I thought it would be a nice feature on the blog to take one of the photos I’ve posted on Instagram over the previous week (or weeks) and give you the behind the camera story about the place or my getting the shot. I’ll do this on Fridays because Friday Photo Story just sounds nice. And I’ll kick off this feature with yesterday’s post.

This is Mount McLoughlin, at 9495ft one of the tallest mountains near my home in southern Oregon (though the even bigger Mount Shasta in northern California can be seen from its summit), viewed from Willow Lake.

McLoughlin is snow-covered in winter, but as summer approaches the snow melts away, until around the end of June or beginning of July the Snow Angel appears for about a week, before it too is gone, and the mountain is bare on its western side until the next snowfall in autumn. My favorite time to photograph this peak from the western side is during those fleeting days when the Snow Angel appears, before it vanishes for the year.

Often there’s a chance of getting some interesting clouds and a good reflection off the lake. This usually requires multiple trips though, and I get the best results at sunset, even though I’m facing east. The photos below were taken from the same spot during previous visits.

Mount McLoughlin has been known by many other names over the years, among them Mount Pitt and Snowy Butte. See my IG post for the full list of names (it’s surprisingly long). I’d love it if you gave it a like and my account a follow while you’re there!

Hope you will enjoy exploring the Pacific Northwest with me here on the blog. Many thanks to those who have subscribed!