Rattlesnake Mountain
Luna Mountain
Round Mountain
Ord Mountains HP
The Pinnacles
Mt. Marie Louise
Strawberry Peak
Heaps Peak

Fri, Dec 18, 2009

With: Tom Becht

Etymology
Rattlesnake Mountain
Luna Mountain
Round Mountain
Ord Mountains HP
The Pinnacles
Mt. Marie Louise
Strawberry Peak
Heaps Peak
Story Photos / Slideshow Maps: 1 2 3 4 5

Rattlesnake Mountain (6,131 ft.)

"Named for the most feared and famous of local reptiles. In our area it could equally be named for either the Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), the Speckeled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchelli), or the Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber).

The Mojave Indians believed in "Rattlesnake" as a supernatural being who had a road to every tribe, often thinks of war and wants to bite. Among most California Indians, an elaborate "stepping ceremony" was conducted by shamen with the entire tribe placing their feet into (or at least over) a hole containing snakes for assurance that for one year all rattlesnakes would give warning-instead of striking blindly.

Name first appears on USGS Southern California Sheet #1 (1901).

Peak was on the original 1946 HPS Peak List."

- HPS Summit Signatures


More of Bob's Trip Reports

For more information see these SummitPost pages: The Pinnacles - Strawberry Peak

This page last updated: Fri Jan 1 11:31:55 2010
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