Sitting Bull was born in 1831, on the Grand
River, at a place that the Lakota called "Many Caches." At the age
of 14, he was given the name Tatanka-Iyotanka, which describes a
buffalo bull sitting intractably on its haunches. He was widely
respected for his courage, compassion, and wisdom. Eventually, he
became the leader of the Lakota nation.
His friend, Catherine Weldon, wrote, "The great
hope and purpose of his life was to unify the tribes, and bands of
the Lakotas, and hold the remaining lands of his people as a sacred
inheritance for their children.
On the slopes of Temelpa Trail, there is a plaque bearing Sitting
Bull's words from the Powder River Council in 1877. Bric came
across the plaque while hiking the trails of Mt. Tamalpais, and
found it again after a search full of false memories and true words.
To find the cache, go to plaque and look for the following words.
Substitute the line number to obtain the appropriate
coordinates.
A. "all animal life"
B. "mysterious"
C. "animal neighbors" |
D. "all that loved"
E. "inhabit this land"
F. "every seed" |
N 37° 55.ABC
W 122° 34.DEF
The cache is an ammo box, originally filled with items in
keeping with this page and the plaque. The coordinates that are
used were averaged from different readings. The cache is very near
the trail and is accessible without going deep into the manzanita.
If necessary, the hint should take you to it. It should be easy to
find, but please be sure to leave it well-hidden from other
hikers.
There are many ways to go to this area. The route I take is to park
at the end of Fern Canyon Road (off of Summit Ave.) and walk along
the fire roads, continuing right at the junctions to Hoo Koo E Koo.
This part of the walk is easy, following some of the old gravity
car grade. There are plenty of short cuts that will take you up to
the right fire road. You can take the Vic Haun (Old Plane) Trail
(the steps at the signed junction) or continue to Temelpa Trail
(left from the sign post pointing to Summit Ave. around 37° 55.333N
122° 34.105W). Temelepa is more direct to the plaque but a steep,
rough trail; Vic Haun is better maintained and easier to hike, with
some beautiful spots along it. I usually go up Temelpa and down Vic
Haun.
The plaque is placed on a large granite rock, to the side of
Temelpa Trail, a short way below the intersection with Vic Haun. It
is a good place to stop, rest, and think about the words that are
found there.
If you want to explore the area further, Vic Haun takes you near
where a Navy plane crashed in November, 1944, leaving debris that
can still be found today. If you visit the crash site (around 37°
55.376N 122° 34.436W) be aware that eight lives were lost there and
that it is illegal to remove the debris.
"The boulder itself that fell from the East
Peak during a slide in the distant past is wonderful enough; the
plaque affixed to it is one of the Mountain's jewels.
-- Barry Spitz, Tamalpais Trails. |
Special thanks to Bric for his advice, support, and encouragement.
Tamalpais Trails is an invaluable guide that contains
detailed descriptions of all the trails listed here, as well as
directions to the crash site. The Bay Area Hiker also has more information about this
area.