As we were coming home from Southern California and driving all night my buddies and I noticed that the skies were clear in Northern California and that we may get to Shasta at just the right time to capture the Milky Way over the mountain. We raced on the interstate peaking our heads out the window looking for the Milky Way. Once we started to see the mountain we were so excited because it was a shot we have been wanting to get for some time. We pulled over on the side of the free way and started to set up the cameras. The Milky Way was perfectly placed above the mountain and it could not have been a better night. While setting up my camera I mounted it to the top of the tripod and held it up to extend the legs. At this moment I felt something hit my jaw and crash to the ground , I was so scared to see what I knew was my camera on the ground. I shinned my phone light and saw that the lens was shattered. I was devastated. I picked up the camera and looked at the damage. It was at this moment that I realized I had a lens filter on and that it was the filter that had shattered and not my lens! I was so relieved and after all of the that I got the shot I wanted with no more damage done.