Tag: Mt Shasta

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Chamise Peak Trail delivers a splendid perspective

A rare view that includes both Castle Crags on the left, and the 3 Shastas to the right.

A perspective gained from the top of the Chamise Peak Trail just north of Redding. The Chamise Peak Trail is considered “easy.” I guess that depends on your skills. It’s only about 2.6 miles one way, but it does rise about 600 ft. Most of the trail is wide and smooth, but towards the peak it gets more narrow and rocky. Click on images to enlarge.


 Still, the results are worth the effort. Follow Flanagan Road off Lake Boulevard west to the end, to the trailhead.

A pleasant hike rewards hikers with new perspectives. The Chamise Peak Trail.

It’s Really Redding.

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Shasta Dam with floodgates open

Redding is blessed by an abundance of fresh water.

“Freshwater makes up a very small fraction of all water on the planet. While nearly 70 percent of the world is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. The rest is saline and ocean-based. Even then, just 1 percent of our freshwater is easily accessible, with much of it trapped in glaciers and snowfields.” National Geographic


“Trapped in glaciers and snowfields” for a while, anyway.  The snow you see here gracing Mt Shasta will mostly melt away this summer.


We are having an exceptional rain year. I feared we would see mudslides and worse, similar to what Santa Barbara experienced in the winter after their last big fire. So far, so good.

The floodgates of Shasta Dam are not often opened. Check it out, while you can. It’s ReallyRedding.

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Finally some winter weather

We’re finally seeing a bit of winter here in Redding. I captured this image of Mt Shasta during a brief break in the recent storm.
2-10-14

Hopefully there is even more snow on her now. This drought year promises to be a challenging event.

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Mt Shasta so real it looks fake

One of those images of northstate beauty that almost looks faked. Too gorgeous to be real.
MtShasta From Sikiyou with cloudClick to slightly enlarge. Shastina and Mt Shasta from Siskiyou County, not quite an hour from Redding.
She could sure use some more snow this year. This dry season. But the powdered sugar dusting simply adds contrast to her craggy majesty. Snowfall as wispy as that cloud overhead. Shot taken yesterday from a moving vehicle, no less. You have to grab the image when it grabs you. Hopefully, we’ll see her in a few days sporting a more substantial white cloak.

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From Redding to Mt Shasta in 5 minutes

Last week, I photographed the drive from Redding to Mt Shasta in about 3000 individual images. Then, I strung them together into a video for 5 minutes, with music. The result is an interesting compression of this scenic northstate highway journey through the Sacramento River Canyon.

Redding to Mt Shasta from Skip Murphy on Vimeo.

I like how this technique plays with time. I’m hoping to do more of these. Already, one Vimeo film maker has asked if he could use segments of it in his own project.
Enjoy the journey.
Pit River Arm by Skip Murphy