Magical Moment Photos

MOUNT TAMALPAIS VIEW FROM KING STREET IN MILL VALLEY, CA. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

“Mt. Tamalpais the Sacred Mountain”
by Peter Holleran

“Mountain pilgrimages on sacred peaks are the best of practices.” (8th Century Buddhist Text)

Mt. Tamalpais (2571′) in Marin County, California, from certain vantage points has always impressed me as the mirror-image, physically and geographically, as well as spiritual counterpart of the sacred mountain Arunachala (2668′) in southern India, whose clockwise circumambulation or giri pradakshina was highly praised by the sage Ramana Maharshi. Stones from Arunachala have actually been placed on Mt. Tam. Ramana and sages before him claimed that merely walking around Arunachala, the embodiment of Siva, or Consciousness Itself, was highly efficacious for Self-Realization. In fact he used to say that the benefits which can be gained by meditation and various other forms of mind-control only after great struggle and effort, will be effortlessly gained by those who go round the hill. No doubt this can also be attributed to the influence of the many saints and sages who lived there, and were even said to live inside the mountain.

Living nearby, Mt. Tam for me has a similar enigmatic attraction. A favorite long run or hike for me has been an 18-mile clockwise loop starting from the Crown Road trailhead consisting of Hookoo, Matt Davis, Coastal, Laurel Dell, Northside, Eldridge, Indian, and Evergreen trails. Go once around the mountain this way and you will become thoroughly drenched in its spirit. Many less ambitious loop options exist. Others may simply enjoy the 0.6 mile Verna Dunshee paved path around the summit, sending blessings in all four directions. Poet Gary Snyder first led a circumambulation of Mt. Tam in 1965. A new book, Opening the Mountain recapitulates this experience, hosted over 140 times by Matthew Davis since 1971, with ten way stations established for chanting and prayer. The route starts at Redwood Creek in Muir Woods and follows the Dipsea and Old Mine trails to Pantoll, Old Mine to Rock Springs, Ben Stein to Rifle Camp, Northside to Inspiration Point, up to the East Peak summit, then down the precipitous Hogsback/Throckmorten trail to the Mountain Home Inn and finishing with Ocean View back to Redwood Creek. The Dalai Lama and other spiritual figures have performed ceremonies there. Sant Kirpal Singh spent time in the grove at Muir Woods. Sant Rajinder Singh glanced up at Tam while passing through San Anselmo a few years back and said to a friend of mine, “you are very lucky to live here.” The reknown Swami Vivekananda hiked on Mt. Tam in the late nineteenth century, and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche allegedly remarked that it was the most spiritual spot of earth. It is truly an auspicious place with many secret places and hidden treasures. One of these is the Sitting Bull Rock on the Temelpa Trail, which has a plaque inscribed with an impassioned speech by the great Sioux leader. The badly scratched and faded 1993 plaque has recently been replaced with a new one by a devoted hiker. (For directions click here). Sitting Bull was tragically and prophetically killed by one of his own people after being rounded up by the U.S. cavalry for fear he would join in the rapidly growing “messiah” movement among the plains Indians involving the Ghost Dance. [On December 20, 2007, members of the Lakota tribes announced that they were withdrawing from all treaties signed with the United States federal government, some 150 years old, and were re-establishing their own country. Stay tuned.]

Many of the more precipitous routes up the mountain yield delightful surprises. I won’t spoil your fun of discovery by naming them all. Obscure sites for quiet contemplation await the avid explorer on East Peak Fire Trail, Hogsback and Indian Fire trails, although these are rated “extremely steep and marginal”, not recommended for descent except for diehard mountain goats, and the latter two are not listed on current maps. (There is no sign forbidding entry at the top end of Hogsback, but at the bottom at the Old Railroad Grade junction a sign warns to keep off to prevent erosion. It has been mostly a pile of rocks for years, however, the rain having washed away any dirt the occasional hiker might displace). Pablo Cassals broke his arm on Hogsback years ago almost ending his brilliant cello career! Nevertheless there is often an impressive “stupa” as you crest the top (mountain purists and religious fundamentalists sometimes tear it down, but I and others build it up), as well as other occasional surprises. In fact, reaching the summit of this steep trail you will feel you are in Tibet. The views are spectacular.

