The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-05
ON TOP OF TAMALP Pals
The Season Has Opened for
the Ascent of the Males
tic Mountain.
NO ALPENsTOCK rs NEEDED.
Dan O'Connell Describes the Road
From Base to Summit-The
Scenery.

With the new May moon the mountain
climbing season opened. This is pas
time OF recent origin, contemporaneous
with the completion of the Mill Valley
branch railroad, but it is now as we'll
established as the Alpine clubs of Europe,
where Mount Blanc and the Jungfrau and
the Matterhorn are achieved. The noun
tain climbers are of both sexes, with the
male predominant.
None but those who have assembled the
wooded sides of majestic Tamalpais can
appreciate the magniticence of this grand
Old mountain. 1t towers up from the
habltats of civilization, it has no fearful
crevasses or perilous glaciers, but it is
good sturdy mountain all the same, and it
rewards those who gain its crest with
view of grand and thrilling extent. Mount
Diablo and Mount Shasta are greater ex-
PLOTS, but the climber should first gradu-
ate at Tamalpais.
The equipment of those hardy pedes-
trians consists of a staff in imitation of the
alpenstock, but the crook is not necessary
as the road requires no risky hanging on.
Then canteen of water, and large pro-
portion of the more luxurious bring with
them the materials for an early breakfast.
The latter providers are those who on
Saturday night take the last boat to Sausa-
Tito and begin the ascent of the mountain
by moonlight.
This is most picturesque and ENJOYABLE
walk. The object being to reach the sum
INIT OF the mountain by sunrise, or a little
before, the excursionists can jog along
easily and watch the moonlight effects on
the broad expanse of land and sea that
dlscloses itself as they rise above the val
ley Then comes that gray, peculiar tone
when the dark is lapsing into dawn and
the moons rays become of pallid, neu-
trial tint, and the masses of stunted shrubs
are magnitied into forests. A short pause
and the foreglow of the sun has absorbed
the delicate moonlight, the grays are sue
ceeded by clear and distinct atmosphere,
and another day has dawned upon the
world.
Onward and upward the climbers go, and
now the solemn stiffness is broken by the
pipe of half-awakened birds. and the per-
fume OF the wild flowers and grasses is in
tensified by the light yapor that rests on
the spurs OF the mountain. There can be
no fatigue in such journey, nor is there
usually much conversation, so full of
interest and novelty are the surroundings.
This is the time for the quails' breakfast,
and these plump denizens of the brush
the walkers, with the seeming instinct that
these good people are, like themselves, out
to enjoy the morning, and that they mean
them no harm.
Arrived at the crest of the mountain all
eyes are turned to the east. When the
grand blazing author of vegetable life joins
the crimson cloud outriders which have
announced his coming and the Alameda
slope and the valleys, of Contra Costa
County are bathed in his light, the views
to the north and westward claim attention.
The Farallones seem but a short distance
from the base of the mountain, and ships
far out at sea look close to the Golden
Gate. Bolinas seems but a stones throw,
and the breakers on DuXbury reef, and
farther on the long spit of land where the
Point Reyes lighthouse stands are all, in
the vaporless light but few hours Jour
ney. The line of the southern coast away
down to Point San Pedro, unfolds itself.
The pigmy hills of the San Francisco pen
Ursula cease to veil the Santa Clara Valley
A sweeping view of five counties composes
the Incompatible panorama seen from the
summit of Mount Tamalpais.
But sightseeing combined with noun
tain climbing is appetlzing work, and the
chill airs from the ocean, and the pungent
perfume of laurel and wild poppy, lend
relish 10 cup of steaming hot coffee on
this lofty altitude. A plump, Juicy chop
VI Sbtdk, DTOlIeu OH CHe Is as lar
above the ordinary as the mountain above
the plain. And then the understandable
luxury of rest-that rest when every link
in the human anatomy is unfolded, and
every muscle relaxed, when the ecstacy of
limpness is attained, and the light morn
ing clouds above the reposeful head are
like ships upon the sea, and the unbroken
roof'of leaves is a shield against the virile
fierceness of the young sun.
There il N fatipl1p No weariDacc NO mn
wonted departure from the beaten ways
for which this mountain climb does not
make fourfold payment. Once INDUCED
in it becomes positive necessity 1t has
a charm which no other form of exercise
possesses. Perhaps it may be that as the
mountaineer comes SO much nearer
to heaven some of its peace and content
ment are vouchsafed to leaven the turbu-
lence of the life below.
DAN O'CoNNELL
The newest thing out in Londons world
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