The Giant Forest - COMPLETED - True to life adventures of preteens.

History Repeats Itself

Mount Hermon had been around for a long time. The Mount Hermon website says, " ... for more than 50 years ..." The web site creators don't know the whole story. Or perhaps they just didn't take the time to know.

Mt. Hermon had been around since not long after the California Gold Rush of the mid 1800s. Lots of history at Mt Hermon. Not " ... more than 50 years ..." but more than 150 years! The Bunch had no way of knowing how much the past was touching their present. Many of the experiences they were having, were going to have in the giant forest this week at camp, have their roots in the past, in the very early days of the founding and building up of Mt. Hermon Redwood Camp.

Gold was discovered in the American River north and east of Sacramento. Today Mount Hermon is a few hours by car over well paved roads that traverse the Santa Cruz mountains and the Diablo Range which sandwich Silicon Valley, birthplace of a new kind of gold. When gold was first discovered at Sutter's Mill, the official birthplace of the Gold Rush the would be Mount Hermon camp was more than a week away ... by horse and wagon.

"Go west!"

"There's gold in them there hills!"

"Strike it rich!"

"Make your fortune!"

Those kinds of headlines appear today in the newspapers and online sites of Silicon Valley's biggest media companies. But those headlines aren't new at all. One hundred fifty years ago, folks from back east came to create new lives, new realities they hoped. These days, would be get rich folks come to Silicon Valley to create artificial, virtual and augmented realities, with digital gold, not too different from fool's gold.

In the very early goings on of the Gold Rush, one older couple came not to 'strike it rich.' They had already learned the lesson that worldly riches could never fill up one's pouch.

"Riches are those kinds of experiences and relationships that fill the heart. Family and friendship are what people need," Bart and Prissie told one another. Their friends from back east in Ohio thought they were off their rocking chairs when they heard them say, "We're heading out west, too!"

"What?! Are you bonkers? Chasing riches at your age?!"

"We're not going out west to chase riches. We want to be out west to be there for others who realize that all the gold in the world will not satisfy them. We want to be there for those who will discover the inevitable disappointment that comes when they find neither riches nor fulfillment in their lives if or when they do become earthly rich."

Bart and Prissie left their comfortable, retired life, packed up all their belongings and joined a wagon train. They took along with them a team of four horses, a pack of a dozen dogs and a small herd of goats. Bart and Prissie never had kids. Their animals were their family. They themselves resolved to be the family via friendship that others needed ... when they were needed.

Months of travel, privation and hardship ensued as Bart and Prissie ventured across the US. (That's a story for another book.) As the wagon train slogged into an outpost on the Sacramento River a few miles from Sutter's Mill a muffled and exhausted cheer went up. "End of the road!"

Bart and Prissie smiled tiredly and responded with a "Giddy up!" The two had discussed among themselves along the way that they needed to find a place a day or two, maybe 3 away that would be far enough to be far but not too far to be too far away from all the hustle and bustle of the digs and hard life of the treasure seeker. The two troopers didn't want to be in the mix, they had determined they wanted to be a retreat for the weary.

As Bart and Prissie traveled on to the west, they saw in the distance another mountain range. Though it was now the early winter months they didn't see any snow. They reckoned correctly that the mountains were not so tall. As evening fell the old couple were greeted with a different kind of gold. Deep pink skies so rich in color that they glistened shinier than the most polished medals. "The skies look like they are on fire!" Bart exclaimed. He was right again when he concluded, "I'll bet the ocean is not far beyond them mountains. Elsewise, how could the sky burn so brightly?"

Prissie chimed in, "That'll be a great place for the weary to come and relax. A cool place on the hillside of a mountain range that is within walking distance of the beach."

"Giddy up!"

The two ventured into a clearing surrounded by tall redwood trees and their numerous smaller ands till useful 'friends.' "Good for building with," said Bart.

"And for making bowls and other utensils that we will need," chimed in Prissie.

Several pristine creeks leading to the open field bubbled nearby. "Good for cooking, washing and bathing," sang Prissie.

"Bathing?"

Bart pulled up on the reins. Bart and Prissie looked at one another and as they had many times before knew what each other was thinking.

Bart jumped off his side of the wagon. By the time he got around to the other side to lift Prissie down, she was already off and waiting.

Bart took Prissie by the hand and walked toward the back of the wagon. Without looking Bart reached in and pulled out a piece of wood that he had prepared beforehand. There were some letters carved into the small plank. Bart picked up a fallen tree limb about three inches thick and three or so feet long. He hacked a point onto one end and created a peg. He nailed the plank of wood with the letters carved into it onto the peg into the shape of a cross.

Whop! Whop! Whop!

Three (Good things come in threes) mighty hits and their cross was in the ground.

On the plank was carved:

MOUNT HERMON