Shasta Eruption

It was Christmas Eve 2023, my wife and I had just driven up to Shasta County the day before to spend the holiday with her family. The forecast seemed favorable for a good sunrise, so with my wife's blessing, I decided I would get up bright and early to take a photo before the Christmas Eve festivities began. I stumbled across this spot a year prior on the road to another hike, so I had this in my mind for a while. I was new to photographing Mount Shasta, so this was the only spot I knew of at the time and thought it could work. 

I crawl out of bed while it's pitch black outside, get ready as fast as I can and head out. On my way to my car, I pause for a minute to admire the stars, for they are much more visible here than they are in Roseville. When I arrived, it was still really dark out, I do a little bit of exploring to find the best place to photograph from with the little light I had. As the sun continued its rise, and the clouds became more visible, it was obvious that this was going to be a great sunrise. I find my spot and I wait. The cold and crisp December air, the crunch under my boots from the icy ground, I couldn't wait to see what awaited me here. Then, just as I expected, the sky lit up, but not only did it light up, it erupted. Never have I ever seen a sunrise that looked like a volcanic eruption. 

Whenever I am out shooting photos, I often find myself praying for guidance to be in the right place at the right time. This photo has always amazed me, because if I was looking at the mountain from any other angle, it would not have looked like a volcanic eruption. At this particular moment, I really was in the right place at the right time.