)i(j;s:iii)i^iiiBi(ii>;(wiww'y?''j%w ^ ' HifjiVfw' fc i w ' ^ *'■" *i » v>i i' « Ah < *ii »r vL ' i] i »»Mrtt »^w »j. > v ii ai/ii» i t» >>st'iKik ■-;:', :< V '12 - ...i**'/^ If-^ 3. yjtM- ;s;'"':*±:lxj,i.>" Class _r:^ 2^ Book V_elA^r^ CojjyriglitN"^ COPVTOGHT DEPOSMi Dnybreiik in \oseiiiit*» Cniion. Vie«' from nic: Oak FInt lloail. a thousand tvvt al»ov4> til*' 114'rrffl KH'iT. Rriilal \'4>il Fall. iiioK^ than a mill' a^ay, KfeetN thf itKirniii;; ^vi:h its Nonu:: anil. f:ir heyf>nil. Sentinel Donit* t4»|>N the VANt south \>all of the \ alley. OTHER ILLUSTRATED BOOKS BY JOHN H. VVll.LIAMS 'THE MOUNTAIN THAT WAS 'GOD'" 'THE GUARDIANS OFTHE COLUMBIA" THE CANOE AND THE SADDLE' BV THEODORE WINTHROP to which are now first added his Western Letters AND Journals. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by John H. Williams. Here the glacier ground the stone, Here spake God and it was done ; Buttress, pinnacle and wall. River, forest, waterfall. And God's right hand over all. Hear the mountain torrents call, Swung colossal from the steep ; See them, wind-tossed, wave and sweep ; Hear them sound like harper's hands On the quivering granite strands, — Now with thunderous thud and moan. Now with giant undertone ; While the pine trees whisper Io\v, And the sunset's shadows slow Up the vast gnarled ridges go To the roseate far snow. — Rei: Joseph Cook: "Yoseinite." YOSEMITE and Its HIGH SIERRA By JOHN Hf WILLIAMS Author of "THE MOUNTAIN THAT WAS 'GOD'" "THE GUARDIANS OF THE COLUMBIA" etc. ' ' There is no death; loi'e paid the debt; Tho' moons may luane and men forget. The mountain's heart beats on for aye; Who truly loT'ed us cannot die." And so I wait, nor fear the tide That comes so swiftly on to hide My little light. The mountains glow; I have their promise, and I know. — Richardson: "The Promise of the Sierra. SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND GKEATLV ENLARGED, WITH MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ILLUSTRATIONS. SAN FRANCISCO JOHN H. WILLIAMS 1921 ■*\\ here the KnpiilK Itip niiil I(<>;ir.*' A tine eiiseiide <»n the McClure Fork ot the >lereed, heh»^v \ tif^elsani;; I'iinm. It has a flroi> of more thn.n ^ hiimlreil feet, nnd ivould be fniiioiiN for its beauty fihy.wliere else f hnn aiiildNt the Yo- .seniite I'nrk's creiit nrraj;' of ivat erf nils. COPVRIGHT. 1914, 1921. BY JOHN H. WILLIAMS JUN IAI92I )CI.A622112 On the Summit of Clouds Rent. lookinjL;: Noutheast o%er Little Vo^emite to Mt. Clark and its fello«-peak« of the Meroed Group. THE SIERRA CLUB THIS VOLUME ABOUT A NOBLE REGION WHICH IT HAS LABORED TO CONSERVE AND MAKE ACCESSIBLE IS CORDIALLY DEDICATED Have you gazed on naked grandeur where there's nothing else to gaze on, Set pieces and drop-curtain scenes galore, Big mountains heaved to heaven, which the blinding sunsets blazon. Black caiions where the rapids rip and roar? ***** Have you seen God in His splendors, heard the text that Nature renders,— You'll never hear it in the family pew, — The simple things, the true things, the silent men who do things? Then listen to the Wild — it's calling you. — Robert IV. Seriice. Starting for the \s<-rnt of >lt. I. yell. \orlli l*i>iiu*. Itii.^iil \rt-lir> ami \\ asliiiiu (on Inlninn. n4m>ii from the Iticroi'd Kiit'r. 'I'lie miioeiilrU* ioriiialiun In tlie uraiiit«s ^vliii'li In cliiiriM-teriNtlf* nf the ^« hole ^ oseinite region. In u*>y\ here li«'tter nIio» n. The liiip(»Nliiu ari*hlteetiiral a.speet off thiw Kroup. as if It were the ruins of soiiie \ast, deeayiiiK medieval ealheilrul, \>ith 4Tiinil»llnu arehes and hrokeii eain- pniille. niukeM It one of the iiiONt IntereNtinu rtiek fentnreH ill A OMenilte \ alley. The Half Dome, ^vith f louds Re^t beyond. Vie^v from the OverhnnKinp: Roek at 4*l:ieler Point, nearly t^vo-thirds of a mile above the floor of A osemite A'alley. FOREWORD This new edition of "Yosemite and Its High Sierra" is much more than a reprint. The text has largely been rewritten, with regard to the increased facilities for visiting and exploring the Yosemite National Park, and to its fast-growing need for modern roads. An improved map of the Park showing roads, trails and landmarks; a road map showing approaches to the Park, and upwards of fifty new illustrations, have been added. Credit to each photographer is given in the table of illustrations on pp. 11-15. In expanding the fifth chapter, I aimed to give the reader some idea of the extent and beauty of the highland forests, with a representative collection of tree pictures, especially of the Sequoia tiiqantea. The final section, "Notes," offers sug- gestions for brief trips to the great features of the Valley and its immediate upland. This condensed guide I hope will prove helpful to the time-short visitor. I have felt it a duty of every lover of Yosemite Valley to protest against the impending ruin of its especial beauty through Congressional neglect. Since the cre- ation of this National Park thirty-one years ago, the Government has confined its provision for travel to and within the Park merely to taking over and maintaining inadequate roads built by private corporations. In most cases, these have not even been made fit for motor traffic. The need of roads out of the famous little Valley, which would lead the increasing throngs of summer vacationists to the broad and inviting upland near by, has long been urged upon Congress, but without result. This need became imperative when the Park Administration took the desirable step of admitting automobiles to the National Parks. Yosemite travel at once multiplied, and the already overcrowded state of the Valley is seen in Superintendent Lewis's report showing that room had to be found in the public camping grounds on the Valley floor last summer for twenty-five thousand campers. The State of California is soon to build the last link in a great highway, skirt- ing the Merced up from the hot San Joaquin country to Yosemite Village. This done, the tide of visitors will become an inundation, making Valley conditions unsani- tary and destructive, unless Congress acts without further delay. The thousands for whom Yosemite Valley would be unspeakably impoverished by the loss of its flower fields and the mutilation of its forests should ask of Congress the immediate adoption of Mr. Lewis's program for road betterments and construction in the Yosemite Park. This edition owes much to co-operation of Government representatives. Director Mather, of the National Park Service, kindly had the "Travel Guide Map" brought 10 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA up to date for reproduction here. Superintendent Lewis, of the Yosemite National Park, has responded to many calls for information. Messrs. Redington and Barrett, of the San Francisco office of the United States Forest Service, have enriched the book with photographs of many great trees, thus aiding me to show the important \ osemite forests more comprehensively, 1 think, than has hitherto been attempted. 1 am also deeph' indebted to Miss Elizabeth Keith Pond, of Berkeley, for her courtesy in sup- plying the splendid series of her brother's photographs of winter mountaineering in the High Sierra, and permitting me to quote from her own letter describing their capital adventures in February. Renewing the personal acknowledgments made in the "Foreword" of the previous edition, I quote therefrom the following paragraphs expressing my aim in this work: "The present addition to my series about the great mountains of the West will serve a happy purpose if it does no more than to gain new readers for the splendid books on Yosemite that have preceded it. One who follows in the footsteps of J. D. Whitney, Clarence King, Galen Clark, John Muir, and Smeaton Chase must needs enter upon his task with diffidence. Nevertheless, it is largely a new work that I have undertaken, namely, to describe and exhibit, not merely the famous Yosemite Valley, but the entire Yosemite National Park, so far as may be possible, by the aid of telling pictures. The field is so vast, its mountains, cations, lakes, waterfalls, and forests are so important and spectacular, that even the unprecedented number of illus- trations given here can only suggest its riches of wonder and beauty. In order to make room for the largest number of views, I have confined my text to those matters which persons visiting Yosemite for the first time may naturally wish to know, — an outline of the great physical features of the Yosemite country and their causes, the story of its native inhabitants and their worthy but pathetically hopeless fight to hold their alpine fastness, and the increasing facilities for the enjoyment of its renowned valleys and equally inviting highlands. I shall feel it no defect in this brief essay if among my readers some Oliver Twist may perchance ask for more! "The choosing of more than two hundred illustrations from many thousands of photographs involved no little labor. Much of the district was, until lately, very inadequately photographed. Yosemite Valley has long been the best illustrated scenic spot in America, but the wonderful High Sierra back of it has been surprisingly neglected by the professional photographers. Fortunately for this book, however, the large membership of the Sierra Club includes many expert amateurs, and the club's different expeditions into the mountains have produced a multitude of photographs that are equal to the best professional work. My first acknowledgment must there- fore be to the photographers among my fellow-members for the unanimity with which they have placed their negatives at my disposal Without such help, it would have been possible to show little more than the beaten paths of Yosemite Vaile\ and the Big Tree groves "This book is an acknowledgment of a long-standing debt to the Sierra. Years ago, while a resident of California, 1 became a lover of her mountains. It has since been my good fortune to study other great mountain districts, and to learn that each has its own special inspiration; but on returning to tiie Yosemite upland after a decade of absence, I have still found in its nobly sculptured heights and gentle valleys a peculiar and lasting charm possessed by no other wild landscape, American or Euro- pean, with which I am acquainted, — a mingling of sublimity and tenderness that should make it the joy of all Americans, and the best-guarded treasure of California." San Francisco, May 15, 1921. Lunoli Time on tlie Tiioliiinite, at the Sierra tl'luli's Camp near Socln Springs. CONTENTS. I. THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 17 II. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 69 III. ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE Ill IV. TUOLUMNE GRAND CANON AND HETCH HETCHY 139 V. KINGS OF THE FOREST 159 NOTES FOR YOSEMITE VISITORS: Roads, Trails, Brief Excursions 181 Transportation 184 Entertainment 185 Automobiles 188 Nature Guide Service 188 Le Conte Memorial Lectures 188 Yosemite Museum 189 Yosemite Literature 190 Photographs and Moving Pictures 191 ILLUSTRATIONS. The * indicates halftones from copyrighted photographs. See notice of copyright ownership under the illustration. PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. Title Photographer Page At the Gates of Yosemite 4 Frontispiece in color, from painting by M. Valencia, after photograph by Pillsbury Picture Co. Dawn at Tenaya Lake H. C. Tibbitts 16 First View of the Mt. Lyell Group Prof. Everett Shepardson 21 Vast Glacial Basin of the Merced, viewed from Glacier Point J. T. Boysen 23 Dana Mountain, seen from Tioga Lake H. E. Bailey 27 Cathedral Peak and its Neighbors Francis P. Farquhar 29 Western End of Yosemite, seen from Union Point . George Fiske 31 El Capitan (east face) George Fiske 33 Yosemite Valley, seen from Old Inspiration Point . Pillsbury Picture Co. 35 Tuolumne Grand Caiion, from above Muir Gorge . . Walter LeRoy Huber 39 Gates of Tenaya Canon in Winter George Fiske 41 Mirror Lake, with Reflection of Mt. Watkins . . . Pillsbury Picture Co. 43 Three Brothers H. C. Tibbitts 47 Tenaya Lake, at the head of Tenaya Creek Canon . . J. T. Boysen 49 "Gen. Grant" and "Gen. Sherman," with the "Four Guardsmen" H. C. Tibbitts 51 The Domes in a Winter Storm Pillsbury Picture Co. 55 Nightfall in Leevining Caiion, below Tioga Pass ... H. C. Tibbitts 63 Banner Peak, Mt. Ritter, and the Minarets .... Walter LeRoy Huber 65 Lake Tahoe Tavern Studio, Lake Tahoe 67 12 YOSEMH K AND US HIGH sh;rr.