Sunday, February 12, 2012

The Legend of Tahquitz Canyon…

Here is the legend:

Tahquitz was the first shaman created by Mukat, the creator of all things. Tahquitz had much power, and in the beginning he used his power for the good of all people. Tahquitz became the guardian spirit of all shamans and he gave them power to do good. But over time, Tahquitz began to use his power for selfish reasons. He began to use his power to harm the Cahuilla People. The people became angry and they banished Tahquitz to this canyon that now bears his name. He made his home high in the San Jacinto Mountains in a secret cave below the towering rock known today as Tahquitz Peak. It is said that his spirit still lives in this canyon. He can sometimes be seen as a large green fireball streaking across the night sky. The strange rumblings heard deep within the San Jacinto Mountains, the shaking of the ground, and the crashing of boulders are all attributed to Tahquitz as he stomps about the canyon.

The Legend above, I took from the Tahquitz Canyon Web Site…  This is a 2 mile or so hike, and is all on Native Indian Reservation Land, so a fee is charged of $12.50 each to go on this hike.  We were a little reluctant at first, but decided to go anyways, and were gland we did.  What a spot!

So today, we went to see if we could find that great big “Green Fireball” known as Tahquitz!  Good news was that we didn’t find it!  If we did find the Green Fireball, Tahquitz might have eaten our soul!!!!!

The welcome center is below, and is very nice.  We viewed a video of the Legend.

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As this Canyon is part of Mount Jacinto, there is a steady stream of mountain water flowing through the Canyon…

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The trail is very easy to follow, and is moderate.  Check out the stone bridges they built to get across the Tahquitz Creek.

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I cannot describe how crystal clear this water coming off the mountain is!  Incredible!

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Massive marbled rocks all through the canyon…

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The Aqua Caliente Cahuilia Indians built this little water dam below, in 1830!

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There is also evidence of a large water pipeline used many years ago… not now!

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Below is a U.S. Geological Survey Gaging Station, built in 1947, and still monitored today!

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Lots of crystal clear water…

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Lots of varied vegetation is all through the Canyon, thanks to all the water… (yes, Judy was way overdressed for this hike, and soon shed all the cloths…)

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Hey, we are almost at the falls!

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It is a little over 1 1/2 miles up to the falls, but they were worth it! 

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What a pair of tourists…

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Here I am unpacking our lunch that we enjoyed right at the falls…

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I looked back up the canyon, and could see right out to DHS.

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Judy had the map out below and was looking for the leaning rock… I think she found it!

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There is lots of wild life in the Canyon, lots of humming birds… do you know how hard it was for me to get this picture below???

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Found this neat rock, where Judy was standing on top of the world!

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I ran into this guy below, he just about bit my finger off!

 

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Evidence below of the Indians cooking area.

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Finally below, I was sucking energy from the Sacred Rock! 

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What a great hike today was!  We enjoyed! 

Till tomorrow…

 

2 comments:

  1. Sure looked like a beautiful hike and the perfect weather. Enjoyed all the pictures and the history of the area. Sure a big lizard you found.

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  2. Great pics of your hike in Tahquitz Canyon. I went on that same hike last year and really enjoyed it.

    Sure glad the Monster didn't get ya!!

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