Tamalpais was home to Coastal Indian tribes for five thousand years, and was called “The Sleeping Maiden” for the mystical Indian Princess lying asleep at the top (the maiden is visible, when viewed from the north, lying on her left side. The East Peak is her right shoulder, the tresses of her hair fall to the left). Tam was so sacred to the Miwok that they would not climb to the summit. Coyote, their name for the God who created man, resided at its peak. Numerous redwood “teepees” and other Miwok-like structures can be found in special places off the beaten path on the lower slopes of Mt. Tam.
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“Many tribes have a legend that we all live on the back of a Great Turtle which forms the North American Continent. The tail of the Great Turtle is Florida, the mouth is the San Francisco Bay. The “holy” right eye is Mt. Tamalpais. The left eye is Mount Diablo in the East Bay.” (Karen Nakamura, Mill Valley Herald)
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Many of the plains Indians are said to have made the long journey west to bury their tribal leaders on the slopes of Tam.
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“The Legend of Mount Tamalpais”- (This is not a Miwok tale, but is often thought to be a Miwok legend.)
When the Great White Spirit offered the Gift of Healing, Tamalpa’s evil mother, Ah-shwn-nee, sent her beautiful daughter, Tamalpa, to stop Peayutuma of the tribe in the valley from stealing the gift. Peayutuma was to make the trip to the mountain slope and return as the world’s first medicine man.
Tamalpa succeeded in stopping him, but fell in love for the first time. Because he too, was in love, Peayutuma wouldn’t give up Tamalpa as she finished her errand. Seeing nothing else to do, Tamalpa made the supreme sacrifice and was taken to the mountain top where she sleeps forever, and perceived the gift of healing. If you look at the mountain, Tamalpais, you shall see Tamalpa sleeping there eternally.
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CLICK THE LINKS BELOW IF YOU LOVE MT. TAMALPAIS:
MT. TAMALPAIS PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
MT. TAMALPAIS FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
AND
MT. TAMALPAIS SHIRTS & MUGS BY BEN UPHAM
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PETER HOLLERAN WEBSITE

MAJESTIC MT. TAMALPAIS ON A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

MT. TAMALPAIS-
“VARIETY ON MT. TAMALPAIS”
BY DON AND PHILA WITHERELL
THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
JUNE 21, 1969

Rising from ocean cliffs and sandy beaches in the west and from San Francisco Bay in the East, Mt. Tamalpais dominates the Marin County landscape. Two hundred miles of trails crossing the State Park, Municipal Water Co. land, and Muir Woods National Monument offer the hiker an enticing variety of scenery.
The walk we took traverses one of the upper slopes of Tamalpais. From these heights are extravagant views of the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay and the land that surrounds the Bay. In the Summer the coast line is usually obscured by fog which flows through the Golden Gate and spreads over the Bay to pile thickly against the Eastbay hills. Except on the most overcast day Mt. Tamalpais stands above the mists, warm and inviting.
Begin this beautiful four mile hike at Pan Toll Ranger Station (1,500 ft.) in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. To get there take the Mill Valley turnoff from Highway 101 and watch for Mt. Tamalpais signs. Turn right on the Panoramic Highway (off State Highway 1) pass Mountain Home Gift Shop and Restaurant and continue up the winding route until you come to Pan Toll Camp and Ranger Station. Leave your car in the parking lot and be prepared to pay a 75 cent fee. Cross the highway and take the Old Stage Road, a narrow asphalt road that veers sharply to the right. The road ascends a hillside that is thickly forested with Douglas Fir, bright with new needles, Madrone, and several varieties of oak. The fresh pale leaves of the tan oak contrast strikingly with its dark green mature foliage.
The road forks just beyond a small concrete block structure. Proceed left on the dirt road marked with a California hiking and riding trail sign. This essentially level road brings you to the south slope of the mountain where sweeping views present themselves — Muir Woods, dense with redwoods, is below you and beyond is the Bay, San Francisco, and depending on the weather, part of the coast line.
Closer at hand are beautiful rock out-croppings and the most spectacular aggregation cf chaparral that we have yet encountered. The chaparral pea, an impenetrable shrub with its stiff branches and thorns, is blooming now with a bright magenta blossom. Toyon and Manzanita have new berries and the chamise is covered with sprays of tiny white blossoms.
The trail crosses several ridges of blue-green serpentine growing out of those formidable rock cascades are Gower cypresses. Although lost among the rock, several large specimens grow along the road in pockets of richer soil. The scale-like leaves are pungently fragrant and attractive small cones ornament the limbs.
On its inward curves the trail crosses Rattlesnake Creeks (No. 1 and No. 2) which are both spring fed and active all year. Azaleas perfume the air and Woodwardia ferns lift their graceful fronds to the light.
Stop at West Point Inn (about 1% miles from your starting point, 1,800 ft. elevation). This rustic structure was built 75 years ago and served as a lunch stop and inn along the route of the old Mill Valley-Tamalpais Railway.
The railroad was abandoned in 1930 and the inn is now owned by a private club which generously offers the use of their porchs and tables to the hiker. No food is available, but coffee, tea and lemonade may be purchased. It is a pleasant place to linger—listening to hiker’s conversations and absorbing the magnificent views over the tops of Monterey pines.
Behind the inn are several trail signs. Take the trail marked Rock Springs Trail to Mountain Theater roughly paralleling the Stage Road at a higher elevation, you thread your way single file through head high chaparral. Above is the summit with its radar domes and below more dramatic vistas. Red Indian paint brush and bush poppy mingle with Ceonothus, Chamise and Manzanita.
The creek beds, crossed often on simple plank bridges are mostly dry now. Along their edges are small Laurel trees growing in clumps like Aspens with their slender trunks tufted with mosses. As the trail bends south the forest grows denser and a turnstile, out of context here, tells you that Mountain theatre is close by. This unique outdoor ampitheatre, with seats of native stone, looks as if ii could be a relic of another era. It is, however, most contemporary and in the summer dramatic and musical programs are presented.
To return to the trail clamber down into the ampitheatre, bear right past the restrooms, and follow the Easy Grade Trail (the only moderately steep part of the walk.) The final descent through firs and oaks returns you to Pan Toll.
The State Park does not have a map or brochure. However for 60 cents you may purchase a large trail map of the Mt. Tamalpais Region at Mountain Home. A National Geological Survey Map of the San Rafael Quadrangle is an interesting reference for trail information and location of landforms.
Remember this walk, too, for the winter days when the Bay Area lowlands are smothered in dense tule fog, but high places such as Mt. Tamalpais stand above in warm winter sunshine.

