Tree Love on Snow Mountain

Dan the Economist and I hiked up to the Snow Mountain Wilderness to watch the full moon rise shortly after the summer solstice. Snow Mountain itself is an ancient volcanic sea mount, a basaltic monolith now jacked up 7000 feet to defy the wind from every point of the compass. From the double humped summit in clear air, one can also see Shasta, Lassen, and the Sutter Buttes, a veritable chorus of volcanoes.

Given their igneous theme, compounded by the lightning rod properties of these rocks, perhaps it's not surprising that forest fires have ravaged the slopes repeatedly...leaving ghost forests to catch the light and the imagination.

As usual for mountain trips, Nature has a way of substituting her view of what's important for your preconception. Instead of a mooning, this became a Tree Trip. Here are a few images to remember.

Solitary oaks of Stonyford