Marble Mountains

[Asia Jordan]

Allof the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of Mount Thủy. Several Buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains, making this a tourist destination.

The area is known for stone sculpture making and stone-cutting crafts. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in Quảng Nam Province.

The mountains were very near the American Marble Mountain Air Facility during the Vietnam War. According to William Broyles Jr., the Marble Mountains contained a hospital for the Vietcong, probably within earshot of the American air field and Da Nang Beach (which bordered the air field on the side opposite the mountains). He describes the enemy as having been so "certain of our ignorance [...] that he had hidden his hospital in plain sight".[2]

The Marble Mountains are home to several Buddhist and Hindu grottoes. A stairway of 156 steps leads to the summit of Thuy Son, the only Marble Mountain accessible to visitors. It allows a wide panoramic view of the surrounding area and the other marble mountains. There are a number of grottoes, including Huyen Khong and Tang Chon, and many Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries, the temples of Tam Thai, Tu Tam and Linh Ung, and the pagoda of Pho Dong. The sanctuaries feature statues and relief depictions of religious scenes carved out of the marble.

The Marble Mountain Wilderness has been recognized for its wild values for generations. This area was originally designated as a Primitive area in 1931 and is one of the original Wilderness Areas designated by the 1964 Wilderness Act.

Craggy peaks, deep canyons cloaked in conifer forests, abundant meadows, Wild and Scenic River segments, and 89 lakes highlight this 225,000-acre area. Many of the peaks exceed 6,000 feet in elevation, with Boulder Peak the highest at 8,299 feet. There are also fascinating geological features, including Marble Mountain, a stark, red-and-gray marbled peak. Here one can travel through old growth conifer forests with diverse species: low and mid-elevation species include Douglas fir, sugar pine, and white fir; higher elevation species include Shasta fir, whitebark pine, foxtail pine, and mountain hemlock. You will find alpine meadows, lakes in glacial cirques, and bare rock at higher elevations. Black bear, black-tailed deer, and many other species of wildlife inhabit this Wilderness.

Numerous trailheads and an extensive trail network provide access to the Wilderness, offering both day hikes to lakes and longer multi-day loop trips. The Pacific Crest Trail also crosses the crest of the Marble Mountains for 32 miles from south to north.

Travel in wilderness is restricted to on foot, on horseback, on skis or showshoes, or in paddle rafts/kayaks. All means of mechanized transport are prohibited in wilderness except for wheelchairs needed by mobility impaired persons.

Forest Service maintenance of the trail system depends on several factors: more developed trails are maintained more often; whether the trail leads to a popular destination; whether a trail is in are area recently burned by wildfire; whether there is available funds for trail crews; and the efforts of partners and volunteers. On some trails, especially early in the season, you may be forced to make detours around fallen trees and other obstacles.

Most tourism comes from day trips from Da Nang and Hoi An as it lies almost directly in the middle of the two. This option is fine and still worth the time invested, but by the time most tours arrive the destination is already packed. I wanted to view this place without the hordes of tourists and constant chatter.

As day trips are the main form of touring the Marble Mountains of Vietnam, and wanting to travel straight to Hoi An afterward, the issue of luggage storage arose. Nothing online I was able to dig up confirmed or denied any type of storage facility at Marble Mountains. As well as my luggage storage, this taxi was supposed to then make the trip to Hoi An. This was confirmed possible by the internet and hostel staff, but without a fixed rate, it would be more than double the price suggested online.

It was around a 1km walk to the secondary, more secluded, almost secret entrance of the Marble Mountains. The whole side street approaching the entrance was littered with marble statue shops, as this area is renowned for crafting out of the rock. Even though marble extraction directly from these mountains is now illegal. Early morning sunshine gleaned from the smooth, polished surfaces of stone chiseled into figures of Deities and mythical beasts.

After the entrance fee of 40,000VND ($1.70 USD) was handed over, it was time for the all-important question of luggage storage. The attendant just pointed behind her, like there was never a reason to worry. No lockers, no key, my backpack just laid on the corner behind a desk.

