Late afternoon light on Mount Shasta.
The skies have been cloudy lately and we still have up to 10 inches of snow due to fall tomorrow and tomorrow night (color me skeptical). It rained hard last night and into this morning, so I was surprised when the clouds broke and Mount Shasta in all its snowy glory was revealed. It promised to be a beautiful sunset, so after dinner, I took my kids over to Sisson Meadow and let them play while I hung out by my camera. Sisson Meadow is a gorgeous slice of paradise right in the middle of Mount Shasta City. Graced with a small pond, beautiful little streams and a diminutive waterfall, it also has superlative views of the mountain from its boardwalked trails. My kids love exploring and collecting medicinal herbs (my 8 year old is obsessed with the things like teasel and yellow dock among others – go figure) and it gives me the chance to watch the clouds and wind-blown snow plumes. It isn’t the most imaginative perspective, but it works in a pinch.
This evening once again highlighted the great shadows cast by Casaval Ridge. From town, the ridge does not really look very impressive, but it is obvious from the shadow that it has immensely jagged topography. To get a better view of the pinnacles, it is necessary to head north or south or go up to Bunny Flat. From those vantages, the ragged towers are quite dramatic. This evening, the shadow cast in Avalanche Gulch showed off the sawtooth profile. The sharp edges of the towers’ shadows softened as the sun set but the weakening of the that drama was replaced by the arrival of the alpenglow. I never tire of seeing the light sweeten on the snowy cliffs of Mount Shasta, until it it finds just the right shade of pink or orange or purple. Even with a cloudless sky, not two sunsets on Mount Shasta are alike and each is to be savored.
