Hike Mt. Shasta

With all the precipitation we have been getting and the lower temperatures, there has been a lot of morning fog in the Shasta Valley. This can make some great conditions in Echo Basin and Parks Creek’s vale, especially around sunrise. A week ago I headed out to Echo Point in the hopes of getting morning shot with some colorful light bouncing around through the mist. That trip did not work out so well. The fog was so thick, I was often enveloped in the ubiquitous vapor. Despite the presence of some nice lenticulars, I could get the kind of shot I was pursuing. Not one to give up, I headed back out to Echo Point again. This time, conditions were fantastic.

As I climbed up to Echo Point, I could see the wispy clouds turning pink. The fog being fairly thin north of the point, I was pretty confident that conditions would be good in Echo Basin and the fog would be reflecting a lot of the light in the sky. This was indeed the case. The fog seemed to pulse with light while the horizon began to glow as sunrise approached. This was, in same ways, the peak of the scene. Though the color would turn golden, this was the height of the pink and purples. My oldest son, 16, had joined me on this outing and it was gratifying to be able to share this spectacular scene with him.

Though the sun was just below the horizon, the color in the fog quickly slipped away. I have seen this happen before. Though some of the sunrise hues remained in the clouds overhead, the angle was all wrong to light up the valley. Nonetheless, the fog imbued the valley with depth and mystery.

The fog continued to swirl around Echo Basin. Like before, it seemed as through the valley was breathing, with the mist flowing out and then rushing back in. However, thankfully, this time the point was never overtaken and the vista obscured. In fact, the scene remained epic through the entire sunrise.

As predicted, the pink and purple were gone but once the sun breached the horizon, the entire valley burst with golden radiance. The fog seemed to soak it up, thickening into an aurous veil over the broad vale.

High above, on Echo Point, the fog never approached and the surrounding peaks remained clear. It was indeed a beautiful morning at a spectacular, one-of-a-king setting. I was thankful to spend it with my son.

On the way home, we stopped at our property just outside of Mount Shasta City to see how the fall color looked in the morning light. Sadly, though not surprisingly, it has gone. The powerful winds of the previous storm stripped the trees bare. However, even the naked trees, with the few hearty, brown leaves still clinging to them, look beautiful in the morning glow, contrasted against the icy grandeur of Mount Shasta. And more storms approach.

A couple weeks apart, the autumn color has passed us by.