San Luis Lakemount - 20 Feet below the waterline - Mountain Summits on Waymarking.com

Seamounts are oceanic mountains with their tops beneath the waterline. We don’t know if there is a proper word for submerged mountains in landlocked lakes, so we just call it a lakemount.

During the rainy season, the waters of San Luis Reservoir near Pacheco Pass in California almost reach the highway, but every year in summer, the water level drops considerably and a couple of underwater features emerge. The most prominent one is this mount at the northeastern shore, forming a seasonal island every year in summer and fall. In 2006, the water level was so low that a small land bridge emerged and one could actually climb a hilltop that is 20 feet below water for at least six months every year and out of reach for most people in most years even in dry season because it usually is still an island. So, we took this rare opportunity for a hike on the lake’s floor and it took only ten minutes to reach a hilltop that will be again absolutely out of reach as soon as the rainy season starts.

Walking on the lake’s floor, two thoughts crossed our minds: Left picture: We were wondering if the bottoms of all lakes and oceans are as dirty as this one. Right picture: Provided adequate funding, everybody can leave his footprint on the moon (upper right), but how many people can actually say they left footprints at the bottom of a lake (bottom right) Click on the pictures to get larger images.