Mount Shasta Reflections

In far northern California, one of the southernmost Cascade Range volcanoes rises above the valley floor, its glittering white flanks flashing like a signal beacon to residents and travelers. Mount Shasta, towering 14,162 feet, has drawn spiritual seekers, recreation enthusiasts, and leisure travelers since the late 1800s and serves as an anchor for residents who make their homes around it. Mount Shasta Reflections is a keepsake for visitors, an invitation to strangers, and a memoir for people who live near the mountain. It replaces the out-of-print Mount Shasta: Where Heaven and Earth Meet. Ms. English's photographs, supplemented by those of Larry Turner and John Jackson, showcase brilliant sunny days, cool mornings, dark storms, and a variety of wildflowers that grow on the flanks of the mountain and in the surrounding valleys. There are bold close-ups, sweeping vistas, and shots that suggest the intimacy that comes with studying the mountain through a lens.

The stories of residents share the spirit of the community that surrounds this mountain and the common threads held by those who have chosen to live here. Some interviewees tell stories of how and why they came to live near the mountain, while others share stories of growing up in its environs.

Mount Shasta has been compared to Japan's Mount Fujiyama and many consider it to be one of the great sacred mountains of the world. Through photos and words, those who hold this book in their hands will get a sense for how deeply this mountain is cherished.

Renee Casterline was born in Mount Shasta and raised on a farm in the Shasta Valley. Mount Shasta was always in view but it wasn't until she moved to Mt. Shasta City in 1997 that she began to learn about the mountain. These days she explores the area through hiking, river rafting, and whitewater kayaking.

Renee has worked in several capacities for the Siskiyou Daily News and Southern Siskiyou newspapers. As the media specialist for the Siskiyou County Visitors Bureau, she has contributed to the annual visitor's guide, a publication that reaches people around the globe. Renee's appreciation and connection to local people and love of storytelling prepared her to write the stories in Mount Shasta Reflections.

Jane English is an author, photographer, artist, and hot air balloon pilot, who also holds a doctorate in subatomic physics. She co-authored a version of the Tao Te Ching with Gia Fu Feng in 1972. The book, published by Random House, has gone on to become a classic that has sold over one million copies. In 1974, Random House published a companion volume, Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters, which has sold 150,000 copies. Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters is now published by Amber Lotus. In 1985, Jane formed her own publishing company, EarthHeart Publications. She moved to Mount Shasta in 1987 and began publishing the Mount Shasta Calendar, which has now been taken on by Amber Lotus.