Charybdis (13,096 ft.)
| Named by T.S. Solomons in 1895
|
"In 1895, when T. S. Solomons and E. C. Bonner
came down from Mount Goddard to Simpson Meadow
by way of Disappearing Creek and the Enchanted Gorge, they passed between
two peaks that they named Scylla and Charbybdis,
from Homer's
Odyssey. 'Sheer, ice-smoothed walls arose on either side, up and
up, seemingly into the very sky, their crowns two sharp black peaks of
most majestic form. A Scylla and a Charybdis they seemed to us, as we
stood at the margin of the lake and wondered how we might pass the dangerous
portal'"
- Erwin Gudde, California Place Names
"Then we entered the Straits in great fear of mind, for on the one
hand was Scylla, and on the other dread Charybdis kept sucking up
the salt water. As she vomited it up, it was like the water in a cauldron
when it is boiling over upon a great fire, and the spray reached the
top of the rocks on either side. When she began to suck again, we
could see the water all inside whirling round and round, and it made
a deafening sound as it broke against the rocks. We could see the
bottom of the whirlpool all black with sand and mud, and the men were
at their wit's ends for fear. While we were taken up with this, and
were expecting each moment to be our last, Scylla pounced down suddenly
upon us and snatched up my six best men. I was looking at once after
both ship and men, and in a moment I saw their hands and feet ever
so high above me, struggling in the air as Scylla was carrying them
off, and I heard them call out my name in one last despairing cry.
As a fisherman, seated, spear in hand, upon some jutting rock throws
bait into the water to deceive the poor little fishes, and spears
them with the ox's horn with which his spear is shod, throwing them
gasping on to the land as he catches them one by one -- even so did
Scylla land these panting creatures on her rock and munch them up
at the mouth of her den, while they screamed and stretched out their
hands to me in their mortal agony. This was the most sickening sight
that I saw throughout all my voyages."
- Homer's Odyssey
References to can also be found in these files:
More of Bob's Trip Reports
For more information see these SummitPost pages: Black Giant - Charybdis
This page last updated: Sat Apr 7 17:02:14 2007
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