Bonus Wednesday Points: What does "Umunhum" mean? I love that word!
Posted on 04/05/2017 7:01:41 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
At long last the wait is over: Closed to the public since 1980, the summit of Mount Umunhum will finally open starting Sept. 16.
The grand opening weekend celebration of the prominent 12-acre mountaintop, located within the 18,000-acre Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve south of Los Gatos, will include events and activities welcoming the public to the peak and inviting them to experience its panoramic vistas, rich cultural history and restored natural environment.
Nearly 5 miles of new trails, now under construction, will offer dramatic views to hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians.
Impatiently, local mountain-lovers have long awaited the opening of Mount Um because it will offer South Bay residents the quality of vistas now seen from Mount Diablo, Mount Tam and Mount Hamilton.
The prominent 3,486-foot peak had been set to open last October, but the opening was postponed due to construction delays, increased costs and wet winter weather.
From below, it is most easily recognizable because of “the cube,” a five-story concrete radar tower building that sits atop the summit — a relic of the peak’s role in the Cold War. While “the cube” has been preserved, major repairs are needed so it does not deteriorate further over time. Adjacent deteriorating buildings and hazardous waste have been removed.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Bonus Wednesday Points: What does "Umunhum" mean? I love that word!
+Vendome, NickCarraway
Isn’t that what Ralph Kramden would say when he got nervous?
More than you wanted to know:
“The name is doubtless of Costanoan origin but the meaning is not known. The peak is shown as Picacho de Umenhum and Umerhum on C.S. Lyman’s maps of the New Almaden Mine (1848). Hoffmann in his notes spells the name Unuhum on Aug. 10, 1861, corrects it to Umunhum on Aug. 20, and records the pronunciation Aug. 26 as oomoonoom. Since u’mun, umanu and umuni are recorded as meaning “hummingbird” in southern Costanoan, Beeler suggests that the name may mean “resting place of the hummingbird.” In Santa Clara Indian mythology, the hummingbird, the coyote and the eagle are the creators of the world. (Gudde, p. 374)”
from http://www.valleywater.org/EkContent.aspx?id=3262&print=yes
"Hummingbird" in the Olone language.
Ohlone Indian, meaning resting place of the hummingbird.
When I was traveling out there I always enjoyed taking time to get across the Golden Gate to explore, some beautiful country in Marin County. This sounds a lot like the old military installations of the Marin Headlands. In my (somewhat odd, I guess) opinion, they give it a strange sort of Planet Of The Apes quality, those abandoned military structures, tunnels and such out in the woods up on a mountain. I found it fascinating. Didn’t know there were more, on a closed mountaintop.
Sounds a lot like our word “hum,” and hummingbirds do hum. Is “Umunhum” regarded as an example of onomatopoeia?
Umunhum means:
Too damn high to climb for deer.
Interesting. My father was stationed there in 1965,66 when I was just a boy. Years later, I was stationed at it’s sister site, Montauk Air Force Station in NY. The tower and radar disc are still standing there.
I have never been there..../S
Old matresses and washing machines dumped at the trailheads will close it up soon. Jerks do that all the time up here.
Heh! An outlaw?
There were signs but, I can’t read...
They neglected to mention Montara Peak in Pacifica. It has great 360-degree views, and nearby is an Nike old tracking station left over from the cold war (but not actually on top of Montara Peak, which is full of microwave arrays and the like).
Montara is beautiful. Went there 4 years and for most of the day it was a clear sunny day and views were stunning.
Then the fog rolled in. I still thought that stunning to watch....
Neat. I thought that mountain burned last summer.
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