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE MT. TAMALPAIS PHOTOS:
MT. TAMALPAIS PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
MT. TAMALPAIS FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

MAJESTIC MT. TAMALPAIS AS SEEN FROM BLITHEDALE RIDGE. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

MOUNT TAMALPAIS
“HIKING PARADISE EXISTS IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA”
BY A. H. ROGERS
THE JOPLIN GLOBE
JOPLIN, MISSOURI JULY 3, 1971

MOUNT TAMALPAIS STATE PARK, Calif. –
Mountains, forest and redwood groves with spectacular views of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean and all right in the midst of the thickly populated, highly urbanized San Francisco-Oakland- Marin County area — this may sound too good to be true. Yet all too true it is in this gem of the California State Park System.
Mount Tamalpais contains 1500 acres adjoining beautiful Muir Woods National Monument and only a few miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, but one can still find spots on its woodland trails where no sound but the singing of birds and the rushing of mountain streams may be heard. In summer, fogs off the Pacific often furnish natural air conditioning for this jewel of the California Coastal Range. Nevertheless, when these fogs lift, beauty lies in all directions.
Down below may be seen the blue bay and ocean, the green and golden hills and the glistening cities. On rare occasions one can view a panorama that stretches from the Farallon Islands 25 miles out in the Pacific on the west to the Sierras 200 miles distant in the East.
Moreover, this park is a hiker’s paradise. Some 28 miles of hiking trails are found within its boundaries, and these connect with another 200 miles of trails that wander through adjoining Muir Woods and its towering groves of coastal redwoods as well as through the hills forming the watershed of the Marin Municipal Water District.
One of the longer routes is the Dipsea Trail, a hilly six-miles plus between the towns of Mill Valley and Stinson Beach and the scene in August is an annual footrace involving athletes from six to sixty. Naturally enough, residents of the surrounding cities have been flocking to Mount Tamalpais for years. In the early part of this century they utilized a crooked and winding railroad, now abandoned, or an old toll road. Now they come on free but narrow and winding state highways to enjoy the campgrounds and picnic areas or to roam the network of trails on foot or on horseback. Mount Tamalpais is one of those all too rare recreation areas whose preservation is
beyond any material price.

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE MT. TAMALPAIS PHOTOS:
MT. TAMALPAIS FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
AND
NATURE & MT. TAMALPAIS PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM