Hike Mt. Shasta

It may seem strange, but the lateness off the sunrise before the time change is frustrating to me. I would rather get up early, enjoy the sunrise and then come back home and get the day rolling. Between getting the kids to class and then teaching Latin at their school first thing in the morning has meant I have had to watch some great sunrises through the window while teaching middle schoolers how to decline third declension nouns. As much as I enjoy teaching Latin, frustrating does not begin to describe that experience.

Friday, however, I was able to get out early. My wife had alerted me to the presence of fog in the Shasta Valley. I instantly knew where I would go, as I have been eager to observe a foggy basin below Echo Point. I have seen some great fog-laden sunrises from Truchas Ridge, but none from Echo Point.  I was not disappointed.

The fog in Echo Basin alight with predawn glow.

When I got to Echo Point, the basin was filled with fog. It wasn’t long before the sun was to rise and both the sky and the fog were glowing. It was a spectacular display, with the sea of roiling mist filling the basin, obscuring the lake, the fields and even some of the lower hills. The glow and swirling of the fog made it seem the landscape had a heartbeat. The dark mass of Mount Shasta brooded majestically over the entire scene.

The fog clears out of the basin.

A few minutes before the sun was to break the horizon, it passed behind a cloud far to the east and most of the light suddenly disappeared, from both the sky and the fog. At the same time, the fog began to dissipate.

Even without the glow lighting up the fog, the watery haze added detail and depth to the folds of the Shasta Valley. The small hills divide numerous basins and valleys and the fog settled in the low points, rendering the hills as islands in the sea of mist. The fog was not the only vapor present, as the high peaks, like the Whaleback, were partially blocked by bands of low clouds.

As the sun rose above the horizon, it was still blocked by nearer clouds but now these began to light up with the dawn light. Once again, the fog began to light up again.

Without warning, the sunlight burst through the clouds and the entire landscape was radiant with the light of the rising sun. The thin fog, remnant wisps of the sea that had occupied the basin just minutes earlier now ignited, make the air itself seem to glow. This was a sight not soon forgotten.

By this time, Mount Shasta the clouds in front of the Whaleback had partially moved in front of Mount Shasta. Nonetheless, the mountain could still be seen and its presence felt. The rest of the scene, the radiant valley and the glowing clouds were more than enough to satisfy the thirst for glory.

I hadn’t caught a sunrise like this in quite a while. Teaching Latin can be fun, but it’s can’t beat grandeur like this!