As I explored, a couple of hours had passed quickly. Slowly edging towards the main entry and exit point, the crowds began to filter in. By the time Xa Loi Tower was in sight, marking the main gate, trying to take pictures without a random person in it was next to impossible. Quiet had turned to chatter and scuffling of shoes filing through to the sites. Get there early!

The Klamath group of terranes has a long and complicated history. In a blog post about my local region around Ashland, Oregon, I provided a brief introduction to these mountains: -revealed.net/the-rogue-valley-region-in-sw-oregon-displaying-300-million-years-of-geologic-time/. Basically, the Klamaths consist of a vast variety of oceanic materials, including all parts of the oceanic crust and overlying marine sediments. These oceanic pieces were accreted to each other and then to the continent via a long history of subduction that included colliding volcanic islands.

Before it was metamorphosed, marble was limestone. Shells of organisms on the seafloor created limestone rock overlying oceanic crust formed by volcanic (magma erupted on the seafloor) and plutonic (magma cooled beneath the seafloor) processes. Because of the high metamorphic grade, very few fossils are preserved. The limestone probably formed in a reef around a volcanic island that was located closer to the equator and that traveled eastward and northward with an oceanic tectonic plate. When the plate encountered a subduction zone, pieces of the plate and the overlying sedimentary rock were accreted to the continent through a complicated series of collisions.

For the uninitiated, the Marble Mountains is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngũ Hnh Sơn District, south of Da Nang city in Vietnam. According to Wikipedia, The five mountains are named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of Mt. Thuy. Several Buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains, making this a famous tourist destination. The area is famous for stone sculpture making and stone-cutting crafts. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in Quảng Nam Province.

August has not been a pretty month as far as the smoke around Mount Shasta is concerned. Though there have been perfectly clear days, it seems that more have been smoky than not. Fires burning the forests are bad enough but the miserable air quality is oppressive and discouraging. Though Dunsmuir had a potentially dangerous fire, that seems well in hand at this point. The smoke we are dealing with is instead coming from the northwest, in the Marble Mountains area. The firefighters are working hard to get the fires contained but the smoke output is still high. I hope it rains very, very soon, though none looks to be on the horizon.

For anyone who still wants to head outside despite the smoke, I would head high or low. I have posted an article describing some of the better trails to hike when there is smoke in the air. You can find it here. Of these, I would definitely head over to the McCloud area. The map shows far less smoke in that area. I would also consider heading up onto Mount Shasta. The Old Ski Bowl looks to be relatively clear as well, and the high trails on the mountain are often (though not always) above the smoke. Trails beginning there are found here.

I am excited to announce that my latest book, Hiking Northern California, is officially released today! The book contains 80 of the best hikes throughout Northern California. It is a showcase for the magnificent natural beauty of this part of America and highlights just how diverse the northern part of the Golden State is! I am truly humbled to have been able to write about such an incredible place.

One great feature of the new editions being produced by Falcon Guides is the maps. In early editions by the publisher, maps were black and white and only gave the vaguest sense of how the trail related to the land. When I began writing for them nearly 4 years ago, the maps had improved significantly. They were multi-colored and based on USGS topo maps. Unfortunately, they lacked topolines. Many natural features were still present so orienting the maps was less difficult but still not ideal. Now, with Hiking Northern California, the maps have evolved into their best possible form by utilizing the topo maps and overlaying the other date typically present on Falcon Guide maps. The final result is both beautiful and especially useful.

Speaking frankly, this is a grand book. At 438 pages, it is much larger than my previous two books. Visually, it is a stunning volume, loaded with nearly 300 color images. More than half the trails have three images per hike. Some even have four images. Coupled with the excellent maps, the book just looks awesome. Though it is loaded with excellent beta, I honestly think it works equally well as a coffee table book. You can set it out and let folks sift through it, seeing the best of Northern California. This is true whether you want to show off the Golden State or dream of getting out here. Indeed, I tried to write it in such a way as it will have lots of accurate beta for hikers, but also in a way where readers can experience and enjoy Northern California vicariously through word and image. Hopefully I was successful.

3a8082e126