Hike Mt. Shasta

Fresh snow glitters in the morning sun the day after the latest storm ended. 

The Long Winter seemed like it might have been winding down. Snow began on November 1st and continued to fall, along with powerful bouts of rain, for three months. In February there was a bit of a respite but on February 23rd it began snowing again and over the course of two weeks nearly 100 inches was deposited at my house. This was on top of a couple of feet of snow already packed down from the previous storms. It was an immense amount of snow and I was glad to leave it by escaping to Arizona for a week. It snowed 6-7 more inches while we were gone but then things started melting a bit. The calendar said it was officially spring. The deep pack of snow outside felt otherwise, but who is to argue with the calendar?

The Long Winter, that is who will argue with the calendar. It seems the the old Russian generals January and February are a triumvirate this year, with March packing a significant punch. With just a few days left in the month, a major storm walloped the region, leaving over 30 more inches of snow before it was all done. For the winter-weary, it was a bit disheartening, as it was necessary to clear a major dump of snow yet again. It’s been a lot this winter…

I often try to keep track of the snow as I clear it:

After a couple days of snow, it topped off at nearly 35 inches. My house is higher up than in town, but in Mount Shasta, it looked like a midwinter day rather than one at the beginning of spring:

As is typical, the snow had been pushed to the center of the wide boulevard so curbside parking could be maintained. This was not the way spring was supposed to look!

When the sun finally broke through the clouds, the storm was weakening. I headed out to see if I could see the mountain. Unsurpisingly, Black Butte was the first landmark visible. It is often easy to overlook the great cone, but in this light, with fresh snow and rime ice, Black Butte was a striking and beautiful presence in the snowy landscape.

The clouds around Mount Shasta were a lot thicker than in other areas but eventually they parted enough to see the mountain as the sun set. It was the first time I had seen light on Mount Shasta since before I had left for Arizona. Hopefully a herald of the coming spring. Hopefully, but the way things have unfolded this winter, I reckon the old Russian generals have a little more in store for us yet.

Back at home, the snow has already started to melt with alacrity. There’s plenty to fix and clean up once there is less of the white stuff. Broken tree branches need to be cleared, the fall’s leaves (never raked since the snow fell while many were still on the trees) need to be cleared. At the guest cabin, a section of the party lights came off the trees and were buried in the snow. I like the effect. Perhaps I will leave them. I feel that if I hang them up now, I am just inviting another storm…