\ Title Photographer Overhansing Rock at Glacier Point George Fiske Bridal Veil Fall Pillsbury Picture Co. Cathedral Rocks and Spires Pillsbury Picture Co. Yosemite Falls : . . . Pillsbury Picture Co. *Illilouetle Fall Pillsbury Picture Co. Canon View of Vernal Fall Pillsbury Picture Co. Vernal Fall, from Clark's Point George Fiske Nevada Fall, seen from Zigzag Trail (Prottlei . . H. C. Tibbitts Nevada Fall, seen from North Wall of Canon (Froiiii . Pillsbury Picture Co. Lake Merced J. T. Boysen Tenaya Canon and the Half Dome, from Glacier Point George Fiske Jeffrey Pine on Sentinel Dome Pillsbury Picture Co. Evening Primroses and the Half Dome Pillsbury Picture Co. At the Foot of Fernandez Pass and Gale Peak . . Chailes .McHenry Pond Looking South from Summit of Mt. Clark Francis P. Farquhar Summit of Mt. Lyell Prof. Everett Shepardson Cathedral Peak Range, from Tuolumne Meadows . . Philip S. Carlton Tuolumne Falls, at head of Tuolumne Grand Caiion . Walter LeRoy Huber Grand Canon of the Tuolumne River Walter LeRoy Huber Waterwheel Falls Francis P. Farquhar Rodgers Lake Rose M. Higley *Muir Gorge Francis M. Fultz Central Hetch Hetchy Pillsbury Picture Co. Upper Hetch Hetchy H. B. Chaffee The "McKinley" Tree J. T. Boysen Typical Sierran Forest of White Fir and Sugar Pine V. S. Forest Service An Aged .Juniper Charles T. Mott The "Diamond" Group. Mariposa Grove H. C. Tibbitts Giant Sequoias at the Cabin in Mariposa Grove ... H. C. Tibbitts A Contemporary of Noah (the "Grizzly Giant"! ... H. C. Tibbitts The "Twins." Tuolumne Grove Walter LeRoy Huber SMALLER ILLUSTRATIONS Daybreak in Yosemite Caiion Charles McHenry Pond "Where the Rapids Rip and Roar" Pillsbury Picture Co. On the Summit of Clouds Rest Pillsbury Picture Co. Starting for the Ascent of Mt. Lyell Pillsbury Picture Co. North Dome, Royal Arches and Washington Column . H. C. Tibbitts Half Dome, seen from Overhanging Rock, Glacier Point H. C. Tibbitts Lunch Time on the Tuolumne Pillsbury Picture Co. .lack .Main Canon and Wilmer Lake J. F. Kinman Regulation Peak and Rodgers Lake .1. F. Kinman Sentinel Rock (2) Fiske and Pillsbury Hetch Hetchy as It Was U. S. Reclamation Service A Study in Forests, Mountains and Clouds .... Clinton C. Clarke Returning from Summit of Mt. Hoffman Dr. Edward Gray A Glacial Landscape, with Mt. Starr King and Mt. Clark George R. King Another Glacial Landscape: Tuolumne Caiion ... C. H. Hamilton Washburn Lake J. T. Boysen Mt. Clark Lee L. Stopple Buttercups Following Retreat of the Snow .... Clinton C. Clarke White Firs, on Eagle Peak Trail Prof. George J. Young Snow Creek Falls Lena Redington Carlton Two North-side Lakes, Upper Twin and Tilden (2) . . J. F. Kinman On Coulterville Road, in Merced Grove of Big Trees S. A. Gray Eastern End of Yosemite, from Yosemite Falls Trail . George Fiske Benches of Glacier-Polished Granite in Upper Merced Caiion (2) U. S. Geological Survey Mono Pass, with Bloody Caiion and Mono Lake (2) Francis P. Farquhar Sardine Lake, in Bloody Caiion J. T. Boysen Mt. Hoffman, from Snow Flat Philip S. Carlton Tenaya Peak, with Tenaya Lake in Distance .... Pillsbury Picture Co. Indian Acorn Cache H. C. Tibbitts Indian Grist Mill George R. King Tenaya Creek, below Mirror Lake George Fiske Yosemite Squaw, with Papoose J. T. Boysen Page 68 75 77 83 87 89 91 96 97 99 103 105 109 110 115 127 181 142 143 147 14-9 151 153 157 158 161 165 170 171 175 180 2 6 7 7 8 9 11 15 17 18 19 20 20 22 22 24 25 25 26 26 28 30 32 34 36 37 37 38 38 40 40 42 ILLUSTRATIONS 13 Title Photographer Page Polemonium • Rose M. Higley 42 South Merced Valley, from Lookout Point J. T. Boysen 44 *Happy Hours! Deer in the Park J. T. Boysen 44 Wild Flowers and Roval Arches Pillsbury Picture Co. 45 In Tenaya Caiion (2) Prof. J. N. LeConte 46 Yosemite Indian Basket Maker J- T. Boysen 48 Umbrella Tree George Fiske 48 North Dome, from Happy Isles H. C. Tibbitts 50 Blue Jay. in Merced Caiion Prof. Everett Shepardson 50 .lohn Muir in Hetch Hetchy George R. King 52 Distinguished Visitors to the Grizzly Giant .... Pillsbury Picture Co. 52 Forest Fire on South Fork of the Merced H. S. Hoyt 53 Typical Forest Trail on Sunny Yosemite Uplands . . Charles McHenry Pond 54 A Close Stand of Giant Sequoias U. S. Forest Service 56 Crossing Cold Canon Meadows Ruth I. Dyar 56 In Ten Lake Basin Walter LeRoy Huber 57 Mammoth Peak, from Mono Pass Lee L. Stopple 58 Tenaya Lake, seen from Tioga Road Pillsbury Picture Co. 59 Tuolumne Meadows, with Lambert Dome Pillsbury Picture Co. 59 Young Lake, Ragged Peak and Conness Mountain (2) . Lee L. Stopple 60 Leaving the Park via Ticga Pass and Leevining Canon Road (2) Pillsbury Picture Co. 61 Sunset on Mono Lake . . . W. G. McPherson, courtesy U. S. Forest Service 62 Thousand Island Lake, with Banner Peak (2) . . . . Dorothy Kibler 64 The Devils Postpile . . Walter LeRoy Huber, Courtesy U. S. Forest Service 66 Merced River and Forest in Yosemite H. C. Tibbitts 69 Chilnualna Falls J. T. Boysen 70 New England Bridge at Wawona George Fiske 70 Bridal Veil Meadow H. C. Tibbitts 71 The Merced River above EI Portal Pillsbury Picture Co. 72 Cascade Falls J- T. Boysen 73 Bridal Veil Fall, seen in early Winter George Fiske 74 Winter Sports in Yosemite Philip S. Carlton 74 Cathedral Spires H. C. Tibbitts 76 Leopard Lily Arthur W. Wilding 76 EI Capitan and Three Brothers Pillsbury Picture Co. 78 A Glimpse of North Dome George Fiske 78 The "Back Road" South Side of Yosemite .... George Fiske 79 Aeroplane View of Yosemite Falls Camp Curry Studio 80 Cliff at Head of Yosemite Falls U. S. Geological Survey 81 Lost Arrow Trail H. C. Tibbitts 81 Upper Yosemite Fall Pillsbury Picture Co. 82 Middle Yosemite Fall George Fiske 84 Summit of :\It. Starr King U. S. Geological Survey 84 Yosemite in Winter, viewed from Artist Point . . . Charles McHenry Pond 85 North Wall of Yosemite Valley Pillsbury Picture Co. 85 Lower Yosemite Fall George Fiske 86 Ice Cone at Upper Yosemite Fall (2) George Fiske 88 Le Conte Memorial, Sierra Club Headquarters . . . George Fiske 90 At the Head of Nevada Fall W. J. Grow 90 Glacier Point Jutting into Yosemite Valley (2) . . Pacific Photo and Art Co. 92 Overhanging Rock on the Half Dome Pillsbury Picture Co. 93 *'Watch Me!" (Bear Cub) J. T. Boysen 93 The Merced at Happy Isles (2) Pillsbury Picture Co. 94 The "Cataract of Diamonds" Pillsbury Picture Co. 95 Little Yosemite. seen from Liberty Cap Pillsbury Picture Co. 95 Little Yosemite, with Clouds Rest George Fiske 98 Bunnell Point George Fiske 98 Sunset over Evening Clouds Pillsbury Picture Co. 100 On the "Short Trail" to Glacier Point Pillsbury Picture Co. 100 Domes and Polished Granite, above Little Yosemite . Pillsbury Picture Co. 101 Shining Granite Slopes below Merced Lake .... Pillsbury Picture Co. 101 Halt Dome at Sunrise Violet Ehrman Neuenberg 102 Agassiz Column Pacific Photo and Art Co. 102 A Characteristic Dome Landscape Pacific Photo and Art Co. 104 Sentinel Dome George Fiske 104 14 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Title Photographer Page Yellow Pines George Fiske 106 Climbing the Half Dome Camp Curry Studio 107 The Fissures H. C. Tibbitts 108 Rangers' CIub-House in Yoseraite Pillsbury Picture Co. 108 Triple Divide Peait William Templeton Johnson Panorama from Glacier Point Camp Curry Studio 112 Climbing Mt. Clark F. R. v. Bichowsky On Lake Washburn at Sunset W. W. Lyman *On Overhanging Rock at Glacier Point in Winter . Pillsbury Picture Co. Tuolumne Pass (2) Clair S. Tappaan and Dr. Edward Gray Vogelsang Pass and Vogelsang Peak Pillsbury Picture Co. View South from Vogelsang Pass Pillsbury Picture Co. Summer Snowfields in the Sierra (3) Charles W. Michael Mt. Starr King after a February Storm Charles McHenry Pond Looking South from Slope of Mt. Starr King .... Charles McHenry Pond Looking up l>yell Fork of the Tuolumne .... Prof. Everett Shepardson Pack-Train at Vogelsang Pass Pillsbury Picture Co. Winter Trail to Merced Pass Charles McHenry Pond Moraine Meadows in February Charles McHenry Pond Rodgers, Electra and Davis Peaks J. Floyd Place A Convenient Crack Clinton C. Clarke On Fernandez Pass in February Charles McHenry Pond From the Summit of Triple Divide Pass Charles McHenry Pond Kuna Crest, from Mono Pass Rose M. Higley Cutting Steps up the Snow-Finger on Mt. Lyell . . Walter LeRoy Huber Mts. Dana and Gibbs (2) ' . . . . Ruth I. Dyar "Apron" and Glacial Tarn Hazel E. Roberts In .Mpine California Prof. E. Shepardson and F. P. Farquhar Cockscomb Crest Walter LeRoy Huber The "Bergschrund" of Lyell Glacier H. E. Bailey The Uplands in July Francis P. Farquhar Summit of Conness Mountain (2) F. R. v. Bichowsky Returning from Ascent of Banner Peak J. Floyd Place The Craters of Mono County J. T. Boysen Matterhorn Caiion, from its east slope Ruth I. Dyar A Typical Glacial Cirque on Kuna Crest U. S. Geological Survey Piute Mountain, with Lakelet in Seavey Pass .... C. H. Hamilton Group of 250-foot Sequoias U. S. Forestry Bureau Nearing the Summit of Mt. Lyell Pillsbury Picture Co. View East from Benson Pass Walter LeRoy Huber Snow Plant J. T. Boysen Sierra Club Luncheon on Lyell Summit Pillsbury Picture Co. Muir Trail Paul G. Redington Looking South from Top of Ml. Lyell Lee L. Stopple Waterfalls and Cascades in Tuolumne Canon . . Pillsbury Piclure Co. tipper Hetch Hetchy. from Le Conte Point .... Walter LeRoy Huber Lower End of Tuolumne Meadows, from Lambert Dome Ruth I. Dyar The White Cascade, in Tuolumne River Walter LeRoy Huber Glen Aulin and Wildcat Point . Philip S. Carlton Cookstoves on the March Ruth I. Dyar Le Conte Falls Ruth I. Dyar Cathedral Creek Falls Robert L. Lipman California Falls and Upper Waterwheels Pillsbury Picture Co. Mountain Hemlocks Ruth I. Dyar Largest of the Waterwheels Francis P. Farquhar Coasting on Polished Ciranite. at the Waterwheels Pillsbury Picture Co. Sunset on Smedberg Lake Pillsbury Picture Co. In the Heart of the Tuolumne Grand Caiion (2) . . . . Francis P. Farquhar Little Hetch Hetchy John S. P. Dean Weighing the Dunnage Elizabeth Underwood Sunrise in Hetchy Hetchy Rose M. Higley A Notable Unnamed Lake in Eleanor Caiion .... J. P. Kinman Hetch Hetchy Gorge N. A. Eckart Lake Eleanor J. F. Kinman Five-Finger Falls, Hetch Hetchy Walter LeRoy Huber Cavalrymen at the Cabin in Mariposa Grove .... Pillsbury Picture Co. ILLLSTRATIONS 15 Title Photographer Page Sugar Pine, loaded with Cones George R. King 160 The "Fallen Monarch" U. S. Forestry Service 160 A Thick Stand of Jeffrey and Young Yellow Pines . . U. S. Forestry Service 162 Spermophiles at Conness Creek Ruth I. Dyar 162 Sugar Pines and Yellow Pine U. S. Forestry Service 163 Jeffrey Pines L. A. Barrett 164 Aspen Forest at Lake Merced W. W. Lyman 166 Largest Lodgepole or Tamarack Pine in the United States Paul G. Redington 167 Black Oaks and Ferns on Valley Floor Francis M. Fultz 168 Beautiful Group of Red Fir U. S. Forest Service 169 The "Governor Tod" Group Pillsbury Picture Co. 172 "General Sherman" Pillsbury Picture Co. 173 "General Grant H. E. Roberts 174 "Alabama," in the Mariposa Grove J. T. Boysen 176 Red Fir. on Rancheria Mountain Meyer Lissner 176 Maul Oak, on Wawona Road H. C. Tibbitts 177 Mariposa Lily Prof. Ralph R. Lawrence 177 "King of the Forest," Tuolumne Grove (2) . . . . Walter LeRoy Huber 178 Three Veterans E. N. Baxter 179 Ready for the Trails H. C. Tibbitts 181 Liberty Cap H. C. Tibbitts 182 Climbing the Zigzag Trail Pillsbury Picture Co. 183 Sugar Pine George Fiske 184 In the Court at Camp Curry Camp Curry Studio 185 Camp Curry Group (2) Pacific Photo and Art Co. 186 Stanford Point H. C. Tibbitts 187 *Bear and Cubs, in lUilouette Caiion Pillsbury Picture Co. 188 Relief Model of Yosemite Valley Ansel F. Hall 189 MAPS. From Yosemite Valley to Wawona and the Mariposa Grove 194 Yosemite National Park and its Approaches .... Folder at back of book Travel Guide Map of Yosemite National Park ... ' Outline Map of Yosemite Valley .... Jack Main Cnuon and Wilnier I^ake, north of Hotch Hetehy X'alley, Regulation Peak (el. 10,r»00 ft.), and RodE^ers Lake, the best kno^vn of many beautiful niuiiiitiiiii InkfH In the iiortlieni part of the Park. YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA I THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK God of the open air. To Thee I make my prayer. . . By the breadth of the blue that shines in silence o'er me, By the length of the mountain lines that stretch before me, By the height of the cloud that sails, with rest in motion. Over the plains and the vales to the measureless ocean (Oh, how the sight of the things that are great enlarges the eyes!), Lead me out of the narrow life to the peace of the hills and the skies. — Henry I'an Dyke. Mountains are the beginning and end of all natural scenery. — Jo/iii Ri/sl/!ii. ilHE Yosemite Country invites all lovers of the thronging moun- tains. It offers the enjoyment of a landscape famous for its elements of surprise and wonder. It promises the lasting in- terest of wild upland grandeur, softened by the beauty of flower- meadow and forest, of deep-set lakes and innumerable falling waters. A land of superlatives, it truthfully boasts the most splendid high-walled val- leys, the loftiest cataracts, the oldest, stateliest, and most noteworthy trees, in the world. It multiplies the delights of mountaineering with the most equable of sunny mountain climates. Finally, — and this is its loudest call to thousands of true nature-lovers, — it presents a legible and absorbing record of the making of great scenery. It is a commonplace of foreign visitors of the boulevard type, and of some Americans who know the towns and spas of Europe better than the glory of their own land, that the mountain scenery of Western America is 18 VOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA a scenery of mere savage bigness, rather than of predominant beauty. This easy complaint may be charged in good part to our modern demand for luxury, and will ^ .^^^^m^^^Si*ii^^,>'^?mm4 be forgotten with K; the multiplication of L automobile roads ^' and expensive ho- tels. A fashionable f inn on its summit, •' with ease of access, has made many a third-rate hill in Eu- rope the goal of spell-bound tourists, Sentinel Koek, meen from enst anil «e.»