Moving Mountains

Song - Mountain Music by Alabama

Why are mountains so important?  

The snow cross on Mt. Tallac

Guide posts while traveling?  

Viewpoints?  

Sacred energy?

Different ecosystems? 

Recreation? 

Safety from enemies?

"More than any other natural phenomenon, mountains suggest the soaring of the human spirit and its expansion into new worlds." - Revd Phillip Parker

Mt. Tallac from across the lake

Living in California all of my life, I am used to hills, valleys and mountains.  It just comes with earthquake country.  Land is always shifting around here.

I have always lived at the base of Mt. Diablo.  It is considered a sacred mountain to California
Indian people. Just about every California Indian community who viewed Mount Diablo would, at
one time or another, make a pilgrimage to the summit area for ceremonies and the reason is that it was the creation point for the Miwok people or genesis for some California Indian people.

Walnut Creek is located at the base of Mt. Diablo

I am sure it has something to do with some kind of "home base" for me.  I know when I have been traveling and I catch a glimpse of Mt. Diablo in the skyline and I know I am close to home.

Also, weather seems to gravitate around mountains.  When it rains near my home, I look to Mt. Diablo for the hills to turn green or for those rare snow storms.  

Clouds seem to "snag" on it.  It's also one of the first areas to go "golden" as the grasses seem to dry up there first. 

Mountains reflect beautiful sunsets and moon glow.

Mt. Tallac from across the lake

But lately I have been thinking about Mt. Tallac, located in Lake Tahoe.  It is 9,735' above sea level and there is Washoe Indian folklore that goes with it.

I love the cross that is almost always showing.

Old postcard from the Tahoe flea market

The Washoe Indians felt that if there was no snow in the cross, it would mean that there would be a season of drought. 

Over 55 years ago, my grandparents bought a cabin at the base of Mt. Tallac on Forest Service land.

There have been many years of fun up at Lake Tahoe.  As kids, every summer we would climb part way up the mountain to little Floating Island Lake.  When I had my own children, they went to the lake as well.

Andy pushing off from shore on an "island"

Floating Island Lake has these incredible bog islands that detach from the shore and we would climb on them with a big pole and float around the lake on our own little island.  Over the years there are fewer islands but what sweet memories.

Oh yeah....back to mountains.....

Mr. B has climbed up Mt. Tallac at least once.  My older brother Dave, climbed it many times.  My younger brother Tim has climbed it while I waved at him through binoculars from the Baldwin Beach.  I have not had the pleasure of the climb, but I enjoy the majestic sight and beauty of this incredible mountain. It is on my "bucket list"!

Mt. Tallac from the beach

Mt. Tallac reflecing in the swamp

A great day to paint the mountain in the early morning.

View from Baldwin Beach

There is a beautiful meadow near the cabin.  My friends and I have spent days painting from this wonderful viewpoint.  I always dreamed that I would get married in this meadow but that was before practicality came into being.

The wildflowers in the Springtime

Marcy Wheeler painting in the meadow

It amazes me that there is a cross on the mountain almost all of spring & summer and it usually remains until the first snowfall of the next season.

The cross of snow on Mt. Tallac

My cousin Billy and brother Dave with Mt. Tallac in the background - love those old cars! circa 1957

"Every time I have some moment on a seashore, or in the mountains, or sometimes in a quiet forest, I think this is why the environment has to be preserved." – Bill Bradley

Diablo

This afternoon my friend Jill and I spent the late afternoon at the peak of Mt. Diablo. We needed some "alone" time to talk about "life".....

Mt. Diablo - Winter 2009

The observatory on top of Diablo

We were not sure what to expect on our mini road trip because the sky was getting hazy when we left our homes at 3 pm. 



We have both lived near the base of the mountain for many years and when returning to Walnut Creek from a long trip, it is always a comforting site to see the mountain rising up from the growing suburbs.




But today "she" out did herself....

A spot of sunlight shining on the SF bay

The Golden Gate Bridge (center), Treasure Island (left) and the Farallon Islands (top left)

A sea shell in the stone blocks that built the observatory

A Sun Dog

Near sunset with the sun reflecting in the SF Bay & the Pacific Ocean in the background

View driving down Diablo looking toward the Delta

 

 

Some Mt. Diablo history....

Mount Diablo is sacred to many California Native American peoples and according to Miwok and Ohlone mythology it was the point of creation.

The panorama from Mt. Diablo is all the more impressive considering the mountain’s relatively short elevation 3,849 of feet. Two reasons for the views are the mountain rises very abruptly from its surroundings and the land surrounding the mountain is nearly flat.

From the summit on a clear day the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Rage, Mount Lassen and Mt. Shasta may be seen.  Half dome in Yosemite, about 125 miles away, can be viewed with a telescope when the atmosphere is exceptionally clear. It does boast one of the largest viewsheds in the Western United States and it played a key role in California history. Countless peaks in the state are taller, but Mount Diablo has a remarkable visual prominence for a mountain of such modest elevation. Its highly recognizable form and looming presence over so much of the bay, delta, Central Valley and good viaibility from the Mother Lode, all key regions during the Gold Rush and early Statehood. This made it not just a well-known visual touchstone but one of the most important landmarks for mapping and navigation.
"In the end it will always come down to you. It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary