14.20 Mount Shasta: Clear Creek Trail topping at 10,300 feet on the Lady
Mount Shasta softened by the early morning sun, approximately, 5:45am. Without the heavy snow-covering, some of the beauty of the mountain appears diminished. The pictures fail to illustrate the atmosphere and 'beauty' of the struggle the hiker experiences. A haunting side of Shasta on a hazy day, appearing out the blue. Without her make-up (snow), Shasta shows a harsh side. Jack London felt the ‘call of the wild’. John Muir heard the mountains calling. We, more modestly, hear Mount Shasta summoning us from time-to-time. From the first occasion we met the ‘lady’, we have been taken in by her charm and accepted her temper. In fact, it must be genuine, for today, after spending nearly seven hours on the eastern side, without her mascara—read snow—we saw another facet of her. In fact, in June last year we did mention under that layer she is rugged, harsh and very rough. Her exterior has a soft covering although her insides are rock solid...the occasional 'h...