An expansive thunderhead builds over Mount Shasta.
The day after Independence Day the Mount Shasta area experienced another round of spectacular thunderstorms. These were particularly intense in the Shasta Valley, to the north of the mountain. The next day excitedly threatened a similar event, with a massive cloud buildup, the sun being blocked by large clouds and a sprinkle of rain, albeit brief and not very hard. Nonetheless, as sunset approached, I was eager to head out and see what meteorological pyrotechnics might be offered up. Earlier in the day, I had already stopped to document the terrific thunderhead that had coalesced over Mount Shasta. If this cloud could sustain itself, there might be some epic fireworks over the mountain, rather than to the north over the valley. One could hope…
When I went out in the evening, I headed up toward Castle Lake. I could tell that the fantastic storm cloud from the afternoon had already diminished a lot. Still, the shape was intriguing and could possibly be part of a nice sunset, though the chance of the stormy one seemed to have passed. When I got to my perch, the clouds had diminished even more but were still pretty. It was a nice scene, especially this time of year, which often has clear skies when it gets hot. That certainly hasn’t been the case lately.
As the sun finally set and the light faded, so too did the clouds over the mountain. As they swirled in slow-motion, they seemingly evaporated into the ether, just as the alpenglow’s sunset alchemy changed them into a pink streak across the darkening sky. The storm that had seemed so beautifully ominous in the afternoon had dissipated at sunset. If only all such dissipation were so sublime…