Читать книгу Hiking & Backpacking Big Sur. Your complete guide to the trails of Big Sur, Ventana Wilderness, and Silver Peak Wilderness онлайн

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Today, millions of annual visitors drive the Big Sur coast in appreciation of its unparalleled natural beauty. While the road literally paved the way for so many of us to access this wild, remote coast, it has also spurred government agencies, conservation groups, and local activists to preserve its exquisite beauty.

Big Sur Lore

WITHIN THE JAGGED cliffs and narrow valleys live generations of mysteries: tales of buried treasures, haunted beings, and supernatural speculation. The awe-inducing beauty and eerie isolation experienced by many who venture to Big Sur, whether to call it home or a place of refuge, gave birth to many interesting and irksome stories. In my countless days in the backcountry, I have yet to experience any evidence that these tales shed light on life within the Santa Lucia Mountains, yet they still remain an alluring part of Big Sur’s cultural heritage, and I do not intend to endorse or debunk them.

The Dark Watchers

The sighting of the Dark Watchers originates from the Chumash Indians. They first spoke of these dark humanlike beings inhabiting the forests and high country of Big Sur in legends and their cave paintings. More recently, legendary author John Steinbeck described them in his story, “Flight”: