Early fall snow pack on Mount Shasta.
When I posted my little collection of images taken my son’s soccer practice, I was reminded of an image of Mount Shasta I took way back in the early days of HikeMtShasta. My family had joined a few other families at Shastice Park in July for an evening picnic. As the sun set, I pulled out my camera and snapped a few shots of the mountain as it was lit with alpenglow. The previous winter had been the first of two disastrously bad winters, where very, very little snow fell. By July the snow was starting to get sparse. Avalanche Gulch had already passed as a good route to the summit and activity was shifting over to the Clear Creek route, which is much more realistic when snow is not thick on the ground.
I am not sure why the image from back then popped into my head last night but I dug it out and was struck how, even now, at the end of September, there is still more snow on Mount Shasta than there was at the beginning of July in 2013. That is dramatic testimony to how bad the winter was that year and how plentiful the snow was this year. Personally, I am hoping we have a perfectly average winter this year. Plenty of snow, but not so deep that summer on the mountain doesn’t start until August. I am sure I am not the only one who is eager for some winter mediocrity. We’ll find out soon enough!
Click to enlarge:
Beginning of July 2013 on the left. End of September 2017 on the right.
