Hike Mt. Shasta

Autumn has been my favorite season for a long time. The color, the warm angle of the light and the propensity to produce massive lenticulars are all part of the magic that this season brings. While there us only a hint of leaves beginning to change, the light has been getting better for a week or so now. And then, of course, fall had to announce its arrival with a massive lenticular. It was great.

The first day of autumn blessed the world with a gorgeous sunset. I was out a Truchas Ridge and was able to hike out to Panorama Point for the last hour of light. Earlier in the afternoon there had been a beautiful, massive non-lenticular cloud hanging over Mount Shasta and I was hoping to get it at sunset. Though this cloud had moved on by the time the light got good, the sunset was still fantastic. The presence of the moon hanging over the mountain just made it even better. It was a solid start to the fall season.

A couple of days later, the lenticular arrived. It was windy all day and the cloud seemed remarkably stable, just hanging over the mountain in spite of all the atmospheric turbulence. I stopped a couple of times to capture the cloud, especially in the afternoon light. Lenticular clouds are unusual formations and both in constant flux and very unpredictable. Despite that Heraclitan proclivity, I have noticed a certain series of patterns that frequently develop with the clouds. One of them is the frequent development of stack formations coalescing to the northeast of Mount Shasta. By no means is this the only place they form, but I can go through my catalogue of lenticular images and there is a marked tendency for them to occur in the same location. I would be fascinated to get some sort of map of the air currents and the physical geography that show why the clouds like to form in the spot.

I knew the sunset had real potential, so I had to head back out to the ridge again. Once out there, the lenticular stack was partially obscured by some other clouds. Other clouds had formed, both over Mount Shasta but also over Deer Mountain and Sheep Rock. The wind was incredible but the light was marvelous. Overall, the entire scene was great.

To the east, the the light got particularly interesting. The lenticulars were well lit but the sky remained dark. Bands of light gashed across the floor of the Shasta Valley and the cliffs of Sheep Rock. As the sun sank the light traveled upwards, eventually falling off the mountains entirely. The wind was so intense, it almost felt like it was buffeting me and moving the light at the same time.

Eventually the light faded away entirely, never really giving me the colors I had hoped for. However, almost as if in consolation, the moon popped out from the clouds for a brief moment before just as quickly disappearing behind the lenticular stack.

Autumn has begun in Mount Shasta. I am grateful to be here to witness it another year.