A couple days after Thanksgiving, we were finally blessed with a spectacular lenticular display over Mount Shasta. Autumn is typically one of the best seasons for these epic formations in the sky but this year, much like the last couple of years, there hasn’t been much lenticular presence, let alone any big spectacular ones. That unfortunate streak has finally come to an end.
The heart of the formation was a massive lenticular stack above the summit of Mount Shasta. It caught the morning light in terrific fashion. It didn’t have much purple but it pulsated with pink and orange light. The intricate layers, each nestled one within the other, the shadows and dark clouds only serving to highlight the shape of the next strata of the cloud. This is the kind of lenticular one waits all season for.
Unfortunately, after capturing images of it at sunrise, I was immediately off to head up Christmas tree sales at the boy scout lot. Fortunately, this is a fun and worthwhile endeavor and even though I was missing the lenticular, I knew I was investing my time well. After three days of sales, we only have 92 trees left. If you want a great red fir (silvertip) Christmas tree that was wild caught on the east side of Mount Shasta, come by our lot next Saturday!
After closing the lot up no long before sunset, I headed home. The Christmas tree sales interruption now over, I would have tried to go immediately to get images of the lenticular blazing with the colors of alpenglow but I was in my truck, towing my large trailer I had been using to restock the tree lot. It wasn’t conducive to chasing images of the mountain and cloud. I did force myself to stop and just capture an image from the road for posterity. The lenticular wasn’t as large as it had been but it still presented a fascinating view.
After dropping my truck off and heading out into the Shasta Valley, I got to a decent vantage point just as the colors really flared up. Pinks and purples filled the sky and the mountain itself glowed in the reflected color of the setting sun. It was a spectacular end to a busy day. I hope we have many more lenticulars in the near future!
This time lapse captures a dramatic perspective on the lifespan of the lenticular over Mount Shasta. The way it is in constant flux, churning and roiling as the day progresses is amazing. I have been waiting a while for one of these. This Thanksgiving I am thankful one finally came (among many other things).
Hike Mt. Shasta 
That first photo is especially spectacular!
The video was fun to watch. And the first photo spectacular. Good luck on your Boy Scout Xmas tree sales. Takes me back to the 1950s. Grin.
Thank you! Sales have gone well, although we have enough trees left for one more day of sales. I was hoping to sell out last weekend. I take it you sold them too? Remember where you harvested them?
Yes we did sell them. I don’t remember where they came from but I believe were donated to us. It was in Placerville. I grew up in nearby Diamond Springs.
WOW! You are truly my “window to our world!”I was in a 3-day meditation retreat after Thanksgiving; didn’t go outside at all … missed all of this! THANK YOU!
= = = = = Thank You, and Warmest Regards ~ Cynthia L. Henderson call or text: 530-925-0781
You are very welcome!
Wow. Thank you for sharing these spectacular photos and time lapse video!
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