Black Giant
Charybdis

Sun, Aug 9, 2009

With: Adam Jantz
Sean O'Rourke
Michael Graupe
Dan Voster
Curtis Nelson
Matthew Holliman

Etymology
Black Giant
Charybdis
Story Photos / Slideshow Maps: 1 2 Profile

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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