 inches of snow. I awoke early and surveyed the snow, the cloudless sky, and promptly headed out to go watch the sun come up. From the north, Mount Shasta is always cast in shadow at sunrise but if there are clouds, they catch the rising sun’s light beautifully. This morning was no different. This morning there were also plumes of snow billowing off the mountain, adding another layer of matter for the light to reflect off of. It was another morning to be thankful to witness.

Back at my house, the snow made for one more pretty winter morning. It will no doubt melt off quickly, but my family was glad to be able to enjoy it one more time.

This winter was a bit of a mixed bag. It started off fairly dry, with no snow for months. However, February and March have seen significant precipitation and one major snow storm pass through. I am not sure what the final snowpack will end up being, or how much rain fell, but the latter two months have certainly meant we have avoided disaster. It was much, much better than the winters of 2013-2014 and 2014-15. The snow last night was nearly equal to the total that fell each of those years. Those were awful.

So, though my writing this will likely prove responsible for more snow soon, I am declaring winter over and I am moving right into spring. I hope everyone has a great one!

Snowy Mount Eddy catches the rising sunlight.