Myths and Legends of Mt. Shasta

Welcome to Mt. Shasta - myths, legends, magic, and whatnot? Yeah, there's plenty of that here.

It’s the first week of September 2012 - and it seems like this year has disappeared faster than sand from a Southern Californian beach. And, since 2012 is supposedly the year of the Mayan apocalypse (or, the year of the Mayan calendar page-turning), this means that we might only have ninety days left to enjoy everything on this plane of existence. On this special Tuesday in September, let’s assume for a second that the Mayans and John Cusack in 2012 are right: you only have ninety days left to experience Earth. What would you do? I can say that I’d go on doing what I’m doing right now: finding the magic in every day, no matter how difficult it is, because no matter what, there’s always magic in every day. Now, as a rational point: I don’t think anything happens in ninety days, I don’t think anything happens in nine hundred days; or nine thousand days. But that shouldn’t stop you from finding that magic – whether it’s a troll under a bridge in a nearby park; or shooting stars that echo across the sky mysteriously, because it’s there each and every day waiting to be seen. So, get out there and find it! Today, I’ll be talking about some of the myths, legends, magic, and assorted items of Mt. Shasta, before seguing into more strangeness later this week. So, without further ado let’s talk Mt. Shasta, because it turns out that the mountain is not just about leg crunching pain and boiling water: you may or may not see some of these things while ascending the mountain:

Why you really carry an ice axe on Mt. Shasta: BATSQUATCH.

1) Batsquatch. Nope, it’s not a fruit. Nope, it’s not a Last Adventurer spelling error. It’s BATSQUATCH. You thought Sasquatch – the mythical creature that roams the hills, mountains, and other mysterious places of the world was creepy, as he/she/it could be a throwback to another, more primal age – but you were wrong. Sasquatch is a furry cuddly teddy bear compared to BATSQUATCH. All Sasquatches want to do is roam around and eat fruits, vegetables, and basically ignore man, as they’ve been doing for thousands of years. All they want to do is keep on keeping on. BATSQUATCH, however, is another thing. For starters, he/it/she is a giant bat, and everyone knows that aside from eating bugs and fruit and having cool echolocation skills, bats are the epitome of pure evil, because bats are vampires. What’s that you say – I need proof for a statement like that? Ok, fine. My proof is this little book called Dracula as well as any vampire movie ever made. Case closed. Bats fly around secretly singing, “I’m a vampire! I’m a vampire!”, and in all honesty, they probably have a little dance they do while they sing their song. Bats=evil. So, something called BATSQUATCH is definitely evil since it is a large mutant vampire/bat. I do, however, give it cool points for its name: it makes me think this: “Nah nah naaaaaaah Batsquatch!!!!”. Mt. Shasta Danger Scale: 5 ice axes out of 5. It’s a giant bat/potential vampire. Enough said. Personally, I’d say everyone should start climbing with garlic clove necklaces for protection. (More info here, and here)

Another mystery: how did beer from Hawaii make it to Mt. Shasta.

2) Sasquatch. I have to be honest here, if we were anywhere else, it would be pretty darn cool to be discussing Sasquatch. After all, it’s a primeval creature from the distant past. But, last time I checked, Sasquatch did not have wings. Nor was Sasquatch a giant vampire. Therefore, Sasquatch has just been totally upstaged by BATSQUATCH, and since Sasquatch is basically a recluse, he’s actually kind of boring. Mt. Shasta Danger Scale: 1 ice ace out of 5. He/it/she is probably mad that BATSQUATCH has upstaged it. Also, like bears, sasquatches like their solitude, so when startled, then can become quite aggressive and rip off people’s arms. (More info here, and here)

3) Count St. Germain. Picture this: it’s 1930 and you’re climbing Mt. Shasta. While on the mountain, you encounter another climber. Since there’s only two of you on the mountain, you stop for a chat. At this point, the other climber tells you that he’s: a) a time traveler; b) from the 18th century; c) a “wundermann”; and d) a Count. Now, I’d know what I’d say at this point: “Hey buddy, let me: give you some food/give you some water” or “You need to get out of the sun” or “Do you have AMS?”. But, alas, I am not Guy Ballard, who decided to go with another option, which was to take this mysterious person at his word, that he was indeed, a time-traveling Count from 18th century France. Then again, if you think about this for a second, maybe Ballard was the one who needed some help, because maybe there was no one else on the mountain. Mt. Shasta Danger Scale: 1 ice axe out of 5. The only danger here seems to be dangerous like propaganda is dangerous. Then again, perhaps Count St. Germain is like Dr. Who – ruminate on that as you visit Mt. Shasta, if you want. (More info here, and here)

The real reason people climb the mountain: Lemuria is made of gold!

4) Lemuria/Lemurians. Ever heard of Atlantis? Of course you have. Lemuria is Atlantis’ secret long lost cousin that no one else knows of. Like Atlantis, Lemuria is a continent that sank beneath the ocean. The only difference is that Atlantis is purportedly around the Mediterranean/Atlantic Oceans, and Lemuria was around the Indian/Pacific Oceans. I don’t know about you, but it sounds totally plausible to me that each hemisphere of the world has its own lost continent; totally fair, and feasible. In any case, the Lemurians apparently made it to California and to Mt. Shasta. Rather than live above ground, they elected to live in a golden city tunneled out of the volcano. Now, I know what you’re thinking: volcanoes are full of lava, wouldn’t they get cooked? Answer: not necessarily, maybe they’re resistant to magma, or maybe they’re so advanced that they use the heat to keep themselves toasty warm. In any case, again, according to Guy Ballard, and other interested parties, sometimes they want a vacation so they come up to the surface to wander around in white robes. Mt. Shasta Danger Scale: 0 ice axes out of 5. (More info here, and here)

5) UFO’s. Enough said. Everyone knows aliens are probably hostile, especially if you’ve ever seen Fire in the Sky or know about the conspiracies present in the X-Files. Mt. Shasta Danger Scale: 4 ice axes out of 5. (More Info)

6) Vortexes and other myths: this may surprise you, but there are plenty of other myths about the mountain that I haven’t even covered here – so, go out and see what you can find!

Tips: If you are looking for magic, be safe, and don’t dress up like Sasquatch and walk onto a road like some guys in Montana did recently! (Here).