Hike Mt. Shasta

Sunset sets a fire in the sky above Mount Shasta.

After being delayed through a pleasant but somewhat meteorologically boring October, Autumn has arrived at its full vigor here in Mount Shasta. November 1st brought unexpected snow and cold temperatures. The sudden cold brought the trees to their senses and their leaves to the point of finally turning color. Though there wasn’t any precipitation the last couple of days, it has remained interesting in the sky. All in all, it has been a welcome and overdue change to fall and from sunrise to sunset, it has been absolutely glorious the last couple of days.

A quick look at conditions give some idea of just how spectacular it has been:

Fresh snow blows off the upper flanks of Mount Shasta. 

Hints of a lenticular cling to Mount Shasta’s summit.

I wasn’t sure which of these was better:

One has better color and light, the other better framing. Either way, having some gold aspens in the same frame as Mount Shasta is always a welcome autumn treat. There aren’t many aspens at this elevation, unfortunately. Thankfully these are easy to get to and usually have pretty good color.

The moon is waxing gibbous and was unlooked for but a welcome addition to the evening.

A spectacular sunset and moonrise on Mount Shasta. 

The forecast is calling for rain and snow over the next few days. November really began suddenly but has continued to bless us. I am hopefully optimistic this will continue and we will have a great winter!