Tantalus

In Greek mythology, Tantalus was a son of Zeus and of the nymph Plouto. He was favored by Zeus and allowed to feast on otherworldly Mt. Olympus with the gods. Myth has it Tantalus committed the crime of pocketing some of the food of the gods (nectar and ambrosia) & returned to the mortal world to share amongst his friends. Upon discovering his crime, the gods sentenced him to a rather difficult punishment: he was sentenced to Hades where he was immersed nips-deep in water and was surrounded by trees with ripe low-hanging fruits .. but every time he bent to quench his thirst, the water would disappear leaving him parched .. & every time he reached for a delicious fruit, the winds would lift the branches just out of reach. Thus Tantalus became the root word of "tantalize". Think about that the next time an advertiser pimps a "tantalizing" steak or creme brulee, and all you have to do is throw down your credit card.

In our non-mythological modern times, the Tantalus sub-range of BC's Coast Range is a spectacular vertical explosion of rock and ice running for about 35 km northwest from the town of Squamish into the upper reaches of the Squamish River valley. The range was allegedly named by a local climber who was "tantalized" by its soaring peaks and icefields, but who was unable to access the base of the mountains from across the wide, cold, turbulent Squamish River. Mt. Tantalus is the reigning peak of the range, but the lesser peaks are named after the ancient criminal's wife (Dione), daughter (Niobe), son (Pelops), as well as Pelops' son (Thyestes).

Anyway, here's a couple pics of the Tantalus that I shot from across the valley.