Hike Mt. Shasta

August, a month of surprising and beautiful extremes on Mount Shasta, passed by and September arrived. School commenced and work continues. Yet, though there is some congruence to rhythms of human of human and activity and the seasons, for now the summer season persists, though the “summer” is now at an end. I, for one, am most pleased by this. Fall is my favorite season of the year and now it draws nigh. Truth be told, despite some warmer (or downright hot) days, the wind has left its cutting edge of summer heat and now blows with an autumn mood.

This was certainly the case a few nights ago. After days of clear sky, a sudden burst of cloud cover motivated my wife and I to head up into the Shasta Valley to enjoy some warm and breezy wandering and some incredible views. Mount Shasta, as always, dominates the scene no matter where you are in the valley.

The light was gold as the sun descended toward the horizon. The valley’s golden grass glowed and waved as it was buffeted by steady but gentle breeze. After all these years, it still amazes me that the summit of Mount Shasta looms nearly 12,000 feet above the valley floor.

After the sun sank behind the Little Scott Mountains, which hem in the Shasta Valley on its western edge, the daylight eased into alpenglow. Mount Shasta turned red, as did the exposed corners of the clouds overhead. Even without a deep snowpack to really reflect the sunset colors, Mount Shasta’s andesite flanks still radiate the warmth of the sunset.

While the spectacle of waning lights on Mount Shasta was captivating, as it always is, our attention was turned to the north. Beyond the hill ahead of us, it was obvious that the clouds were doing something altogether different and it was filled with lush color! We headed that direction, hoping to round the edge of the hill before the light faded.

When the view became clearer, what we beheld was incredible. The clouds were aflame and contrasting beautifully against the darkening blue sky. The higher clouds, bathed in more sunlight as the declination of the  setting sun changed. The deepest color was the lowest clouds, which in this case was actually a wispy summer rain falling somewhere over the east side of the Shasta Valley. This squall caught the light like a spark to tinder and set the rain ablaze. It looked like fire hanging in the sky.

It is not often that the pyrotechnics over the Goosenest overshadow what occurs in the sky above Mount Shasta. Though rare, this was certainly one of those times. If fire hung in the sky over Mount Shasta like that, it would have been a most superlative spectacle. As it was, it blessed both the Goosenest with memorable élan and the witnesses with affirmation of good things.

Still, even with a display such as the sky aflame, Mount Shasta cannot be ignored and as the final color faded from the clouds overhead, the mountain brooded over its domain, awaiting the nearing autumn, when snow will fall, leaves will turn and, Lord willing, I will be there with my camera.