*l, — tlie K<"en< Xiljieier-eiirveil vHtV rlNhiK :t.0N4i I'eet on the Nontli side of ^ oMenilte Vllllej, opposite 'I'liree llrotliers. The perpenfll«'iilnr front *ft the Sentinel, sheer for linlf its lieiKlit, slion'N how the elen^iiKe hns fol- lowefl ^er(le]ii jointlnu In (he ^rnnlle. including droxes of our globe-trotting fellow- countrvmen. Ne\erthe- less, the trite criticism has in it a half-truth. It is true of the Kockv Mountain and Sierra systems to the same extent that it is true of the bleak Swiss plateaus supporting the great snow-peaks, or the Tyrolese uplands. THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 19 or the cirque country of the Pyrenees. The beauty of such scenes is not to be measured on the scale of country estates and well-trimmed pastoral landscape, among the hills of older regions. High mountain lands but lately abandoned by ice-sheet and glacier wear similar aspects the world over. They are the seats of sublimity rather than of the picturesque. Their fascination lies not so much in soft- ness of detail as in breadth of view, in strength of line and majesty of form. They conjure with a story of their master sculptor, the Sun, wield- Hetch Heti'hy ns It AVns. The Oaks are i^une, and the nohle Aalley is soon to heoonie a beautiful Lake, storin;^ water for San Franeisco. The Kreat landniiirk, Kolana Rook, corresponds in its position un the south trail tvith Sentinel Rook in Vctseniite. ing vast tools of ice and snow and rushing torrent, to block out peak and range, to lay broad glacial valleys deep with soil, to plant the highland lakes, and to smooth the wide rock benches, which, even yet unweathered, refuse welcome to forest or farm. In such alpine regions, whether of Europe or America, the real out- door man needs no handbook of science to interpret their report of ele- mental forces, busy until comparatively recent time. Nor does the wild- ness of the scenes, or the effort needed to attain them, weigh against the inspiration which he prizes more than comfort. He is not offended by the absence of those sylvan graces common only to the older lowlands. And if, happily, prodigal Nature, in her bounty, should set down a delight- ful picture of gentler beauty in the midst of her mountain grandeurs, he 20 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA A Study In ForestN, >louiitain.s, and I'loud.s. A'ie^v east from the NUiniiiit of l.aniliert Doiiie, in Tuolumne Mendo^TS. BeKinninj:: on the left, the peaks are Dana, t>ll>l*s and llani- moth. The cloud seenery of the Sierra is as eharaeteristic and impressive hh Its land- scape. The forest, at this hij::h level, is mainly lod^epole or tamarack pine. appraises it the more justly for its mighty surroundings. The ancient hills, he knows, are man's oldest and unfailing friends; their service, past and present, in making the earth inhabitable calls for his tribute; and year after year finds him returning with joy to learn their lessons and receive their strength. As Maxwell Burt gaily sings, — There is no good denying it, If you be mountain born. You hear the high hills calling Like the echo of a horn ; Like the echo of a silver horn that threads the golden day, You hear the high hills calling, and your heart goes away. The character and accent of mountain landscape at its best distinguish the whole of the Yosemite I National Park. Its area of 1 , 1 24 square miles combines the most rugged wildness with innumerable scenes of composed beauty. Extend- ing from an average eleva- tion of 4,500 feet on its western boundary to the snowy summits of the Sierra Nevada Range, at more M Returnlne from the Summit of Mt. llonHian. C Si e Z iJ ' « — S S^ U - >■ _ a »?- ■■ if a 3 22 YOSEMITK AND ITS HIGH SII-RRA A Glacinl l.niiilNrai>e: 'I'he iloiiios i»f ^It. Starr KiiiK iriulit). ^vitli Ml. 4 lark and the «*irr Icit it^ reciiril in '=^ the deep troUKb and polished uranite »loi>e!i. haVC Ictt thc StOTV Vast Glni'ial liasiii of I In- 11frl.>, on the Mrrt'cil Hl\cr, ul»€>«e l.nke Pierced. l.onK Mountain (ll.-tOS ft.tt on tile erest of tlie Slerrii, is seen In the oentrnl illNtnnoe. tell of complex systems of branch glaciers, once dropping their avalanches from lofty hanging valleys. These branches radiated like a family tree from the trunk glaciers. All were bent to denude the Sierra slope of its sedimentary rocks, and dissect the underlying granites with hundreds of caiions, gorges, and valleys. Some thousands of years ago, the glaciers retreated slowly back upon the heights of the range. Each of the larger troughs thus abandoned bore proof of its glacial origin. Instead of the even grades of stream-cut caiions, they presented the form of giant stair- ways, down which the glaciers had moved majestically, to yield at last to the then tropical heat of the lower valleys. In this descent, the ice carved steps in its path, varying in height and breadth with its own varying mass and the character and jointing of the rock. On these steps, when the shriveled glaciers at last reccdeil, hung a multitude of cataracts, and their THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 25 deeply cupped treads held hun- dreds of high-walled lakes. The passing centuries have greatly relieved the primitive wildness of this glacial land- scape. Forests as important as those of the Rainier Park, and made even more beautiful by their universal commingling of sunshine and shade, have covered the upland moraines and soil beds laid by the ice. Many of the waterfalls on the canon stairways have cut through the ledges, and become even more picturesque as cas- cades. While scores upon scores of the iine glacial lakes still remain, — and a larger book than this would be required to show and describe the notable lakes of the Yosemite Park, — many others have been filled up by stream deposit, profitably converting bare water areas into delightful mountain vales. Such is Nature's cleverest art. Here our debt to the glaciers reaches its climax. For among the filled lake basins made possible by glacier plowing are Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy Valleys, the chief glories of the entire Park. By the height and grandeur of their walls, the unequaled majesty of their cataracts, the charm of their level floors, and the variety and interest of their forests and mountain wild flowers, these famous valleys claim place among the pre- eminent treasures, not only of California, but of all America. Their splendor is part of our great national heritage, — part, indeed, of "those higher things among our possessions," as Prof. Lyman has said, "that can- not be measured in money, but have an untold bearing Buttercups Following He.rea, of the S„„,v. Thts i» "P^" ^^C filler SensibiliticS the castoni of many early flowers near timber line. of 3. IiatlOn. * Mt. I'lark 411.500 ft.». sometimes called the *'Obe- lisk" beonuse of its Mntterhorn-like «Tall rising at the liend of the Klaoial cirque seen here. 26 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Let IK) one, however, who knows only these re- nowned valleys imagine that he has won his due share of Yosemite's inspiration. His birthright of beauty and grandeur here is some- thing e \' e n more worth while. The two great val- leys are of course magnifi- cent beyond words, and each day spent in them, or g i \" e n to climbing their walls, will bring new re- wards. But I am sorry for those who go no farther; who cannot spend a few days, at least, back in the Whin- Kirs (Allies iiiii ,i, on tiic loaj;!.- Peiik Tniii. uppcr country of the MeT- ThiN tree, KO n.-liiiril iK-ciiiiNe of its liKlit Krii.i linrk. l •"p l iH comnion tliruiichoiit (lie I'jirk at .->.00(» to 7,000 ^^*-^ ^r lUOlUmnC, amOng feel. .,io«i, KivinK pia.e to th.. Ke.i Kir, «i,t..h jhc lakcs and shining gran- ahoiinilN at altitiideN ii|i to O.tKlO feet. . ite domes of the highlands. Even though they may climb no snow-peaks, the high mountains will wel- come them to sit at their feet, share their gentler sunshine and broader out- look, breathe their diviner airs, learn the joy of the upland trails, and know that the best of Yosemite lies far from the crowds of Yosemite Valley. For the Yosemite country is a picture of contrasts and harmonies that make a perfect whole. It is not to be known bv its famous valleys only. These are but the enchant- ing foreground of our scene, and gain vastly by the dig- nity and austerity of their high mountain setting. Viewed separately, the val- leys, splendid as they are, do not make the picture,, any more than Millet's two fig- ures bent in prayer make the "Angelus." We need to know the background in or- der to get the true values of the foreSCene. And only so, S„o»-Creek |.«l.s. o« leunya l.„ke Iran. I r f ftiass'si.w 28 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA indeed, can the highly sensational features of the valleys themselves, and their ancient story, be understood. Yosemite Valley and its sister canon of Hetch Hetchy, with their lesser replicas in different parts of the Park, are all inseparable, geologically, from the High Sierra back of them. The "dropped-block" theory of their origin has long been abandoned. They are linked by the vanished glaciers with the snow-peaks. Thus our Yosemite picture, both scenically and historically, looks back, of necessity, from the warmth of its lowland grandeur to the wild sublimity of bleak highlands, till recently the home of perennial frost. Even here are startling surprises for one who expects no beauty on the ice-swept heights. The stern sculpturing of pin- nacled granite crags that dot the wide plateaus is no more characteristic of the landscape than is their flora. Outposts of the forests, huddled ■|M,> ^orth-^i- ©■ C - « ■" s ^r s s e 0. S*al5f a, . ' e -.'■"5 0" ^ ^ ^ h s» f X it.s is a U 30 YOSEMITE AND ITS lllCll SIKRRA flowers and trees, she has scattered other wonders here with even greater extravagance. Al- most everything is on a scale of sur- prise. Nowhere else in America are high- land lakes so plenti- ful or their settings more superb. The vast cataracts of Yo- semite Valley dwart a hundred other great waterfalls and cascades in the Park. These are hardly noticed here, but any one of them, could it be carried over to Switzerland, would become a cen- ter of crowded tour- ist inns. The Park's genial forests oi white and red firs, in- cense cedars, sugar, yellow and lodgepole pines, spreading up to altitudes of eight and nine thousand feet, with graceful mountain hemlocks and indomitable white-bark pines ranging the alpine levels beyond, thrill every lover of splendid trees. But these are overshadowed by its groves of Ciiant Sequoias, the mar\el of the botanical world, — immemorial trees that might have heard blind Home^ sing the fall of Troy, or furnished the timbers for Solomon's temple. Colossal this landscape is, but its features are so well proportioned that in their immensity we feel no exaggeration or distortion. Only when the visitor compares them with more familiar objects does he clearly see that here, truly, is a playground fashioned for giants. The very harmony of its elements makes us slow to grasp the magnitude of the whole. To know Yosemite well is the study of a lifetime, — labor well repaying the student, as John Muir has found it. We may not quickly learn all its magic, though even the newcomer yields to its spell. He comes again and again who would fully know its mysteries. If Yosemite were of Greece, how inevitably legend, seeking the clue to such perfection of beauty, or On < (Miltcrvil Koail. in till* >l«'r<'o\ e till* Vall«'> llooi-. roiii I II ion l*oiii(, 2,:t.'0 feet 32 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA endeavoring to account for such majesty, must ha\e peopled it with gods! The Indians of the Sierra, however, were seldom builders of myths. Stolid and unimaginative beyond most of their brethren, they saw in their mountains only homes, sustenance, and a tradition of defense. Super- stitions and devil-lore they had in plenty. One of their tales, for example, concerned Yosemite Valley, their "Ah-wah-nee," meaning a deep grassy vale. Ah-wah-nee, they told the first whites, was the abode of demons, at whose head was the great Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah, the "Rock Chief,'' which we Eastern Kiifl of ViiNt-iiiite Vnlley. Neeu from Yosenilte Fall.** Trnll, near foot of I'piier Vf>Neniite FnllN. Itcj^inniUK ivitli Glacier Point on the ri^lit. tlie .oky-lliie mUowh KiieecMKively Mt. Starr King, tlie .^It. Clark i;rouii. Half Dome, and North Dome. have translated into current usage in the Spanish "El Capitan." His ominous face could be seen in the side of a vast cliff, threatening invaders of his domain. But one suspects that this naive legend may have been invented for a timely purpose. The Indian tradition of Yosemite is too much attenuated by the years, and adulterated by the fancies of white writers, to permit the acceptance of many so-called Indian legends of present-day publication. But even these ascribe to the aborigines here no such veneration for the great peaks, the vast, inspiring waterfalls, and other superlative forms of Nature, as elsewhere among primitive men clothed them with power over human lives, or called the native to worship. Nor does it appear that their speculation undertook seriously to explain these phenomena by a mythology such even as grew up in the Northwest, where the legends of the "Bridge of the El Capitnu Hlie Captaiu*, with early nionilnf;;: Hiinli);;lit ou its east face. One iie«ds the aid of fieureK to appreciate the magnitude of this block of unjointcd f^ranite. The brow of El Capitau is 3,100 feet above the Mereed Rfver; its actual Hummlt is 500 feet higher. Each of its two faces exceeds ItiO acres in area. A lone tree growing on a ledge under the arch seen In the shadow on the riglit is more than eiit^hty feet high. 34 YOSEMITE AND IIS IIKJII SIKRRA Gods" and the "Battle of tiic Winds" on the Columbia Ri\er, the Puget Sound folk-tale of the "Miser of Takhoma," and the like, show the In- dian's restless mind allying Nature with his daily life, and seeking curi- ously to unravel her problems, lor the Vosemite Indian, the unknown darkness held only ghosts and witches. His unawakened, easily-satislied soul knew little reverence either for the Great Spirit or for Nature. His gods were animals. Higher than the animals his thought seldom rose. His mountains offered him no vision. The loud eloquence of their cata- racts stirred him only to fear. The wise voices of their king- ly and age-old trees gave him no counsel. Yet these mountains supplied him with a place to ll\e In, in comfort and aborigl- Ilent'he.s of Massive (irsin- ite in the I'pper Merced Canon, iMilislied hy llie ^liiciers, 11114I no^v siow- ly lUililnK olV linfler tlie lllons of frost nnil sun. nal luxury. They provided him with acorns, nuts, game, and other food. They enabled him to hide in pathless canons, where pursuit, he deemed, was impossible, and from the walls of which he might roll down rocks upon any who should attempt to penetrate his mountain fastness. It is not surprising, therefore, that our first native tradition of the Yosemlte represents the Red Man as telling white trespassers that Tutock- ahnula, the great cliff towering yonder above them, would surely punish their intrusion Into his Ahwahnee. The white tide was rolling steadily across the plains to the Pacific. A wave had swept up the coast from Mexico. All lowland California was Inundated. The lure of Kl Dorado, the golden god, was lilling the lower \alleys of the Sierra with greedy and ruthless fortune-hunters. The mountain Indians had no wish to be "civil- izetl" as their cousins of the San Joaquin had been. Hence even as early 36 YOSEMITE AND ITS HUill SIERRA as 183.3, long before the discovery of gold and the rush of miners to the foothills, Captain Joseph Walker, the first white man to lay eyes upon the Yosemite country, was carefully warned by his Indian guides away from the great valleys, and made to keep his course on the highlands parting the Merced and the Tuolumne, where now a growing stream of travel each season crosses the Park on the Tioga Road. And when the gold-hunters came, a notable figure, if California furnished any notables to the roll of Indian history, arose on behalf of his diminished tribe to dispute their ad- v'ance into the be- loved canon. Ten- aya, the Yosemite chief, is the most memorable and pic- turesque native lead- Above, Mono PflNM (el. ll>,.'