Hike Mt. Shasta

The summer has passed and autumn is now upon us. This is not just a fact of the calendar but a fact that can be felt in the air and seen in the light. Summer slipped away so gently that it is easy to excuse one forgetting that summer still lingered. September was so mild, with some rain and a few thin layers of snow on Mount Shasta, about the only reminder that it was summer were a few days of hazy smoke giving the days a small measure of opaqueness. When autumn did begin and summer finally did fall away officially, that was the only real change that took place, as fall had already arrived in all but the formal sense.

When fall did begin, we awoke to find Mount Shasta had received a subtle dusting of snow at its highest elevation. This was, however, just a harbinger of the real commencement of autumn, for autumn is not only marked by great weather but also the beginning of lenticular season.

Honestly, the last few years have been a little lackluster in terms of lenticular. I have no idea what this season holds with regards to these great clouds, but it was nice to see that fall this year was beginning with a a fine display over Mount Shasta. Though the sky was overcast, filtered light did break through here and there, illuminating rocks, fields in clouds in mottled patterns. Over the mountain, there was a shifting stack but it never really presented in distinct form. To the northeast, however, was an excellent, layered plume that was catching a nice bit of afternoon light. With another dose of rain in the forecast, this was a nice way to greet the coming weather.

Naturally, I had to get up in the morning for sunrise. This was the first time the conditions at dawn were interesting enough to get me to climb out of bed early enough to catch it. I was glad I did, as it was a really fiery sunrise. Though the clouds nearest Mount Shasta were pretty great, the best part of the sunrise was to the northeast, where the sky burned over the crest of the Cascade Range.

Later in the day, as the storm was to gather, I headed north to Yreka for business. The conditions on the way north were extremely windy, which is often the case in the Shasta Valley. Looking south, the sky was dusty, with large gusts of wind kicking up sandy waves on Mount Shasta. It made it seem as though the mountain was steaming like a lawn where a thin layer of frost is melting off as the sun slides onto it. Wispy lenticulars clung to the summit of Mount Shasta, indicators of the storm was gathering strength.

By morning, the mountain had a nice dusting of snow on it. I think this was the third time in September that Mount Shasta had fresh snow. Not too bad considering how hot and smoky the month has been in years past. Along with the September snow we got last year (a real, winter caliber storm during summer!), that is two very mild Septembers in a row. Perhaps this pattern will continue with another winter of heavy snow.

Now, less than a week since the last round of precipitation, a little more is moving in. Much of the previous snow has melted off but the higher elevations on Mount Shasta still host fresh snow along with patches left over from last winter. In a couple days a little more will have fallen and autumn will well and truly be underway. I can’t wait for the leaves to start turning…