Hike Mt. Shasta

Old Ski Bowl view of a large lenticular stack sitting majestically above Mount Shasta.

A couple of days ago I reported the first good lenticular Mount Shasta has had this October. We are now getting into the heart of a really active season for these majestic cloud formations and it is exciting to see what new marvels are going to unfurl above the mountain. The two days following that first event has witnessed two additional lenticular formations over Mount Shasta. While never quite rising to the epic level, it has been a remarkable sight to witness, one that once again emphasizes the incredible, unpredictable beauty of Mount Shasta.

Lenticular day 1

The first lenticular was a beautiful but frustrating cloud. While at times that first event had a well-defined disk formed over Shastina, it was, in many ways a bit of a mess. In spite of the disk, it could not quite shake the blob of cloud that hovered just above. Nonetheless, it remained extremely scenic and was fun to watch as it changed and morphed throughout the day.

Lenticular day 2

The second day of lenticular activity was more subtle. The clouds that formed above Mount Shasta lacked the distinct lens shaped form. Instead, the mountain was capped with a succession of long waves. This proved a fairly stable lenticular and didn’t change too much for quite a while. Instead, there was quite a bit of other cloud activity in the sky, with cirrus and other types passing higher up over the mountain. Adding further interest to the day was the shadows cast by these clouds upon Mount Shasta and the lenticulars above it. While not colored by the rising or setting sun, it was a fascinating light show nonetheless.

Around noon on lenticular day 3.

The third day of lenticular activity over Mount Shasta proved the most dramatic and diverse. In the morning there was just a slight wave present over the mountain, one that gave little indication of what would form later in the day. There were many other clouds, some threatening to take a lenticular shape but none of these were right around the mountain. By the middle of the day the sky had filled in considerably and a large lenticular stack had formed above Mount Shasta. The stack was not composed of extremely distinct layers but it was quite impressive anyway.

In the afternoon the sky had largely cleared but the stack of disks had become larger and more well-defined. Though more distinct, the shape remained in flux, changing its outline constantly. The view from up on Hummingbird Saddle was particularly awesome:

By evening the stack had dissipated, leaving only a small wave, just as there had been in the morning. Thin clouds hovered higher up but nothing that gave the impression that the awesome formation that had crowned Mount Shasta earlier in the day would return. However, just before sunset, a small disk did form high above the mountain. While not the most inspiring event, it was at least a respectable finish to an otherwise compelling day of lenticular activity.

Lenticular day 3, at sunset.