Hike Mt. Shasta

The darker it got, the more definition the lenticular took on. It remained a striking spectacle.

A lenticular cloud floats above a large wave over Mount Shasta.

Last Sunday featured an excellent lenticular display on Mount Shasta. The day started with nary a cloud in the sky but by midday it had become overcast and a very large stack of disks had manifested over the Mountain. Near sunset, the overcast skies had cleared, though a large bank of clouds still threatened just north of Mount Shasta. Unfortunately the large stack had gone but in its place a large wave had formed and seemed to be blowing off of the summit. In spite of the lenticular’s disappearance, I decided to stick around and document the spectacle.

The wave extended from just north of the summit to the south, reaching well past Shastarama Point. This gives it a linear distance of nearly 3 miles. The cloud undulated majestically in place, the far end seeming to fray and then disappear.

Though I was disappointed the circular clouds were gone, the wave had an elegant beauty of its own and I was glad to have been able to witness and enjoy it. However, without warning as the sun began to set, a disk suddenly emerged out of nowhere. It was a very welcome addition to an already interesting sunset.

The disk remained static for a while all the time the wave continued to surge amidst the obviously turbulent air around Mount Shasta. The stable disk and the chaotic wave were a striking contrast. However, after a few minutes in this state, something unusual took place. The large, frayed end of the wave broke free from the rest of the formation. This on its own was not odd but the south end of the disk suddenly broke away from the main cloud and stayed with the frayed cloud as it drifted further south.

I have seen waves over Mount Shasta before and I have seen plenty of lenticular disks. They are obviously related in terms of the turbulence in the air and the wind currents. However, I assumed this was just a general connection. I have never seen the two linked in such terrific fashion. It seems apparent that, though one looks stable and one looks chaotic, the two are linked by some invisible but very strong connection.

Evident in the above sequence is the fact that the cloud and it small satellite disk eventually dissipated as they drifted south. The primary disk and wave remained, continuing to regenerate through the fluctuating currents.

There was no great consequence to this small but noteworthy and interesting event. I share it to illustrate the awesome and, in some ways unknowable, power that Mount Shasta has on the environment around it. Though general phenomena repeat, it is always different and filled with great mystery and beauty. It awakens the sense within us that there is something much greater than ourselves out there.

The eventually set but the wave and the disk continued into the darkness. It was the last great display of 2018.

The summits of Mount Shasta and Shastina bathed in alpenglow. 

Sometimes even when things don’t quite pan out, Mount Shasta still presents some overwhelming beauty. This was certainly the case this evening. With no really interesting clouds manifesting all day, just before sunset some nice disks started to coalesce above the mountain. I loaded the kids into the car and headed to the nearest easy-to-get-to spot near my house. I unleashed them on their “forts” they have made in some bushes and I watched the sunset from my camera. The kids know the drill and love going with dad to take pictures.

Unfortunately, the clouds, though scenic, ended up dissipating before ever really getting going. I note them only because I am a bit obsessive about them. Hopefully I am not the only one who appreciates them.

The clouds gone but myself in position to photograph the sunset, I loaded on my new lens and shot some close ups of Mount Shasta’s awesome towers. Though I have never really dabbled in time lapse, I did make a few GIFS the other day to illustrate an upcoming post I have in the works (I posted a practice I thought it might be interesting to Facebook. See it here if you are interested). Since the clouds were gone, I thought it might be interesting if I were a little more deliberate in taking images for that purpose. It turned out rather interesting, in my opinion:

With the new lens I was gifted, I can capture more of the drama and detail of Mount Shasta’s terrain. A lot of these features are really under-appreciated by most save avid climbers. I aim to appreciate them now! This perspective really contrasts the summits of Shastina and Mount Shasta, which is nearly 2,000 feet higher. The uppermost head of the Whitney Glacier is visible from this perspective as well, just below the almost snowless triangle of rock in the upper right. The large tower at the head of Diller Canyon has always been a favorite of mine. I look forward to exploring it more!

I still have a couple of posts I want to get up from the end of the year but they will keep for a day or two more. For now, another grand moment around Mount Shasta!

A stunning lenticular cloud coalesces around the summit of Mount Shasta. 

Christmas is nearly a week behind us and it has been a fun week of heading out on a few early mornings and some beautiful afternoons to capture the sunrises and sunsets. This was made all the more satisfying because I got to try out the new zoom lens that my amazing wife blessed me with for Christmas. My old lens was nearly worthless in a variety of ways and my wife finally decided to put it out of its misery and she gifted me a significant upgrade. I am most grateful and was glad to put it to good use. I have already captured a number of images that allow me to see detail heretofore unimaginable with the old sad lens.

Below is an example of how much better my new lens is. Compare the image with those found on this post from October, describing my wife and son’s assent of Black Butte. Click on the image to enlarge it and really get a sense of the detail.

The image was taken from my front yard. The old lookout tower foundation is clearly visible. The snow and rime ice on the trees shows up with excellent clarity. It is like a whole new world has been opened up.

I quickly put the new lens to good use and captured some awesome color from some sunrises and sunsets:

Friday night was when things tarted to get really interesting. A lenticular had been threatening to form over the mountain all day but in the evening it started to gain a lot of definition. I headed north to the Shasta Valley and was extremely pleased that I did. The stack of disks on the mountain had been joined by a nice pair of lens shaped clouds floating off to the west of Mount Shasta. The sky burned as the sun set and the entire scene was magnificent.

