“You see, but you do not
observe,” said Sherlock Holmes to Dr. Watson.
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| Castle Lake |
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| Castle Lake |
Ten thousand years ago a glacier was flowing like a sloth—steady, no hurry—down Castle Creek toward the Sacramento River Valley which runs
between Mt. Shasta and Castle Crags. The
glacier was dying, and not only moved slower, it was dropping possessions along
the way, baggage it had gathered over the years that now felt heavy. If glaciers have intent, its was to leave a
lovely legacy, to end well. In its final
years it stopped completely and slowly turned to liquid from whence it came,
taking nothing with it. The pile of
rocks it left on departing blocked the flow of Castle Creek and formed this alpine
lake that today we call Castle Lake. The
rock pile that formed it, the terminal moraine of an unnamed and forgotten
glacier, has held this jewel for thousands of years.
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| From atop Box Canyon Dam |
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| Lake Siskiyou. |
Just sixty years ago a much larger obstruction to a creek happened near Mt. Shasta Town and quickly formed Lake Siskiyou. I stood on the dam and took this picture of Box Canyon as it continues below the dam. The lake serves its purposes of tourism development and flood control, even as many state parks that preserve natural environments are being closed.
You recall that as I was climbing Mt. Shasta I met a man
coming down who told me that he did not reach the summit. I said to him that few people even think of
trying, words that can now be seen as foreshadowing. My words have echoed back to me in various
forms from many of you. Some have left comments on the blog, but many more have
answered by email. Some have said as
Holmes might have, “The mountain is right before you—observe.” You don’t have to go up into its hazards to be
awakened by what it has to show you.
I went to the city park today where the Sacramento River originates. It bubbles out from under the rock you see, and people come from many distances to fill their bottles with its spiritually enhanced water. I filled mine here today and expect now to observe, where before I only looked.
And so the journey continues. Observation is so much more rewarding than just looking! So much wisdom to be gained from observation. : )
ReplyDeleteTo observe and to convey is often to be appreciated, I think, and just as often to be scorned.
DeleteYour Castle Lake is a mirror I think, and Lake Siskiyou mirrors you too, We find ourselves on our journey, and that everything is us and we are everything... A beautiful world, where the natural evolution flows from one form to another full of insight beyond observation... without effort in the end... a meandering stream, and we relax into the beauty we are, sharing our journeys makes it all more joyous.
ReplyDeleteCastle Lake, ancient and of more ancient origin, reflects to me at least, the smallness of whatever I may think about it. Siskiyou Lake, with its contorted wisdom of design, reflects, to me at least, the shortsightedness that so often contorts our view of natural evolution.
DeleteMaybe you didn't make it to the summit, but now, you and the Mountain have a greater respect for each other : ) So much more yet, to observe! The lakes are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI doubt if the mountain cares one way or the other, but I have greater respect for the mountain. It is the way of strong things not to care about the weak. It is the reason a man ran over a snake with his golf cart.
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