!l!l ft.), lookiiiK nest, ^vltli ^Iiiiiiiiiotli >loun- tiiiii iiikI I\iiii!i <'r4'Mt <»n Ict'l. Ilclon. Illixxly <'iini>n iiiul \\ :ilk«'r Lake, ivitli \\ illtiiiiis Hiitte and Mono I. like beyond. er in the rich annals of the Golden State. The actual dis- co\ery of this Indian stronghold is a mat- ^^^^^^^^^, ter of some debate. Whether it was Walker, in '33, or Savage's frontier militia of '51 that first looked down into the vast Yosemite gorge may never be established. Each expedition, however, is part of our story. History has done scant justice to Joseph Reddeford Walker. He belonged to that small group of intrepid frontiersmen who did much but wrote little, and whose achievements have been ignored through their own neglect of fame and the claims of more ambitious rivals. Walker's failure to publish his discoveries, and the fact that he served under a jealous com- mander, who was even capable of claiming them for his own, have com- bined to obscure his work. That he led a party of Bonneville's men in the first exploration westward from "the Great Salt Lake;" that he dis- proved the then accepted belief that that lake drained into the Pacific; that THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 37 Sardiue l^ake, filliuK n Klaoiul oirque belon' 3Iono Pass. Bloody Cuiion, he established the existence, extent and character of the Great Basin; that he charted its rivers and lakes ending as they begin in the desert; that he dis- covered and was the first to cross the Si- erra Nevada Range, entering Alta Cali- fornia through the Mono Pass and leav- ing it the next year, 1834, by the route since known as Wal- ker's Pass; — here, surely, was a real "pathfinder," worth a clear and permanent page in Western history ! Walker concerns us, not only because he was the first white visitor to the Yosemite region, but especially because the claim is now made by his family and others that he "discovered and camped in Yosemite Valley." The evidence available hardly seems to sustain this claim in full. On the stone over Walker's grave, in Alhambra Cemetery, at Martinez, is this line, said to have been placed there on authority of Captain Walker himself: "Camped at Yosemite, No- vember 13, 1833;" and Munro-Fraser's "History of Contra Costa County," published in 1882, six years after Walker's death, con- tains a sketch of the ex- plorer, quoting his nephew, with whom he spent his last years, and saying: "His were the first white man's eyes that ever looked upon the Yosemite, which he then discovered, although the honor has been accorded to some other person at a peri- od twenty years later." Mt. Hon'ninn, fruni Suon^ Flat, on the Tioen Road. This maMN of Krnnlte ramparts Is the erest of the divide between A'oseniite Vnlley and the Tuoliiniue. 38 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Tennjn I'riik ( Kl.Tim fl.(, on Ihf riKhl. «Uh i'rnajt .!ike in the iliMtnn4>t> at its fiiot. Thus it is seen that the present claim goes somewhat beyond the testimony of Walker and his nephew. We may accept "Camped at Yosemite," hut are we warranted in assuming that "at" means "in"? On the contrary, Dr. L. H. Bunnell, who was of the Savage party visiting the Valley in 1851, and who named it "Yosemite," says in his well-known and entirely trustworthy account of that expedition, "Discovery of the Yosem- ite" (4th ed., 1911, pp. 38, 39): I cheerfully concede the fact * * * that "his were the first white man's eyes that ever looked upon the Yosemite" above the valley, and in that sense he was certainly the original white discoverer. The topography of the country over which the Mono trail ran, and which was followed by Capt. Walker, did not admit of his seeing the valley proper. The depression indicating the valley, and its magnificent surroundings, could alone have been discovered, and in Capt. Walker's conver- sations with me at various times he was manly enough to say so. Upon one occasion I told Capt. Walker that Tenie-ya had said that "a small party of white men once crossed the mountains on the north side, but were so guided as not to see the valley proper." With a smile the Captain said: "That was my party, but I was not deceived, for the lay of the land showed there was a valley below; but we had be- come nearly barefooted, our animals poor, and ourselves • lu the verge of starvation, so we followed down the ridge to Bull Creek, where, killing a deer, we went into camp." Again, on p. 78, Dr. Bunnell says Walker Iniliail Aiorii t iulii- (riiii.k- , , , . , u i • t T l AT • l i.ii"(— « larKe "ii-k.-r basket told him that his Utc and Mono guides gave Net on post.*,, and tliatrliril i ]* i r I - r I I ^^nu pin.- i>raa.-in-», poiniis such a dispial account ot the canons or both fltttvn, t4» keep uiit .sqiiirrelw ^ I ^ I 1 .^ I * ^ ^I „,„, ,„i,.e. n\ers that he kept his course near to the a s i Z ^ Z t s c - x = . ~ s £ a .St- ^m^- -'"^^v ii5 : in 4' c ^ =£: 40 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA divide," — that is between the Tuol- umne and the Mer- ced. With no other chronicle of this first expedition, Bun- nell's quotations from Walker and the Yosemite chief enable us to see the weary explor- ers struggling up the steep defile of Bloody Canon from the volcanic Mono , ,. plain, descending Inilian (Jrist-^I ill. An iiiiportnnt artlele of Sierra Inilhin diet '^ ^vns meal made l»y pouiidin;; lilaek-»ak aeoriiM in rude mor- thc long WeStCm far** in the granite. The meal was hleaehed ivilh hot water i Kalf cf-n r\^pH to remove the hitter taste, and hnked into hard cake hy SlOpe, nail SiarVea, dropping heated stones into cooking baskets containing the and floundcrinff paste, Snoh acorn bread is still made by the Indians. ^ through the un- tracked snow of November on the divide, to reach the warm San Joaquin Valley, and at last the sunshine and comfort of the provincial capital, Monterey. Probably Walker's route was much the same as that of the later Tioga Road. The Indians had kept the secret of their warm Yo- semite home. We must conclude, I think, that while Walker first traversed the Yosemite uplands, and was, in that sense, as Bunnell admits, "the original white discoverer," the honor of first visiting the floor of the Valley and making known the majesty of its walls remained for the "Mariposa Bat- talion." Of that second expedition we have a vivid and minute narrative. Dr. Bunnell's ac- count of It, and of the Indian war of 1851, of which it was a part, is some- thing of a frontier classic, and, I be- lieve, a wholly con- scientious and credi- ble report. Ten- aya, rather than any Tenaja treek, belon Mirror l.ake 42 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA iii. 1 I white leader, is unmistals.ably its hero. In the old chief's last stand for the mountain fortress of his people, we see the Indian at his best. Ihe gold-seekers and game-hunters of "49 and '50 were pushing the natives back into the mountains; the Indians were retaliating as usual uith robberies, burnings, and occasional mur- der. To the reservation established by the In- dian commissioners on the Fresno, near the site of the present town of Madera, some of the hill tribes had come peaceably. Others were brought in b\ the militia companies of the new State go\ernment. But far in the heart of the Sierra, the half-breed scouts reported, near the head of the Merced River, was a small tribe that refused to leave its deep, rocky Valley. "There," they said, "one Indian is more than ten white men. Hiding places are many, and the Indians will hurl rocks down upon all who pursue them. Other tribes dare not make war on thein, for they are lawless, like the grizzly bear, whose name, Yo-Semite, they have adopted, and as strong. We fear to go to this Valley. There are many witches there." Messengers sent to the Yosemites failed, but at last their chief came, alone. Addressing Ma- jor Savage, a veteran frontiersman who commanded the Battalion, the grave old Indian is said to have spoken this brief oration: "Mv people do not want anything from the Great Father you tell me about. The Great Spirit is our father, and has supplied us with all we need. We want nothing from white men. Our women are able to do our work. Go then ; let us remain in the mountains where we were born, and where the ashes of our fathers have been given to the winds. I have said enough." Tenaya was sent to bring in his tribe, but only a part came, mostly the old and the \ery young. The aged chief, when chargcil with deception, promised to go on with his people to the soldiers' camp. .Maior Sa\age, he . . . 1 ^' 11 - 1 - 1 • PoU'iiioiiiiiiii iV. f\iiiiiiiiii I, at said, might go to the \ alley with one (it his i::.ooo rt., near i-nrker i'n»s. .1 • 1 I I 1 I r I Tliij* dariiiK blue perennial youths as a guuie, hut he would linci no one seeks tue iii^iiext Kiope!i. .-mf A'oMOniilo S4|iia^\. with PnpooKe >lirror Lnke, at imnitli «il IViinvn ( afum, with rvttevtion of Mf. \Vaivhere iu the loiirN! liplHiid forrKlN niul nieaflowM of III*- l*ark. THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 45 savage to be de- spoiled of his lands. But the Indian name, as I have said, was Ah-wah- nee. Its ancient tribe had been al- most exterminate!.! by disease many years before, and the Valley home abandoned, until Tenaya, son of an Ahwahneechee fath- er by a Mono moth- er, had led back the few survivors of the race, re-enforced by renegade Monos, Piutes from the Tu- olumne, and fugi- tives from the low- land tribes. The mongrel clan of sev- eral hundred mem- bers proudly adopt- ed a new name given it by others, Yosem- ite, or Grizzly Bear, for the ill-reputed animal which the In- dians most feared and emulated. Savage never got his captives to the Fresno reservation. When nearly there, alarmed by runners from the hostile Chowchillas on the South Fork, and taking ad- vantage of the relaxed vigilance of their guards, they fled in the night, and were not again to be tempted away from their Valley. Inducements suc- cessful with other tribes were rejected with contempt. Gaudy clothing and cheap presents Tenaya declared no recompense for loss of freedom in their mountain home. Even the offered beef was refused; the Indians preferred horse-flesh. Hence, after the Chowchillas had been subdued, and the other tribes had made treaties, Savage sent a second expedition, under Captain Boling, to bring in the stubborn Yosemites. Bunnell again was of the party, which expected to have little diflicultv in persuading Wild FloM'ers licnenth the Royal Arche.s, 46 VOSKMITF. AMI I is I1K;1I SIERRA Tenaja to surrciuicr. But on rcachiiij^ the valley in Max, Boling tounJ only deserted wigwams and smoking ash-heaps, telling of a hasty Hight. Three of the chief's sons were captured at the foot of the great rock then named, in memory of the cap- ture, "Three Brothers." One of these youths was killeti in trying to escape, and shortly afterwards Tenaya himself was caught iiv Boling's Indian 11 (aniiii. TIm* ii|>|icr ^ lew lit T*»iinj loiiks »iit-k ( iiir sli o ni4- liiil o« s (lie 'A* l>4»iiie: tlic !•;;«* Iilorkrd lower l> y n lnm«* 1 Iiltr. I'lie sto**|» NOIltll ^Vllli. <«t\<>|»t li> u\ aliinclics I'ver.v .spriiiu t'i'otii t U' sill e of ('IoikIn nvf*i is sir II i 1 I'JU'll nii- liiro. ' Iiis V iridii <»ll't*rN Krt'iit difli- ml ties to (1 r flinilwr. scouts on a high bench east of the "Big I-alls," whence he had been w atch- ing his enemies helow. When he saw the body of his son, his grief found vent only in a look of hatred that Boling well understood. No word could be coaxed from him in reply to the Captain's regrets for the youth's death. A day or two later, he made an unsuccessful attempt to escape across the swollen Merced River. Then at last his grief and rage found utterance a V ii * s ^ = 5| ■- ■* « ' ... s ■; a a a c = 5 = . I ^ 5§z H — — Si a 4)5 ""fa ■5 s- = - " 3 = ? o s il: 48 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Yosemite Indian lliiNk4*t-Miiker. \\on\iiiu ii Imrilrn hiiNket. large liaNket to the left in for oooklug. Tlie in pathetic words. "Kill me, Cap- tain," he cried, "as von killed my son; as you would kill my people, if they were to come to you. You have made my life dark. But wait a little. When I am dead, my spirit will make trouble for vou and your peo- ple. I will follow in your footsteps, and be among the rocks and waterfalls, and in the rivers and winds. You will not see me, but you shall fear the spirit of the old chief, and grow cold." Tenaya's appeal to the unknown was as futile as eloquence generally is. The white conquest paid no heed to his threats. Steadily rounding up the savages, Boling's party captured the last of their band at a rancheria or village a few miles above the valley, on a beautiful lake walled by pol- ished granite cliffs and domes, which they at once named Lake Tenaya. "But it already has a name," Tenaya protested, — " 'Py-we-ack,' Lake of the Shining Rocks." The naming of a lake in his honor seemed to him a poor equivalent for the loss of his territory. Another chance was given him. Taken at last to the Fresno, he soon begged for leave to quit the heat and dust of the reservation; and on his pledge of their good beha\Ior, he led back his people once more to the cool spaces of the Yosemite. The aged sachem himself kept faith, but he could not control his young men. The killing of prospectors" in the -l mlirella Tree," a sno«-flattene4»ine, .s4*fii l'r«*iii \ alley the next sum- mer quickly brought a third visit from the soldiers, and the final dispersion of the Yosemitcs. It hardly detracts from the pathos of Ten- aya's losing fight for his wild home that he and his last hand- ful of followers were killed by Monos whose hospitality they had repaid by basely stealing their