Hike Mt. Shasta

An epic cloud stakes its claim to some dramatic sky above Mount Shasta.

Last week there was a series of great lenticular clouds over Mount Shasta. We haven’t had collection this good in this concentrated a time in quite a while. Although there have been some great formations over the mountain the last few years, overall it the last couple of lenticular seasons have been somewhat lackluster. This past week certainly helped to right that ship.

The first cloud began early in the morning and continued to morph throughout the day. It changed shape rapidly and, at times, was joined by other scattered around Mount Shasta. Towards the end of the day the clouds coalesced into one large stack the was located somewhat northeast of the mountain.

Unfortunately I missed its peak formation and the sunset color since I was in a meeting that went on far too long. It pained me, as I knew what was going on out there and I was missing it. At least I was able to get a shot as the last bit of color faded off of the lenticular at sunset. Oh well…

The next one came a few days later and was another excellent specimen. This one consisted of two distinct stacks that seemed linked together in an oblique alignment. This is one of my favorite kinds of clouds. The unique shape can be so appealing, especially when it is aligned above Mount Shasta. This was one of the most interesting clouds I have seen over the mountain in quite a while.

By the time the sun had set it had dissipated quite a bit, losing its distinct appearance. Nonetheless, the clouds were moving in unusual ways and soaked up the alpenglow in glorious fashion. In the end, this lenticular was a disappointment in terms of how it maintained its integrity but it was a spectacular sunset nonetheless.

A couple days later Mount Shasta was graced with another attractive formation over the summit. It caught the sunrise light nicely. A fine set of tendrils streamed off to south, reeling outward before dissipating and then the whole process repeating itself. The other clouds around the mountain added a great deal of color and texture to the entire scene.

Thought the cloud lingered through out the day, it never looked as good as it had at sunrise. It still made for interesting scenes above Mount Shasta. Even in the evening as the sun was setting, the lenticular dome persisted, though it had flattened out and settled on the mountain a bit. It was the quiet end of a great week of lenticulars.

I find it unlikely that there will be another run of clouds like this for a while. Hopefully, though, we will still get one or two more great cloud formations before we get to summer!