Satisfied, I headed home, though I had a suspicion that the next morning would yield another spectacular image. The air just felt like Mount Shasta wasn’t done putting on a show. I made sure to be up early in order to maximize the potential lenticular display. I had originally planned on heading for the perch up near Castle Lake but as I drove past Lake Siskiyou I saw the water was still. It has been a long time since I have gotten a decent reflection there and I could not resist heading down to the water. I am glad I did!

I initially like the one on the right better but now I am leaning toward the earlier image, on the left.

The image at the top of this post was taken at the same time. I am amazed at how much detail on Mount Shasta I was able to capture even though I was 10.5 miles away. Every aspect of this sun rise was fantastic!

Although a single, large lenticular had formed south of Mount Shasta that afternoon, I decided to forgo trying to capture it at sunset, as I had lots of family still at my house and I we were having a merry time. Nonetheless, the next morning on Sunday, I once again headed out to capture the sunset. This time I headed over to McCloud and enjoyed the sun light illuminating all the crags of the Mud Creek Basin. This is the best perspective on sunrise!

The day eventually got overcast and a large stack of lenticulars once again formed over Mount Shasta. I determined to set out around sunset and see if there was enough light to capture the clouds in their glory. However, by the time I was in a position to photograph the mountain, conditions had changed considerably. It was still glorious.

With the late-forming lenticular lingering late into the night, I thought there might be a chance for another big display this morning. I headed out extra early only to find there were no clouds on Mount Shasta. However, as I was about to get on the freeway in Weed, I saw a MASSIVE meteor descend through the sky to the southwest. It lit the sky up and I could see the smoke plumes in its contrail. It was 6:50 AM and I have no idea where it hit but it was big. After seeing that and all the grandeur storming around Mount Shasta for the last week, I feel very small.

As is so often the case, spectacular cloud formations around Mount Shasta often end up bringing rain and snow. The clouds present at yesterday’s tremendous sunrise proved true to this observation. The mountain is so tall and so massive that its impact on the weather is difficult to predict, other than to accept that Mount Shasta has a hold on the climate systems in this area. Other than the unpredictable nature of this, the other important surety is that it the mountain’s interaction with the weather is often majestic.

This certainly proved to be the case yesterday. When I awoke, I was not optimistic that it would be a particularly memorable morning. The sky was seemingly clear. However, as I headed north, I could discern an interesting collection of clouds in the darkness. North seemed like the direction to go and, sure enough, as the sunrise color started to set in, I knew that had been wrong earlier and that it was destined to be a tremendous start to the day.

The rising sun set the sky on fire and the dark cluster of clouds caught fire in terrific fashion. The wind howled through the valley and it was cold, but I was thrilled by the awesome meteorological show to which I was witness.

I stayed as long as the color was vivid. As it faded I packed up my camera and headed home. When I arrived 15 minutes later the sky had filled with hazy clouds and the distinctive cloud had faded. However the wind kept up, the clouds swirled throughout the day. With evening rain in the forecast, I knew there was a chance that something interesting might still manifest around the mountain. I headed down to one of my closest vista points and was not disappointed. A couple of loosely formed disks hovered to the northeast of Mount Shasta. At the same time a small but dramatic lenticular wave directly above Mount Shasta. It was not the greatest lenticular formations I have witnessed but it was a memorable display nonetheless.

I had considered the possibility that these would clouds would present at sunset but they were in constant fluctuation and seemed to herald a sudden shift in the weather. I decided not to wait for sunset and headed home. This proved to be wise. Within 45 minutes the sky had filled with clouds and it was raining hard. The days drama in the skies was over but I was glad to have the precipitation, especially knowing this meant more snow at higher elevations.

This time of year can be frustrating because so many high trails are covered in snow, but when it comes to capturing the grandeur of Mount Shasta, this is tough to beat.

A lenticular tries to form above Mount Shasta. It would dissipate moments later. 

Looking at the forecast a few days ago, I knew that the weather systems passing through the area meant there would be a decent chance of a lenticular making an appearance. The spectacle didn’t seem too likely this morning, with hazy skies and uninteresting clouds surrounding the area. However, shortly after noon there seemed to be something trying to take shape to the south of Mount Shasta. At the time I was taking my junior high outdoor education class to the Squaw Valley Creek Trail and wasn’t in a really good position to stop and capture it. As we headed back toward Mount Shasta the cloud had morphed, taking on a strange, avian appearance. The whole formation seemed very unstable.

With the cloud off to the south, I reckoned the best perspective might be to the north. When we arrived at one of my favorite spots the cloud had altered its appearance yet again, this time looking something like a volcanic eruption billowing from the summit of Mount Shasta. I set my camera and began snapping images while my kids played in the bushes, oblivious as usual to the dramatic pyrotechnics playing out on the slopes of Mount Shasta. While watching the show, a small lenticular stack suddenly tried to form over the mountain. As quickly as it formed it collapsed into wispy remnants.

The large billow remained however and continued to capture the shifting light. It was a beautiful display and just the kind of scene I have been waiting for. It has seemed like a long while since I have had a chance to capture anything really memorable. This didn’t quite rise to the level of a really noteworthy lenticular but it was one of those sunsets that will be hard to put out of mind and will remain with me for quite a while. I am grateful to have been a witness.

Click to enlarge: