Legends of the Sierra Nevada (The snow-covered, saw-toothed mountain range)
This image can be found here. A complete translation of Yayali the Giant can be found here.	Return to Table of Contents Moaning Cavern / Yayali The Moaning Cavern, located in Calaveras County, has its origin with the Native American myths about the Yayali.  The Yayali was believed to live in this cave and responsible for the monstrous moaning noises which would come from the cave, which has been explored more than 400 feet into the earth. The Yayali comes from the Sierra Miwok legend, and Yayali is believed to be a giant.  The scientific explanation is the sound of water dripping deep within the caverns in a naturally created echo chamber.  While eerie, there is not likely a monster ... at least not according to scientists. Locals and Native American legends beg to differ. The caverns have been explored only to a limited degree.  There are believed to be many connecting, much larger caverns and chambers that have yet to be explored or discovered.  Could the Yayali live in one of those? Local adventurer and owner of cave touring company Legend Seekers, Dani Anderson, would like to believe in the possibility. "I've never seen the Yayali, but I would like to believe that it could exist," she reveals. "Just like I believe in Bigfoot and the Yeti.  I think there are still a lot of mysteries to be discovered."  When asked if she is scared of such an encounter, Anderson replies, "Not at all. If a Yayali or Yeti exist, they are smart enough to avoid us. If they were aggressive, we would have discovered them by now, I think." In recent years, Moaning Cavern, has become a popular location for spelunkers who wish to descend its depths and hear the "rock monster" attempt to frighten off tresspassers. Also, Moaning Cavern is home to some of the oldest human remains discovered in North America, and is an important archeological landmark. Furthermore, scientists suggest that there is evidence in the moaning cavern to support the theory that global warming does, in fact, exist.  Read the article here.
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