horses. The Indian code did not recognize other people's property rights in li\e stock. Present-day visitors to ^ osemite are often disappointeil that their first impression of the height of the Valley walls falls short of published ac- counts. Yosemite magnitudes are not quickly realized. Hven Dr. Bun- nell was ridiculed by Captain Boling and others when he estimated the superb granite cliff opposite their camp as at least fifteen hundred feet high. Some guessed fi\e hundred, others eight hundred. Not even Bun- nell himself dreamed that El Capitan actually towered more than three- fifths of a mile above the silent Merced. Its Indian inhabitants gone, Yosemite soon came into public notice. As early as 1855, the first tourist parties visited the Valley. Trails were quickly opened, rude inns established, and, in 1864, John Conness, a Senator from California, introduced and Congress passed an act granting to the State "the 'cleft' or 'gorge" in the granite peak of the Sierra Ne\ada Mountains . . . known as the Yosemite \'alley, with its branches or spurs, and in average width one mile back from the main etigc of the precipice, on each side of the Valley, with the stipulation, nevertheless, . . . that the premises shall be held for public use, resort, and recreation." To this grant was added the " 'Mariposa Big Tree Grove,' not to exceed the area of four sections." In 1890, Congress created the Yosemite National Park, subject to the grant of 1864. Its lines have since been modified considerably by Acts of 1905 and 1906, excluding the head basins of the north and middle rorks or the San Joaqum, and em- venmi i-aii. The *'<'ieneral Grant" and ''General Sherman", «'ith the "l-'oiir (■iiitrilMiiieii". in (lie >Iariposa Grove. Readers should not confuse the t\V4» trees here tvhieh popular eustoni has named for the famous American soldiers >vith the f»lder and larger trees thus called in the General Grant and Sequoia ( Roosevelt ► National F'arks, farther south. These trees, ho^vever, are 4»f eonsiderahle size, the "Grant" havin;^ a diameter «»f twenty-one and the "Sherman** of tiventy feet. The "Guards" are younger trees of sreat heauty, averaKlnc perhaps fifteen feet in diameter, and notable for their typical arrtiw-head crowns, not yet broken by storm or liK^htnlnf?. The graceful small tree in the center is a young Sequoia. 52 YOSEMITK AND ITS HIGH SH:RRA .luhii >liiir ill llt'li'h Il('t4*li>. Tlio Irec k1ii»«\ ii Imti' is ]| fiiH" «vv.-iin|jlt' ol" ^ I'lliiiv I'iiie. bracing more completely the water- sheds of the Tuolumne and Mer- ced Rivers. Its area, as already noted, is now 1,124 square miles. The dual administration estab- lished by the creation of the Na- tional Park surrounding the State Park was soon found impracticable and disastrous. The State com- missioners did the best they could with the ten or fifteen thousand dollars annually \oted by the Legis- lature, but these inadequate appro- priations were largely consumed in the salaries of park guardians and the traveling expenses of the commissioners; little was left for needed improvements. Much of ^Osemite Valley was fenced in, and let to private contractors. Con- flicts occurred between the State and Federal authorities. A forest tire, for example, was sometimes left to burn while the officers debated as to which jurisdiction was responsible. John Muir was one of the first and most active in pointing out the importance of ending this impcrhim in impcnu. His opportunity came in 1903, when he was invited by President Roosevelt to accompany him on his visit to Yosemite. Gov- ernor Pardee, President Benjamin Ide Wheeler of the State University, and other well-known men were of the party, which received Mr. Muir's arguments for the recession of the \ alley and Big Tree grove with unanimous approval. A \igorous State-wide campaign was started by the Sierra Club, the strong California society of moun- tain-lo\ers of which Muir was president. The plan ,,i,ii„;.„i, \i,i.,.r^ i.> u..- i..iy./i.> «. o,, i-,, si- won ireneroLis suDUort from '''"'" '«"<>'"■»<■"•■'' ■'«'•< "■■<• ii< ..i iiii~ »i»ii Br.->> s.-iiiii.- ,, ^. IX'* \'iiil«-^ 1111(1 ill*' >liiri|i*iNii <;rove. niiil lln'ir iii*-or|iorii- as well as from tfie .\ati\e ,„„> \» nu- ^l.».•lllil.• \iiii<>ii:ii rnrk. THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK. 5.? Sons and other large organizations; and was eventually successful, though its advocates had to overcome bitter opposition, both at Sacramento and in Washington, from certain politicians and favored concessionnaires whose private interests conflicted with the public advantage. The recession, which was accomplished in 1905, has been amply justi- fied by its results. Better order prevails, a beginning at least has been made in the building of needed roads, hundreds of miles of trails have been opened, the forests are protected, and in every way the rights and con\-e- Forest Fire on Soiith FIer<'ecI. in'ar Wawoiia. This iiieture. n f»»rreful ser- lil<»n n^^nitiKt careles.sncMs with lire on iiiolliitain trails. I<»(»lvs iliiwn fri>iii W aiv<»na I'oint. aln)ve the >lari|»osa (;r<>ve <»f llij;" Trees, The priceless Seliu(»i:is themselves iiii;^lit h:n e been ruined had not this ;ireat 4*onllaK'ratioii heen extinguished. nience of the public are promoted. The Federal management, while some- times severely criticised, and not always unjustly, has obtained and eco- nomically expended Congressional appropriations now annually a\eraging $300,000, and this money has paid for improvements that would still be lacking under the clumsy dual system. Xo one who views the matter im- partially can now be found to ad\"ocate a return to the old regime. For the far-sighted Park Administration of to-day is developing here, as rapidly as Congress can be persuaded to pro\ide the means, a real people's recrea- tion ground, commensurate with the public need and the opportunity af- forded by the Park's scenic resources. Under the system of divided rule such progress would not have been achiexed in a century. But much is. still to be done. 54 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA When I first jour- neyed up to the Yo- semite highlands, twenty-four years ago, the name "Yo- semite"" signified, e\"en to a majority of Californians, merely the seven-mile cation known as Yosemite Valley, with its sen- sational cliffs and cataracts, its for- ested floor, the curi- ous domes towering upon its rim, and for some visitors the Mariposa (Jirove of (jiant Sequoias, seen en route. To reach even this limited goal cost heavily in time, comfort and money. The number of visitors, natural- ly, was small, and their stay short. Few T}|>i.:il I'.. rest Trail on the Sunny \<.spniil<- l|il:inils. Sunrise pCnCtratcd bcyOnd Trjiil. leading from Little Yosemite to TuoUliiine Meadoivs. fhp nnteA Vallev tCi view the yet nobler High Sierra. Clarence King and John Muir, almost alone among men who commanded a public hearing, had done something by exploration and writing to interest their fellow-countrymen in that great sunlit hinterland which stretches up to California's far, snow-capped sky- line. But roads into this alpine paradise were wholly lacking, trails were scarce, and only expert mountaineers quit the beaten track. It was then quite commonly assumed that our National Parks were to be left for the most part in their virginal wildness, — something which the general public would neither need nor care for, and which would be visited chiefly by professed nature-lovers. Only an inspired dreamer like Muir, or an enlightened foreign observer of our national needs like Bryce, could have foreseen that the public itself would soon demand their development for the relief and instruction of the people at large, and especially of the inhabitants of our superheated valleys and towns. Recognition of this requirement has been slow, and nowhere slower than in Congress, among politicians absorbed in securing for their own Mi 56 YOSEMIll. AM) IIS lll(;il SIKKKA A I'lose Stniifl of (. la 111 ^i (liti>t;t^. U ,1 11.^ l;i^ 1 i . . ^ >,., , .4 f(*«*l fr«»iii tlie f^riiuiKl it iN |»r4ilial*l.v It's.s tii;ill liftccu feet. districts the largest, fattest slices from the pork barrel. "Statesmanship" has ne\-er been keen for what it contemptuously terms "scenery." It was eleven years after California recedetl the Valley and Big Tree Grove before the Congressional grants exceeded $100,000. But beginning in 1916-17, the Park has had approximately $300,000 a year for upkeep ami betterments. This is about one-half the sum, conservatively estimated in view of the increasing rush of \isit()rs, that should be spent annually for five or six vears on ^ well-planned roads alone, if the Park is to be made accessi- ble in proper degree to those who most need its opportuni- ties for rest, inspi- ration and sport. It will surprise many who read this to learn that all of the roads entering the ^'osemite Na- tional Park have i'rossinK t'ohl I aaoii ^It'ado^vs. itn li-aii Ix'f \\ I't'ii I oiiiit'ss ('re«'k and \'iruinia t'afion. This is n 1>|iical lillt-d ulat'ial lake. There are hiindreils of sik-Ii lironil. sliiiiiiiu niilaiiil inendti^vs in the l*ark. eaeli a park in itself. ear|»cted %%itli the finest STasH and hrllliant ^vith al|»ine Hif^vers. THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK. 57 been built by private enterprise, none by the Government. There are five of these, and three are old toll roads which the Park Administration has taken over and is now maintaining, in spite of grades often as high as twenty per cent., for want of money to re-locate them. The road descend- ing the south wall was made by the owners of Wawona, the well-known mountain inn on the route to the Mariposa Big Trees. The Coulterville and Big Oak F'lat Roads were also originally toll roads. With elevations well above six thousand feet, all three of these highways are sometimes closed 111 Ten Lake llasin. This re&'ion. lyinp: between "^It. H«>iViiian anil the Tuoliiiiiiie <*raii(l Caiion. offers delightful lake seenery, tine tisliiiiK. ami beautiful forests. \t :iii altitiiile of !t,.'UO feet, the trees .seen here are the shapely niouiitaiii heniloek, with tttlier habitues of sub-alpine levels. It is reaelied by trail from the Tio^^a Roail. by snow till June. The fourth road into the Park leads up the wild Mer- ced Canon, from the terminus of the Yosemite Valley Railroad at El Portal. It was built in 1907, and although its fourteen miles lie almost wholly within the Park, the Government compelled the railway to build it, in order that it might deliver its passengers by "auto-stages" at Yosemite Village. This fine highway the Park Administration also owns now, and has been forced by the tremendous traffic of heavy vehicles to regrade it. The road will be hard-surfaced as soon as money can be had for that purpose. These roads were all built to bring people to Yosemite Valley, none to carry them into the uplands above it. Over the three ridge roads, not- withstanding their short season, came most of the 13,400 private automo- biles which entered the Park last year. The fourth road, extending as it 58 YOSEMITE AND ITS HKiH SIERRA does only from Yosemlte to Fl I'ortal, is as yet merely a continuation of the railway. But the State road now building back into the Sierra from Merced, and already completed as tar as the village of Mariposa, will doubtless be finished to El Portal within two years. Laid on easy grades, this will give automobilists a well-made highway, following the level of the Merced River, directly to the floor of the Valley. Open all the year, it will make Yosemite the most thronged of California winter resorts, the Mecca of every tourist, as of multitudes of Californians; while in summer i>llliiiiii(>tll I'eiik 4 11!, 22.' ft.). Keen fr4»iil Hullo 1*ii.sn. en route to Bloody f'aflon. it will carry into the Park an unbroken procession of motor vehicles from all parts of the State, led by an army of refugees from the sun-baked San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. Yosemite Valley is thus threatened with a popularity which all lovers of its gentler values may well deprecate, — a patronage they would fain see spread over a wider area. It is in grave danger of speedily becoming the most overcrowded tourist center in America. Only prompt relief through the providing of easy access to the highlands can prevent the destruction of much of its charm. Beginning with the admission of automobiles, in 1915, the congestion of hotels and hotel camps, and even of the public camping grounds, has grown apace. But this park-like vale, with all a park landscape's delicacy of flowers and trees, was not planned by Nature for the bivouac of a city's population. The need of roads to the upland eastward has cried aloud to Congress for years. To-day the lack of them is a scandal. To-morrow, with the completed State road from Merced pouring lifty thousand automobiles into this cul-cle-sac in a sunmier. it will 60 VOSKMITK AM) MS IllCn SIKKRA be a crime, — a crime against the people, for whose recreation and instruc- tion the Park, was set apart, and who need the great open spaces of the High Sierra; and equally a crime against the priceless beauty of the Valley floor, where forest and flowers now suffer increasingly from the vandalism of transient campers. But still Congress halts. Those who would escape the crowds and noise of the \'alley can gain little of the high country save by climbing rough mountain trails. That method of travel, though it un- questionably has much to commend it. is impracticable for many who need the uplands most. Only one district east of the \'alley is now reached by a highway, — an interesting old moun- tain road, built for the teams of a mining company, with the happy dis- regard of all mining roads for grades, and no expectation of e\er serving automobile tra\el. This is the fifth of the roads into the Park, to which I ha\e referred, YounK l.iikf. I\y iiiilfs north of Tlluliiiiiiu' >lr:Hl- o«s, ivilh twtt Kill end id iiioiiii- t :i i II II e i u !i lio r N : nliovf. Haiilifd IVak (l(l.s.".s fi.i; below. .