Talk:Mount Tamalpais

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Initial assessment[edit]

article needs more breadth especially in ecology. Anlace 18:09, 26 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This page is coming along nicely, I've made a few contributions over the past year. Few notes:

  • The additional mountain biking photos are nice but aren't quite wiki styled yet. Author/photographer should indicate release status. Thumbnail + link would also be better.
  • IMO the mountain bike section may be OTT.
  • Changed "route" to indicate RR grade, my understanding is that this should indicate a hiking/climbing route. If we want to note vehicle-accessible summits, that's a change that might be made globally to mountain pages. Note that many popular peaks will be nonchallenging (technical difficulty should be added/noted?) and route info somewhat gratuitious. Noting public/private vehicle access, paved/dirt, and unlimited/restricted access would also help.

Tam is publically accessible via 2-lane paved road generally 30 minutes before/after sunrise/sunset, excepting red-flag fire days, with no toll, but a self-service parking fee. How much of this to be noted might be a topic for further discussion.

Also just added a trailheads inventory under "hiking". I guess there's a few things that make Tam special, including the sheer scope of area that it's part of (the northern tip of the Golden Gate bridge to the northern tip of Pt. Reyes), the number of trailheads, and the interconnectedness of the trail network encompassing not only Tam proper but the headlands, Pt. Reyes, and other sections of west Marin, and the hiking conditions (well-maintained trails, water at most trailheads, relatively little poison oak on major routes). Even in northern California this is a rarity, and as you go further abroad, even more so.

KMSelf 2006-10-22

Pronunciation[edit]

Can somebody add the proper pronunciation? Jordan Brown 07:17, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I see that Uriel8 has added it. Thanks. Jordan Brown 05:39, 13 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I always heard it as TAMIL-pice; Uriel had it as tamil-PIOUS. Which is correct? kwami 08:55, 19 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I've lived near Mount Tamalpais for 37 years,, and I've always heard tam-ul-PI-ous. Four syllables, accent on the third.Jim Heaphy (talk) 15:29, 27 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Me too. TAM-il-PI-ous is what I've always heard. TAM as is "tampering". il as in "felling ill". PI as in "apple pie". ous as in "pious". Stwiso (talk) 22:04, 28 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Mountain Biking section (criticism)[edit]

This section would seem appropriate to Mt. Tamalpais State Park, and not "unencyclopedic". Mt. Tam is the birthplace of mountain biking and provides ideal beginner to advanced mountain biking terrain on its extensive trails system. It is a premier and renowned mountain biking recreation destination.  uriel8  (talk) 02:10, 12 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The way it reads now is most certainly unencyclopedic and most of it should be deleted. Wikipedia is not a random collection of information, is not a travel or hiking guide, and is not a "how to" manual. The kind of information that's in these sections mostly belongs in Wikibooks, not in Wikipedia. The fact that Mount Tamalpais played an important role in the development of mountain biking is encyclopedic and deserves mention. A guide to scenic places to go mountain biking is unencyclopedic "how to" information. And a section titled "List of Rides with Maps and Detailed Trail Descriptions - Hikers Welcome!" is the very definition of "unencyclopedic". Peter G Werner 01:17, 17 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The "Sleeping Lady": Miwok Legend or Urban Legend?[edit]

I've tagged the statement "Its name, first recorded in 1845, is said to be derived from a Miwok word meaning "Sleeping Maiden", because it resembles the silhouette of a reclining woman" as "dubious". I'll have to track down sources for this, but if I'm not mistaken, the origin of the name "Tamalpais" is not well-established and almost certainly has no relation to any Miwok term for "sleeping lady". In fact, if I'm not mistaken the so-called Legend of the Sleeping Lady has no basis at all in Coast Miwok mythology and instead is based on a late 19th-century pseudo-Indian romance written about Mt. Tamalpais. I'll try to track down some facts on the subject and revise this material for accuracy. Peter G Werner 02:07, 17 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, its definitely apocryphal. I found an article called "Mt. Tamalpais: The Legendary Birth of a Holy Mountain" and a book called "Dreams of Tamalpais" which discuss this piece of folklore in considerable detail. (Interestingly, there's a mountain in Alaska and another in Mexico with almost exactly the same mythology.) I've started a breakout article on The Sleeping Lady – just a stub now, but I hope to expand it as I find time. Peter G Werner 07:41, 18 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You can only see the "sleeping lady" or "sleeping maiden" profile of Mt. Tamalpais from the East Bay. I think it's an Ohlone tribe legend. To see the sleeping maiden, on a clear day, drive West on CA-580 from Castro Valley to San Leandro (California) or there abouts (might try looking at Mt. Tam from up on the 159th Avenue Overpass). She's laying on her back, in profile. Her long hair flows toward the east, her face is turned slightly northwest. Takes a little imagination to see her brow, cheek, chin, and chest. Her left arm extends along her side, and her open hand rests palm-down on her thigh. Her legs and feet sort of "melt" away toward the west. I'll try to capture a photo. Sixty years ago (1950s), California-native parents in the East Bay pointed out Mt. Tam and the sleeping maiden profile to their kids. Those kids told their friends to show off. I think the vision is being lost because no one points out the profile anymore (in this year 2014, anyway). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.184.52.212 (talk) 03:53, 8 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Photo of "sleeping maiden" of Mt. Tam with description labels. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.184.52.212 (talk) 02:05, 20 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Natural history expansion needs[edit]

