Dozens of hikers flock to take photos with the spontaneous monument
In late November, a mysterious 9-foot obelisk appeared in Utah, sparking world-wide awe as many made a pilgrimage to see it in San Juan County.
The Utah obelisk was illegally installed without cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management.
On Black Friday, it disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared, leaving a triangular divot in the ground.
On Wednesday morning, a similar monument appeared at the top of Atascadero’s Pine Mountain, and sparked similar patronage. Dozens of local hikers made the trek to the top of Pine Mountain to view the object. (The obelisk has since been removed.)
The three-sided obelisk appeared to be made of stainless steel, 10-feet tall and 18 inches wide. The object was welded together at each corner, with rivets attaching the side panels to a likely steel frame inside. The top of the monument did not show any weld marks, and it appears to be hollow at the top, and possibly bottom.
Unlike its Utah sibling, the Atascadero obelisk was not installed into the ground (however, it was held to the ground by three sticks of rebar), and could be knocked over with a firm push. The Atascadero News estimates it weighs about 200 pounds.
The material appeared to be stainless steel, similar to a hood above the stove in a commercial kitchen. The reflective material give the obelisk a mesmerizing shine as the sun, shadow, and Santa Lucia Mountain range converge on the vector as the prism redistributes the light from one of the highest points in Atascadero.
Dozens of hikers gathered around to wonder at the object, discuss where it may have come from and who may have created it.
Among the questions of those at the location was whether the obelisk was the same as the one that disappeared from Utah. According to reports, the obelisk in Utah was 9-feet tall, and would be a similar height to the object in Atascadero. However, the construction of the Atascadero obelisk appeared to be slightly slimmer in width than the Utah version.
Obelisk mania reached Romania as well, with a more distressed copy installed on Batcas Doamnei Hill in the city of Piatra Neamt.
There was no visible evidence of how the object got to the top of the mountain, but daily hiker Ray Johnson said it was not there on Tuesday.
The City of Atascadero was made aware of the object, and there is no current information about the future of the monument. Being that the obelisk is hundreds of pounds and not attached to the ground, it is possible to fall if pushed and The Atascadero News cautions hikers when near the object.
As quickly as the object was installed, it was removed. See story here.