>lt. <"oii- neKS (12,"il> ((.I. and the only one now leading to the Yosemite High Sierra. It was not constructed as a toll road, but merely to give access to certain mineral pros- pects east of Tioga Pass. The mining operations failed, and the road fell into disuse, though its owners, to preserve their title, dragged a wagon over it once a year. Bought five or six years ago and given to the Govern- ment by the public-spirited Director of the National Parks, Mr. Stephen T. Mather, it has since received such partial repairs as the inadequate Park appropriations made possible, and been used by a tide of motor travel w^hich bears convincing testimony to the need of modern roads from "^ o- semite Valley to the upper country. If the Congressmen responsible could THE VOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK. 61 hut once be driven in automobiles over this antiquated road, on its tedious way to the High Sierra, there might be a prompt ending of the neglect which has so long left the Valley lacicing proper connection with its hinterland. For the Tioga Road never ap- proaches the Valley, and affords but a difficult and makeshift out- let to the increasing crowds there. Our maps show it crossing the entire central zone of the Park. But it holds throughout to the highland parting the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers. Passing Alt. Hoffman at Snow Flat, north of Yosemite, it drops to Tenaya Lake, thence following the cai"ion seen on page 16 to Tuolumne Meadows, the chief camping and. mountaineering base on the upper Tuolumne. Climbing then to the Park's east boundary at Tioga .eavins' Yosemite \ationnl I":irk via T i o ;i II Pass a ii ft the l,ee>iiiiii«: f'anoii Itoad. The lower ^ lew looks l>nek thri»iiK'h the Park Kates, at the s Ilium it of the Pass l!).!UI ft.), to 11 ts. Dana and Gililis and Ktina Crest. Above is -seen the State ronil. IiliiiK' on the eiinoii >vall. Pass, it joins the notable highway which California has built down Leevin- ing Creek Canon to Mono Lake and north to Lake Tahoe. At Tenaya Lake the road has. by Snow Creek Trail, its closest practicable contact with Yosemite. But while Tenaya, with its convenient lodge and its loud call to campers, is only eight miles by air-line and fourteen by trail northeast of Yosemite Village, automobiles bound for it must leave the Valley on the Big Oak Flat Road, climbing westward up the great north wall, then travel outside the Park to a junction with the Tioga Road, and there turn 62 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA east to the lake, — a journey of sixty-one miles over roads never meant for a gasoline car. Yet such is the pressure for the High Sierra and the fasci- nation of the Yosemite-Tahoe trip that several thousand private automo- biles travel this route from the Valley each summer. The new road most needed in the Park, therefore, is by common con- sent a well-graded modern highway which will avoid this long detour, and connect directly with the Tioga Road at Tenaya Lake. Such a road, by enabling automobilists quickh' to reach Tuolumne Meadows, will double Sunset on ^loiiii Lake. Viewr from Pniiha Island, with the Sierra Nevada in (he diNtanee. Mt. Dana n:!,0.'0 ft.) accentN the sliy-line on left. the possibilities of pleasure in every visit to Yosemite. This requirement forms the most important item in the road-building plans formulated by Superintendent W. B. Lewis, for which every lover of the Yosemite Sierra will wish the Park Administration success in its effort to get a prompt and adequate Congressional appropriation. The route proposed necessarily offers many engineering problems; nevertheless the sum required is mod- erate. And it is agreed that this is the most feasible and least costly route on which a road can be carried quickly from the Valley floor to the upper country. The road will leave the Valley at Happy Isles, following up the Merced Canon past Vernal and Nevada Falls, skirt the foot of Clouds Rest, cross boulder-strewn Forsyth Pass, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet, and zigzag swiftly down to Tenaya Lake. Its total of approximately twenty miles will cut forty-one miles from the present roundabout journey to that lake via Crane Flat, and so will absorb practically all travel from u , - a s 5J if 3 5 s s T S — a ^ — n e = 2 2 = a , a = |H III 1 s = ■: • res s a ? 64 vosr.Miri. AM) US hkjii sikkra ^ osemite to the I uoluinnc and lioga Pass. Such a roail, besides greatly shortening the trip to Soda Springs, and drawing thousands to the delight- ful country north and east of Tenaya Lake, will also stimulate travel to the upper Merced, by carrying visitors to the top of Nevada Falls for the start on their foot or horseback journey to Lake Merced, Lake Washburn, and the head\\ater peaks. The most eftectixe step yet taken to make the National Parks of prac- tical use to the people was the admission of private automobiles. The result, in the Yo- semite Park, is indicated by the two totals, 15,145 \, ^M . ■mil li «:^^ m^K^KiL and 68,906, one representing the visitors in 1914, the other those of 1920. Regarding the second total, the most signiti- I'lKiii.siiiiil isliiiiil Lake one of the iiiiiMt in lercsf iii;^ alpine laiieN ill the ) u- Keinite r«>;i'ii»n. The iiiwer pictllri'. I'r4,nt (he fiMit III' llan- ner i*eak iiiokin;^ n4ii' t liwa re\'llN l*osl|iilt*, a strikinf:: outcrop of ooliiiiinnr hnsalt. on Ihe licaclwaterj* «if the ^lidille Fork of San .lonquiii Itiver, fifteen inile.s east «if AoNeniite National Park. I.ava. in rool- inK. often l>re:ik.s in .siieli iiillar.s, <-(»iiiiii,»iiIy liexaK(>nai in eroNM-Neetion, anil sle hei;::ht. The nio.st fninoiiN of siieh iilienoiiien:i is tlie vhieli <',»n«ress is askeil to restore to the I'ark. Imke Tahoe. ThiN famous lake, riiiiined by the nnon y ranges of the luirtlieni Sierr:i, HeN a hundred nifleN north of the Yoseinite National Park, from nhioh it is reached both by rail and automobile roads. It has an elevation of (t.l!l!r> feet, and an area of -04 square miles. The re-opening: of the Tiog:a Roail eonneots Tahoe and Vosemlte more directly than ever before, making; the ^ osemlte-Tnhoe trip one of the finest possibilities of a visit to either of these s:rent scenic resorts. 0\ «Tli:tiiKiiiu Kock lit lert'efl, ivIiiilitiK anions for- e*<'N iiihI ■n4-ailoY\s. it ml imtomn (41 I lie heaiitifiil 1 oNeiiiile Fall. drupiklnK nearly half a lulle out of ItN own hanKinK* valley. Meroecl Iliver niiil the Forest in Vosemite. H;ilf Dome is seen in the distanee (center), with the lloynl Arehes on the left :in«l the vast projeetinji,- pro^v of (ilaeier l*olnt on the right. II. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE. The cataracts blow their trumpets from the steep; No more shall grief of mine the season wrong; I hear the echoes through the mountains throng, The winds come to me from the fields of sleep. — If-'illiam ff'orJsleiiiU>t\. on the route 4tf tlic ;iii«'ieiit l*(>li«>iii» 4wl:icier. :iiiil iio%t reni'heil by I'ohoiio Trail. Such sunny glacial fl:it.s, lnrf::e and .small, tellin;^ of old lakes lon^r since transformed by stream-n':isli. are come upon everyivhere bel€>«- timber line, on forest trails or anions the upland granite domes. Homes of floM-ers and deer, musical with the song; of birds, they are anions' the delifAlitfiil surprises of the Park, It is a picture one can not afford to miss, and if he comes to Yosemite by rail, as many do, he will lose much of its beauty if he fails to see the Valley from Wawona Road. I do not wonder that every artist wants to paint his interpretation of Yosemite's message from the sublime outlooks on or near this road, as it rises out of the caiion; or that the scene inspires such admirable paintings as Hill, Moran, Jorgensen, and others have made here. But all nature-lovers will indorse Mr. Chase's protest against the cheap, bromidic names given these view-points. It does not add to the inspiration of the scene to be told, "This is Inspiration Point!" There is both good humor and good sense in what Chase says: Inspiration, in any case, is a timid bird, which appears without advertisement, delights not in sign-boards, and the louder it is whistled for is the more apt to refuse to come. I have heard the spot spoken of by warm and jocular young gentlemen as Perspiration Point; and although that species of witticism is, generally speaking, distasteful to me, I find that I suffer no pang when it is practiced at the expense of this piece of pedantry. — Yosemite Trails, p. 2S. Since the Park was opened, in 1915, to private automobiles, an in- creasing tide of visitors each year reaches Yosemite Valley over the old toll roads, now maintained and improved by the Park Administration. This motor-car travel is pretty fairly divided between the north- and south-side routes. Great numbers enter by Wawona and Chinquapin, and descend from the South rim to the Valley floor just west of Bridal Veil Fall. Cars coming over the Big Oak Flat Road, through Groveland and the Bret 72 YOSKMITE AND ITS HIGH SIKKKA Harte Country, rich in memories of the "Days of "49," drop rapidly down from the Tuolumne Big Tree (jrove, via the spectacular viewpoints of the sheer north wall, to the site of the former El Capitan bridge, opposite Cathedral Rocks. Smaller numbers come by Coulterville, that road reach- ing the Merced level a little west of Cascade Palls, and four miles west of El Capitan. All of these high-level roads will lose much of their incoming patronage when the State of California finishes its new highway from the The ller<'**»l Ui\iT. Ilir**** milt's iilMivt* h'A l*or(:il. 'I'll*' Kliarp \ -Mliiipf of Ih*' Kiirst' iiiili- ontes that it was mainly cut l»y stream erosi»ni. rather tiian by the ulat-ier which earveil the I -sh.-i|)est. town of Mariposa to El Portal, though the Wawona route will no doubt gain in its actual total because of increased travel from the Valley to the Big Trees. The completion and surfacing of the Mariposa-El Portal Road, as has already been said, will give motorists a low-level boulevard, open all the year, from the San Joaquin countrv directly on to the floor of the Valley, and without question will quickly multiply present travel totals. A multitude of Yosemite visitors use the quicker service of the rail- way, in preference to automobiles on the present steep mountain roads. This number includes, too, the Eastern tourists who have not brought their THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 73 motors to California. Leav- ing the Santa Ve or South- ern Pacific system at the pleasant little city of Mer- ced, through "sleepers" car- ry them over the Yosemite Valley Railroad to El Por- tal, its terminus, just outside the Parli boundary. This road is a noteworthy piece of railway building. A few miles above Merced, it en- ters the gorge of the Mer- ced River, which it follows for the rest of its seventy- eight miles, as the canon sinks deeper into the range. F'or most of this length, it was blasted out of the solid granite, or cleated upon wall of the gorge. Below it, the Merced winds and plunges in a narrow, tortu- ous bed, which is dammed here and there to suppK power for quartz and lum- ber mills. Gold mining has been in progress here for seventy years, the old placer workings, of which the river-channel still shows many scars, having long since given place to under- ground mines. P>om El Portal, auto- mobile stages run not only to Yosemite, but also to ,1 TV * J J HP 1 t'aseacle FnllN, f<)Ur iiiile.s «e.st of I'M C'aiiitan. the Merced and 1 uolumne Groves of Big Trees. These small areas contain some fine trees, and the journey to them is one of great interest. Even if there were no Giant Sequoias in prospect, the ride would be worth while. The road, as it climbs the hills, unfolds magnificent views of Yosemite and the lower Mer- ced Valley. The forests of pine, fir and cedar through which it passes are among the most interesting in the State. A ride of twelve miles from El Portal, over a remarkable automobile 74 YOSEMITE AND ITS Ilk. II SIKKKA road of easy grades, brings the \ is- itor to Yosemite. This highway upthewild Merced canon, although it lies almost wholly within the Park, was originally built by the new Yosemite Yalley Railroad in 1907, in order to get its passengers from the terminus at El Portal to their destination, Yosemite Village, at the center of Yosemite Valley. It has now been turned over to the Park Administration, a gift to the Government, which should itself have built a road so necessary for public con\enience. For the heavy travel has now compelled Congress to widen and regrade it, at a cost of $325,000. The work has been admirably done under direction of the Superintendent of the Park, Mr. W. B. Lewis; but to preserve it from destruction under the in- creasing traffic, a further appropri- ation is urgently needed for surfac- ing it. The road is one of the most celebrated mountain highways in America. It deserves its fame. From El Portal almost to the gates of the Valley, it had to be cut out of the granite hillsides. All about it is a scene of colossal disorder, the work of avalanche and earthquake, filling the canon with mighty boulders from the cliffs above, over which the swift river foams in continuous cascades. One great waterfall is passed be- fore we reach Yosemite, though among the multitude of cataracts hereabout it is so inconspicuous that the automobile driver may rush by it without calling his passen- gers' attention to its beauty. This is Cascade Falls, seen on the left, where Cascade Creek pours from the north wall of the caiion, live hundred feet, in a deep recess close to the road. So fine a sight should not be overlooked. It prepares one for the still ampler magnificence of wimc-r sii.iris in voseniite. "Skiing immi , , r> • 1 1 T r ■IT-' 11 I 1 Mio«-sliot'iiij; draw iii;inj- iiiirties to tliv the ramous ondal Veil rail ahead. vnii.-j ca<-h winter. Bridiil \ ei Fall, seen in early Winter friun the jfouth-side rond. Bridal VeU Fall, the Indinn Pohono. Dropping 620 fee*. «i
