The Lone Ranger at the Old Ski Bowl.
Last night my wife and I took our kids up to the Old Ski Bowl for a picnic dinner and to watch the sunset. As always, our kids had a magnificent time playing on the rocks. They concocted odd rocky meals in their rocky restaurant, played cowboys and did goofy dances and comedy routines on large boulders. It was classic Suess family fun.
Doing the sunset dance.
While the show went on, I could not help but stay near my camera so that I could capture the sunset. Although there is still quite a bit of snow on Mount Shasta, what I was particularly interested in was a set of crags located below Thumb Rock and above Shastarama Point. These crags are unnamed but their awesome spires are one of my favorite features on the mountain. I have considered many names for them, including the Muir Fist (being like many knuckles and below Thumb Rock) and the Konwakiton Spires (or Crags). The latter name is in reference to the Konwakiton Glacier, to which they are adjacent. Regardless of the name, or lack thereof, they are a spectacular formation. It was a beautiful sunset. The crags were in the shadow but other parts of Sargents Ridge were bathed in alpenglow.
I knew I had to go back at sunrise so I made my way up around 5:00 this morning to watch the mountain catch the dawn light. Not surprisingly, it was like watching a mirror image the sunset. Everywhere in the Old Ski Bowl and on Sargents Ridge were in the shadow but the crags were light up by the rising sun. This too was an awesome sight.
The light really emphasized how much terrain there really is up on the side of Mount Shasta. Canyons and towers that often seem to blend in with the landscape stood out and made the formation look far more rugged than it does with out the added definition of the light and dark.
Next time, I will try to make it over to South Gate Meadow for the sunrise. That is a perspective where the entire area will be awash in light. I’ll have to get up extra early for that little endeavor.