I had originally tagged the "Natural history" section with an "expand" tag because there are entire sections missing, as well as established sections that need expansion. I recently added one of the more glaring omissions, on plant communities. It absolutely still needs a section on wildlife (eg, animals). It also could use something on hydrology – streams, lakes, etc, though I suppose that could also go under "Geography". "Geology and soils" could use significant expansion as well. Some material on conservation and management issues would be useful as well, but that could go in a separate section outside of "natural history", perhaps. Peter G Werner 02:52, 1 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Info Box photo[edit]

I suggest a photo that shows more the the dramatic height of the mountain compared to the surrounding terrain. The current photo conceals this aspect of the mountain.Stwiso (talk) 21:25, 1 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I second the above sggestion. Viewed from the East Bay Area,"Mt.Tam" is a very dramatic sight. In the picture currently included one can hardly even see a mountain.(I moved away decades ago or I would take a pic and send it in).76.95.209.135 (talk) 23:24, 13 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Agree. I'll try to put some photo requests in the project templates above.--Hjal (talk) 00:34, 14 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Hey @Stwiso: and @Hjal:, I just switched out the photo, and I think the image I added is just what you asked for. A view of Mt. Tam from Coyote ridge, to the south. I've been photographing Mt. Tam for a while now, and this is my favorite, since the late afternoon sun shows the contours well. Hope you like it. Jmatazzoni (talk) 17:39, 16 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you, @Jmatazzoni:. Much better photo. --Hjal (talk) 09:38, 3 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Why did you censor the West Point Inn?[edit]

As you may or may not know, it is a non-profit organization and it is a landmark on Mt. Tam that hundreds of hikers, cyclists and runners visit every year. Why should it be invisible on Wikipedia? Stwiso (talk) 16:49, 2 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In my opinion it was too tour guide like. See my notes on your talk page. I'm not the great authority on all things Wiki. Consider adding an article to Wikitravel or Wikia Travel. Neither have an article on Mount Tamalpais. If you wish you can restore your edit and I will not revert it twice. Consider reading WP:NOTRAVEL first though. I do not consider my edit censorship just copy editing. –droll [chat] 20:08, 2 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Why do you have the purported authority to grant or withhold permission? Have you ever been to Mt. Tamalpais? I live on it and people ask all the time about the West Point Inn. Why did you not censor the Mt Play totally commercial insert? Thank God you "permitted" that because it is a beloved (albeit commercial) aspect of the mountain. Do you report to someone at Wikipedia, and, if so, how do I escalate this to that level? Stwiso (talk) 05:18, 3 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You are always free to edit Wikipedia and, as I noted above, you can revert my edit. The first step in resolving a conflict is try and work it out between the two of us. The next step would be to ask for a third opinion, perhaps from an experience editor or an administrator. Another option is to ask a question at the help desk. You should be aware that conflicts are usually resolved through consensus.

I should probably ask if you have a vested interest in the West Point Inn. –droll [chat] 23:03, 3 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Although it is none of your business, and although your question is impliedly insulting, I have no connection to the Inn, other than to provide to people, mostly tourists who have seen it and whom I meet on the mountain, the information that they ask for and would find in any encyclopedia, but which you censored so that they will not see it on Wikipedia. I asked you if you had ever been there, but you ducked the question; you "should probably" answer that question. You also said "I'm not the great authority on all things Wiki" but I found a page indicating that you have least 56,000 Wikipedia edits. Please explain why you performed so many edits without being an expert. You have tried to steer me to the commercial site WikiTravel and to no other site. I "should probably ask" do you have any connection with that commercial site and how many edits you have made to it? Wikipedia is a wonderful interactive collaborative invention. It makes the saying "people helping people" come alive; until editors come to believe that they alone have sole ownership of an article, particularly one on a topic about which they have no personal knowledge and have done no research. Stwiso (talk) 05:29, 4 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The answer to your unanswered question is yes. –droll [chat] 06:47, 4 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]
West Point Inn is one of several places that hikers on Mt. Tam regularly visit. Others include the Tourist Club (a hiking club), the Mountain Home Inn (a restaurant that, until circa 1975, catered almost exclusively to hikers) the Mountain Theatre, Muir Woods. All these places are worth a mention, along with some of the more popular hiking trails, e.g., Matt Davis trail. The first few seconds of this video show West Point Inn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3S7vNkR_gc Zyxwv99 (talk) 13:47, 15 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified (February 2018)[edit]

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