  • vf W»^r!l^ -^dtim VA Cjipitnii niul Three IJrolliers. seen from the iiH»r:iiiie sit the f»K>t of Cathedral H«>ekN. Tourists of the elass that tiliils its ehirf olit-door interest in diseoverini; zooloKieai reseiulil;iMees in natural ohjeets ha\e dllhhed h'A t'apitan "the Crouehinff I. ion of \ oseinite." This is a inlsnonier. as the siileiidid hiifj^e riiek is obviously- an elephant! below. So solid and level an embankment of soil and boulders, some of which have been freighted down from the sea-beach strata back, on the highest peaks, and are of rock wholly different from the unbroken areas of granite now embracing the entire Merced caiion, is unmistakably a glacier's record. Had Prof. J. D. Whitney noted it when, as State geol- ogist, he conducted his famous Yosemite survey, fifty years ago, he would not have made the blunder of his life by denying that the Valley was due to glacial action, or said: "There are be- low the Valley no remains of the mo- raines which such an operation could not fail to have formed." For in fact this compact earthwork .. is simply a terminal ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ moraine, deposited A fJlinilise of >orth Dome, from one of the healltifnl forest i ..I- ^ ^^ roads in Vosemite Valley. by the great 1 OSCUl- THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 79 ite Glacier at the point where the last of its several advances stopped, and from which its final slow retreat began. The line of the mo- raine, later geologists tell us, practically co- incides with, and cov- ers, a granite bar, or sill, which reached from El Capitan to Cathedral Rocks, and formed the dam of the ancient Yosemite Lake. This body of water had the same history as hundreds of other caiion lakes still to be found in the High Sierra, occupy- ing the depressed treads of the huge glacial stairways. Deep basins were quarried by the gla- ciers wherever inflow- ing branch glaciers greatly augmented their mass and weight, with a corresponding temporary increase in digging power. Glaciers alone produce these rock-basins. Lakes such as Merced and Washburn, above Yosemite, and filled lake-beds such as Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy Valleys, are found only in the tracks of the vanished ice- streams. River erosion never cuts such hollowed steps in water-channels. It required the long scouring of incalculable moving ice-masses, armed with vast rocks plucked from their beds, to prepare the caiions for the low-set lakes, and for the level valleys of the later time. Thus the sudden change in the Merced River, from a quiet meadow stream to a brawling mountain torrent, recalls vividly to the modern stu- dent that distant day when the receding glacier left behind it a beautiful lake, seven miles in length and probably four or five hundred feet deep, walled by perpendicular cliffs rising more than three thousand feet, and dammed by a rocky moraine overlying a granite dike. Where the lake ended, the Merced cut an outlet for itself through the moraine. This low The "Baok Road," on the south siile 4,f \ ojseiiiite. The tree.s .shown are rhiefly California iilaek Oaks (tluerous kelloegiil, a deciduows speoie.s that does inueh to beautify the Valley floor. Its acorns supply lirend to the Indians, and are prized by squirrels and ^Toodpeekers. 80 vosr.MriE AM) US iikjii siekka Aertiiiliilie \ i«**v of ^Osciiiite l-'alls. Tlif upper cillnraot. tinned liy John .>lllir "the iu»lilest diMpf:i> <»f fallhi^A wiiltT in the \"alle>. or perh:tps in tlie \\<»rl(i," li:in;£s in a *vi«ie re«'ess ^vhieh the old \ (»seinite (ilaeier dii^ iiearl> half a mile haek into the north «\all. 'I'lie reetanKular jointing in the granite el«*arlj seen here enahletl the Kla*'ier to unilenniue jind overthrow hu^e hloeks of the roek. Itiit east of the falls tlie j(»int-|»lanes cease* leavinflT the soliil pr<»jeetiii;^ iiiass <»f "\oseiiiite Point." though \ery liniitefl U»eal tisslir- inK' Itloeked out the spire kn<»\vn as Lost Vrrow. seen 4M1 tlie riulit. Vt the elose «>f the iclaeial pei iod. the shallows of the €*lilY west 4»f this deep i*oAe loot; kept alive a small r«>sidunl Klai'ier, wllieh pushed its iee easeailes down the little canon on the left, where now a hf»rse-traU zig;xagK to the tt»p (»f the fall. pass is also used by the south-side road, where it skirts the river to-day. The lake itself, probably within the last two or three hundred years, if we may judge by the trees growing where once was only water, has filled up with rich alluvial soil, brought down mainly by spring freshets from near-by heights, rather than by the larger river. To this source we owe the fertile valley Hoor. with an inestimable part of the beauty of Yosemite. That the extraordinary depth and form of Yosemite Valley, as well as of Hetch Hetchy and a few other moat-like mountain vales presenting the Yosemite type, and therefore generically called "yosemites," are mainly due to glacier-plowing and lateral glacier-plucking, which deepened and widened river gorges originally cut by water erosion and existing long before the glacial epoch or epochs, is a conclusion now so strongly fortified by observed facts that few geologists any longer dispute it. If they dilfer at all, it is as to the extent of such action, and the preparation by which other geological factors, chieHy arising from localized peculiarities of rock- structure in the Sierran granites, may have facilitated it. Thus some scientists believe that the main Yosemite Glacier reached little below El Capitan; others find evidence that convinces them it found its way to the foothills. Government experts and others ha\e for years been making a minute examination of the region, and gathering data which should solve the deepest mysteries of its history. But the main proposition of pre- dominant glacial influence can hardly be deemed as any longer at issue. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 81 Such agreement, however, is of com- paratively recent date. It was Clarence King who first ascribed the great caiion to the glaciers. John Muir, after establish- ing by his exploration of the Illiloiiette head-basins the important but long-dis- puted fact that true glaciers still exist in the Sierra, though fast dwindling in extent and power, read from the record broadly carved upon the upland abundant proofs, as he contended, that all its caiions, with most of the other outstanding features of the range, were the work of ancient ice- streams Prior to these pioneer "glacier- ologists" some fantastic theories were held. One attributed the Valley to an explosion of superheated granite domes, and the elaboration by river erosion of the gash thus created. Another explained it as a rent caused by seismic violence, which later was partly filled up with rock debris and stream wash. But the most interesting of these guesses, and one that for years found wide acceptance because of the eminence of its author and the violence with which he denounced the glacial hypothesis, was the "fault-block" contention of Prof. Whitney. Said that once famous geologist: A more absurd theory was never advanced than that by which it was sought to ascribe to glaciers the sawing out of these vertical walls and the rounding of the domes. Nothing more unlike the real work of ice, as exhibited in the .Mps, cnnid be found. Besides, there is no reason to suppose, or at least no proof, that glaciers have ever occupied the Valley, or any portion of it, so that this theory, based on entire igno- rance of the whole subject, may be dropped without wasting any more time on it. . . . We conceive that, during the upheaval of the Sierra, or, possibly, at some time after that had taken place, there was at the Yosemite a subsidence of a limited area, marked by lines of "fault" or fissures crossing each other some- what nearly at right angles. In other and more simple language, the bottom of the Valley sank down to an unknown depth, owing to its support being withdrawn from un- derneath. — The Y osemite Guide I.UNt Arro«" Triiil, e:ij,t siile i>l' \ 4>.seiiiit4^ i re**k. Book, pp. 7i, 74. ('lilt' ut Head uf 1 o.semitv Falls, showing the vertieal cleavage joints iThich have cuiileil the gla- eial sculpturing anil made possible the sheer walls of Voseinite. Heteh Hetohy and similar eauons. 82 YOSEMITE AND ITS HICII SIERRA r|»|i4T ^ oscmil*' l'':ill. sroii fr«Mn 1 o.s4'iilili* I'oill* Trail. Ill Ks drop "( I.^.IO feet, the strrain, rvcn lit llooil, lu-i'Diiii-K a flollil of s|>r:ij, «hi4-h the wliiil ontchrs an on n ollMliioii, lllid sways from m|41«* to Niile. 1 I;ul Whitney's examina- tion of the Valley been thor- ough enough to take note of the old moraine below I".l Cap- itan, it is probable he «ould not ha\e written those words. And yet he had other evidence that should have prevented his error. F^l Capitan Moraine and the old Yosemite Lake which it helps us to reconstruct are far from being the only re- minders of the Valley's glacial history. Most striking of all, rhe hanging valleys on its walls are no less clearly of glacial origin, and tell us of an epoch when ice was irresistibly mod- eling the landmarks above, as well as digging deeper the vast canon below. As we pass Bridal \'eil Fall, we note that it drops, not from a flat plateau abo\e, nor from a narrow cleft in the wall, but out of a high side- \ alley, which in turn is framed bv lofty cliffs. The U-shape of this broad valley is so clear that we at once perceive that it, too, must have been scoured out by a glacier, rather than by Pohono Creek, which could ha\e cut only a V-shaped gorge. Its sculptor, in fact, was a minor glacier, mighty enough to dig a splendid wild valley more than fifteen hun- dred feet deep, but not power- ful enough to sink it to the bed of the main caiion. Hence, as the larger glacier shrank in bulk, and ceased to fill the greater Valley, the Pohono Glacier was left "hanging" on VoMeiiiite Falls. Keen from trail throuf^h the pine and oak forest that skirts the north wall of the A'alley. The ui>|ier fall, he^inninf!: '2,'iiT* feet above the Valley floor, dropx I,4:t0 feet; the loiver fall. '.i'2it feet, nith several siiinller falN between. A'osemite Point. -,!Ktri feet, is on the right, and the tall granite .spire in front of it is the **Lost Arron** of Indian legend. 84 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SH:RRA Miilflle YuNeiiiite Fall. -Not easily rfarheil and seldom visited, this is the InrK'est of several oataraefs in the deep hox eaiion liet«'een I'pper and I-o«er "^ o- seniite Falls, and has nn estimated drop of more than 100 feet vie^v on pn^e S.t it is above the lower fall. tlic siiic, to drop its ice and rocic in a\"a- lanchcs upon the trunk, glacier below, linally, both glaciers vanished, with increasing mean temperature and de- creasing snowlall. Of their canons one was occupied by the typical glacier- made lake of Yosemite, four thousand feet above the sea; while the other, for want of icebergs to drop into the lake, just as plainly declared its origin by Hinging out a glacial banner, the most graceful, though far from the largest, of the Yosemite waterfalls. Other famous cataracts hung high on the Valley walls repeat the story of Bridal Veil. Yosemite Falls, at the center of the north wall, and Illilouette, on the south wall at the head of the N'alley, are the most important in vol- ume and length of season, telling by their well-defined hanging valleys and tan-like amphitheaters, set deep in the highlands, that they, too, are glacier- born. No more enjoyable occupation can be found for part of a Yosemite \acation than to trace the old glaciers to their sources in the Hoffman and view on page S.t it is seen immediately McrCcd SpUrS of thc maiH Sicrra. If one follows up Yosemite Creek, above its falls, and beyond the old Tioga Road, he discovers a fine cluster of glacial cirques, stretching around from the north side of Mt. Hoffman, along the southern slope of the Merced-Tuolumne divide, and forming a mountain-walled basin, al- most circular, and five or six miles in diameter. In out- line it is like the spreading crown of one of the caiion live-oaks that cover the earthquake talus at the foot of the Yosemite wall, and beautify the adjacent upland roads and trails. This char- acteristic abandoned home of a minor glacier no longer holtis its permanent neve. Summit 4»f m, Starr Kin^, showinj; the exf(»lintion of the eoiieeiif ric layers of granite by weathering. 86 YOSEMITE AXn ITS HIGH SIERRA It is to-day merely a temporary res- ervoir, sometimes emptied long be- fore the autumn ruins begin. There the winter snows are held until it pleases their parent, the Sun, to transform them into summer floods, and send them, singing, down the valley to join the Yosemite chorus. Yosemite Creek now flows to its fall amidst a wild panorama of gray, barren domes and fir-covered moraines. But here for centuries a shallow glacier, fifteen miles in length and se\eral miles wide, crept slowly from the Mt. Hoffman Range to meet the great ice-stream of the Merced; and when the trunk glacier sank low in its caiion, the north-sitle feeder dug back its sec- tion of the wall until it had quar- ried a deep branch canon, in which Yosemite Upper Fall now thunders its own chapter of the glacial story, king of all the world's waterfalls in l.oiver Yoseiiiitt' Kjill; droi* :tl!