Poetry on the Peaks

Mt. San Jacinto

Circumambulating Mount Kailash

The pass is well behind us now,
wind singing in its snows. We've wheeled
the mountain's hub along the brow of river bank, transgressions healed
by the circumference of our strides
which circle us to a new birth.
But round this corner death's bromides
are laid out in their final dearth
beneath a long sheep-coat's gray curls.
A man and woman stand beside
this still heap where the wind unfurls
a flag of dust. She's teary-eyed.
He's baffled, as if the hand he
grasped had gone empty as a glove.
The nomads and I on the scree
path pause in homage while we shove
hands into pockets and our packs.
We've been transformed to Magi whose
gifts, yak cheese, candy, tsampa, stack
of silvery coins are tumbling loose
where death lies swaddled in its stone
bound manger, its young parents numb
in wind which, like death has no bone
but molds another to become.

Karen Swenson
[ Download ebook ]

Mt. San Jacinto, at an elevation of 10,804' is one of tallest mountains in Southern California, second only to Mt. San Gorgonio (elev 11,480') a few miles to the North. The above photo of the mountain is a view of its Northern face taken from Highway 111 just outside of Palm Springs, CA.

This site is a description of the Round Valley Trail in which you get to the trailhead by taking the Palm Spring Tramway to the 8,516' "Mountain" station. The roundtrip distance from the station to the top of Mt. San Jacinto and back is about 11 miles. The trail itself is not difficult but the altitude and the distance do make it a challenge. Anyone attempting to hike all the way to the summit should be in moderately good shape and be properly equipped (especially water). An alternative day hike that is fairly easy for most people would be to Wellman's divide where another trail from Idyllwild joins the Round Valley trail. The views from Wellman's are breathtaking.

Reading occured on March 17, 2002 at 2:00 p.m and organized by Ruth Nolan and Dessa Reed.

Karen Swenson, poet and journalist, is a world traveler who's journeys into the hidden reaches of Southeast Asia, usually alone and often at great risk, have produced four volumes of poetry: An Attic of Ideals (1974, Doubleday), East-West (1980, Confluence), A Sense of Direction (1989, The Smith), and The Landlady in Bangkok (1994, Copper Canyon) which won a National Poetry Series prize. Her work has won acclaim from the Pushcart Prize, the Arvon Foundation in England and the Ann Stanford Award. She also has written of her travels for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Leader and several magazines.