Mount Jefferson erupts…

Mount Jefferson is a volcano in the Cascades, the second highest mountain in Oregon.  It last erupted about 40,000 years ago and is thought to be extinct.  What then was going on this morning?

In a semi-annual phenomenon of geometry, the sun rose directly behind Mount Jefferson as viewed from the summit of Marys Peak.  The “obstacle” delayed the rise by three minutes, with the first rays appearing at 6:52 am instead of the expected 6:49.

Spring has come to the mountain since I was last there 12 days ago in a frigid wind with fresh snow on the ground.  The road, impassable since mid December, is now bare pavement all the way to the summit parking lot.  Enough snow lingers in the meadows for a hardcore skier to get in some gliding, but the ground is more than half bare even on top.  This makes it easier – a two-hour sunrise endeavor instead of four hours – but at the same time a bit less special and remote.  No less beautiful though.  Marys Peak is always beautiful…

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