(l feet. i ■ i . i ^ ^ i' height anti statelmcss. How easily the Yosemite cliffs were undercut and torn away by the blows of avalanches from the glacier above may be guessed from the pic- tures on pp. 80, 81, showing the wall so deeply fissured by vertical and inter- secting cleavage planes that it is merely a standing pile of huge rectangular granite blocks, ready to be tumbled over by anv power that can. Ihe Illilouette watershed is larger than that of Yosemite Creek, and even more interesting, as rimmed by higher mountains. From the "Long Trail" approaching Glacier Point, as well as from the hotel there and the ridge sou:h of it, we get many fine views of the deep lower valley of the Illilouette, encircling Mt. Starr King, and inviting us back to its fountain basins sunk in the west flank of the Merced Range. There Mt. Clark, and (iray, Red and Merced Peaks, accent as noble a ring of cirques as we shall find below the very crest of the Sierra. This watershed, once occu- pied by a broad river of ice, is now a land of sunshine, — of flower-meadows, shining domes, and densely forested converging moraines, the whole walled by snowy mountains that rise to elevations of eleven thousand feet. Some idea of it may be had from the illustration on page 22. But its wonder and beauty are beyond the power of photography. The best general view is to be had from Mt. Clark, or the east slope of Mt. Starr King, whence one carries away a lasting picture of what a glacier can do in its vocation Illilouette Fall, viewed from its <>auon lu-litw. iliis line «n(»'rfaU It is a haril oliinh up Illilouette fniion from the Mereecl Hiver wliieli may l»e .seen more easily from above, on the l.on;^' Trail has a ilrop of :t70 feet, to the foot of the full, to (ilaoier l*oint. 88 yOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA as a landscape engineer. Differing from these three important cataracts in their manner of birth, but none the less proclaiming a glacial origin, Vernal and Nevada Falls, at the head of the Valley, are the larg- est in volume of all the Yo- semite group. Instead of falling from their own hang- ing valleys, backed by inde- pendent basins, they are part of the Merced itself, and drop from giant steps in the river's glacial stair- way. These steps, like the Ifc <'oiie at tin- l-<>r I piior Vo- Ncinitr I'all. Tliis volcano-like hill rises eaeli m inter to :i height of four or live hundred feet, formed l>y (he freexinK spriij and l>J llloeks of iee fallen frular of the Park's jr^reat water- fallN. Seen from this point, the famous cataract is framed hetiveen the sheer wnllH of a deep box canon, ^vhile, beyond, the unique domes of Liberty Cap (right) and Mt. Brod- eriok (leftK -supply a fittinix' background to s» imposing a spectacle. ThcNc heights, though a mile n%vay. above Nevada Fall, here seem to stand guard immediately over Vernal. 90 VOSI.MUK AM) US HKJH SIERRA Kc Citntt' ^Iriiiiiri.-il, nt th«- f«M»t of 4ila<'ii*r Point; 4'r4-«'l«'(l tty thv SiN \n.seinite head(lliarter.s. Here a lil»r:»r> of ollt-door literature is neee.ssihie t(» tlie pnhiii-. of the ancient Mer- ced Glacier, with areas of looser rock, \erti- cally jointed, and therefore readily dis- integrated by the ice. Glacial canon steps as high as these are exceedingly rare. Hence canon water- falls of the height of Vernal and Nevada are elsewhere almost unknown, \^•hile cliff cataracts of even greater fall, dropping from hanging valleys on the sides of trunk- glacier caiions, are a familiar feature of every important alpine district. But the two renowned falls of the Merced stand quite alone among canon cataracts in their union of large volume with great altitude, Vernal falling 317 feet, and Nevada 594 feet. Not only are they thus exceptional in magnitude, but the glacier used the local rock formations to make them different. Each has its own special character. Vernal meets all the requirements of an ideal cata- ract. — a solid sheet of clear water bend- ing easily from the brink of a broad, level granite platform, and offering all the colors of its own delightful rainbows, as the flood changes swiftly from goklen green at its brow to optional flashing snows in the sunny cafion below. Nc- \ada presents a striking contrast to such conventional if surpassing beauty. Al- ready churned to foam in a steep, crooked trough, it is shot far out from its narrow cleft, a passionate cloud, seemingly made up of millions of distinct, pearl-like drops; and midway in its descent it strikes the sloping cliff, spreading into a wide "apron" of still more dazzling white- ness. So splendid are these singing, rain- bow-building children of the glaciers. The record of these falls is corrobo- rated by the rock-basins which the gla- M the Head projeetiii^' f Nevada I'all. Here a ledp;e, ffiiariled liy nii ir(»ii rail, enaliles visitors ti» stufly llie tvild tlo4»d at elose ran^e as it (lii\es 4Mlt frtini its steep troii^^ii. Iireakin;^ int(» "eoniets" and hu;;'e pearls of whitest spray. Vernal Fall, from Clark's Point, on the horse trail. Drop. :U7 feet. Althou»?h the most oonven- tional of the ;;reat falls in Yosemite, Vernal oilers a maKnilieent pieture. both in its setting anil in its wealth of oolor. The golclen greens nntl hliies of the steadily falling stream, its shooting "eomets," clouds of spray, and eireular rainbows, make it an ideal study, well worth many visits. 92 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA cier scouret] out on their plateaus, just as it hollowed the basin of Yoseniite Lake itself. Emerald Pool, the little tarn immediately abo\e Vernal I'all, is hardly a stone's throw across, but unmistakable. River ero- sion could ne\'er have fash- ioned so perfect a bowl. A mile higher up, beyond Ne- vada Fall, the basin was three miles long, holding a lake that has now given place to the charming vale of Little Yosemite. Here bare cliiis and domes frame another level valley of meadow, forest and lazy river, all on about one-half the scale of the greater Yo- semite below. Other yo- GlaritT P4nii1. jlittiiiK into 1 uNeiii- ite Vnllt'y at its junction ^vitli the 31 eri'cil- lllili»u«'tte faiittii. Seen eitiier from tlie \'nllfy floor or from the trail to X'ernal Kail, this itia^i>iive elifl' in the stateliest lieadlarul of the soutil ^vall. Its iiriM'ipitoiis fnees are fine to >ertieal joint-planes. Semites lie beyond, uiinl we reach the splendid glacial lakes, Merced and Wash- burn, far up the caiion. These, too, in time will fill with detritus from the hills, and become delightful xal- leys of this type. Nature abhors barren waters. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 93 Glacial history is also written plain on the two "domes" that rise just north of Nevada Fall, called the Cap of Liberty and Mt. Brod- erick. These are simply masses of unfissured granite, too large and solid for the glacier to plane away, though it gouged out the vast beds of jointed rock in which they lay; and as it swept over them, it shaved down their east slopes, so that one may scale them with little difficulty, and find glacial boulders on their tops which tell by their rock char- acter that they have traveled hither from the snowy summits of the range, a score of miles to the east. Yosemite Valley offers many other convincing particulars of the life of its great Merced Glacier. The beauty of its cliffs is no more ob- vious than is their testimony regard- ing their origin, outline and sculp- turing. Their perpendicular fronts and projecting angles, narrowing the Valley OverhiinpinR- Rock on the Halt Dome, nearly a mile above the floor of \ osemite Valley. Tenaya Canon is seen belov. . T. BOYSEN "«ateh lie!" Even the 1'osemite bears get the eilinbinfr habit. here, or over towering its deeper recess- es there, tell unmistakably of the glacier's work as a giant sapper and miner. But that work must not be credited to the ice-stream alone. It was made possible by the extreme mingling of zones of jointed and unjointed granites. The sculpturing of these walls was carried on first by the ice, and later by all the agencies of weathering, — water, frost and snow. Where the valley contracts, we find unfis- sured masses that resisted the stresses of the cool- ing earth, and in the glacial age were able equally to withstand the action of ice. Here El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks, rising opposite each other at the Valley's narrowest part, were undivided blocks too vast for the glacier to remove. So Yosemite Point confronts Union Point, and the splendid prow of Glacier Point the projecting pedestal of the Half 94 VOSKMUI, AXn IIS IIICII SIIKKA Dome. In the areas ot abundantly tissureil rock separating each of these pairs of opposing cliffs from the next, the glacier took advantage of the vertical and horizontal jointing to undermine and cut back the Valley walls. Their varying cleavage planes, with the occurrence of smaller unjointed masses, were set out in an infinite variety of gables, pinnacles and spires. Where the jointing was P^S^^SH vertical, the ice left the sheer faces of Glacier and \ osemite Points and the Sentinel. Where it in- clined, the Three Broth- ers, with their sloping steps, resulted. Alterna- tion of fissured and mass- i\e granites gave us the deeply trenched Cathedral Rocks. Purely local solid- ity surrounded by a fissile structure is represented in Cathedral Spires and the — l^\o lM*:ililiflilly >vo|>t*r flid of the Vallt'y. ^vhere the river riishe** 4nit 4tf its namt^v ennoii hel<»«' lllii- ouette :iiieva«ln l'':ill (.'»!! I ft.i. nccii from the /.i^/.a;^ 'I'rnil :il ils Nidi*. Sfranut' anil faN«>iiiatinp: ^vnlcr forms art' often as^niiM'tl liy this \%ilil tlooil. and when tlie riter is at its lici^;lit in enrly sunimt>r ii ivo man's fa<'i* uiid liKiir** are plainly seen, — a * eritahle "I.ady of the Sno«H.** Nevada Fall, seen from the north «all of the enuon helow. In ilisplay of power, as the swift Mereed River shoots out far from its ledee, this (sreat fall ranks first anion;; the Yoseniite eataraets, and many visitors deem it the most beautiful. 98 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA l.ittU- \ osfiiillf, with C'loiifiN Rest in the db«tanee, peaks. Out from each of these horseshoe-shaped basins poured, during the glacial epochs, a tributary to the Merced Glacier. To-day almost every cirque holds a tiny lake, from which flows a modest stream, the begin- ning of one of the "forks" of Merced Ri\er. The whole of the \ast amphithe- atci- is thus seen to be close- ly dissected, by the plowing of these glaciers, and the erosion of these streams, in- to an area of deep canons and narrow, thickly-set ridges, all converging to- wards the rock-walled lakes, Washburn and Merced, and sending on their supplies to the profound Yosemite gorge. Down in those caii- ons, when we explore them, are discovered sunny alpine lakes and scores of loud- spoken cataracts. Some- times the lakes have filled, 'hlo^rMiltvo^mu::" " '■ "' ""■ and become shining alpine Iluiinell l*4»iiii 100 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Sunset over B^venlns: Clouds in Voseniite, seen from I'nion l*olnt, ivitli Sentinel Itoek on the left and I'.! Cnpitjin on rif£ht. meadows. Sometimes the straight cataracts ha\'e aged into broicen cas- cades, and their thunders softened to the gentler songs of gliding, dashing waters. But everywhere, in pol- ished granite walls and floors as in waterfalls, lakes and lake \alleys upon the caiion steps, is the easily read report of a colossal ice-stream. As Merced Canon forms the southeast branch of Yosemite Val- ley, so the still deeper caiion of Tenaya Creek is its northeastern arm. Here the glacial story is less plain, and on first sight, from the heights on either side, it might be overlooked. For above the cafi- on's lower two miles, — that is, be- yond the foot of Mt. Watkins, — it crowds to a narrow box-caiion be- tween that great cliff and the steep incline of Clouds Rest. This I .* might seem to be a sharp V-shaped, \' stream-cut gorge, rather than to On the "Short Tr.-iii" I., liiaeier foint. This havc the broadcr U-shapcd trough tr:iil eoinninnilN s|ilenitid ^ ie«s of Sentinel , , ,1 \^Ci. I, , ., ,1 , ,'.^„ IJ «. Hoek. YoKeniite Kails and .he Valley lloor. COHimonly Ictt by a glaClCr. liut 102 VOSEMITE AND ITS lIKill Sll.KKA ll;ilf l>iiiiriN(', Ket'ii frtiiii (iliit'it'r I*<»jii1. a little exploration discovers glacial tootprints in tiic terminal moraines and the lakes and filled lake-beds, with tine connecting waterfalls, that mark a glacier's descent from the Cathedral Peak Range, south of the I uolumne. We have hardh' entered the canon, indeed, before we are reminded of El Capitan mo- raine and the enclosed Yosem- ite Lake. A similar boulder ridge, thrown across the caiion here, is traversed by the road as it carries visitors on their early morning trips to see the sunrise reflections in "Mirror Lake." This lakelet esidently occupies the lowermost of the glacial steps. It is a mere re- minder of its former si/e, the delta of Tenaya Creek ha\ing stolen a mile from its upper end. I'arther up the caiion, below and above Mt. Wat- kins, stream sediment has al- ready turned other lakelets in- to meadows. But eight miles east of Yosemite, at the head of the caiion, Tenava Lake "Short ■vr-.uv i..r,..„- ,;,„,i,r ,..,i,.,. not onU' prcscnts one of the Teiia>:i < afioii hihI tlir H:ilf Dome, sei'ii from i. Half Donif l»> iveatheriiip; is well Kliown. kiiiN. left. Cloiids Rest, ri^lit. nnil Teiinyn Peak, eiKlit niiles anay at Tlie Inte tJnleii Tlurk, npe U4, seated on "Pliof onraiiliers" Hoek." aeier I'oiiit. The perpend ten I jir elea^ ape of the Mirror I.nke Ilex belo«", and liejond ri«e Mt, A\'at- lie liend (»f the eanoii. 104 VOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA most lascinating views in the whole Farli, but also re- calls, in its polished frranite walls and liomes and pave- ments a very differ- ent scene, — a picture of the old Tuolumne (jlacicr, split against the east front of Mt. Hoffman, and sending part of its immense ice-flood d o \\- n T u o 1 u m n e Canon, to quarry Hetch Hetchy, and the rest over the low divide into the Ten- aya basin, to form the main ice supply of Tenaya Glacier and help excavate Yosemite Valley. The deeply plowed track and surprising work of this glacier are well shown in the illustrations given on pp. 16, 27, and 49. Thus Tenaya Canon forms no exception. Its narrowness between Clouds Rest and Mt. Watkins, seen in Prof. Le Conte's pictures on page 46, is plainly due to the solidity of the huge inclined strata of the former, and the fact that the latter is a single block of massive granite, rising as high, as sheer and as unbroken as El Cap- itan, which it greatly resembles. The stri- king contrast Ten- aya Caiion thus pre- sents to Yosemite Valley is lucidly set forth by Dr. Fran- SentinrI Domr, on the Platrnu above VoNeniite Valley, xonth of T,' 1* * 4.#.L , Sentinel Roek. On the Niiiiiinlt l.s seen the lone .lelTrey I'ine ^OlS -Li. iViattneS, VThleli is shown at Inri^e on the opposite paee. A Charaof eristic l>onie I.aiiiiscaiK'; \ iew north from It. lloiVnian. In the foreKroiiiiil. ii(»te tiie ileep fis- sure separating: ^^'asllinK'ton' t'oluinn from the lt«i^al Arehes. 106 VOSliMlTi: AM) ITS IlKJll SIKKKA '^M^^ 'iiics, (lit' preiloiiiinniit ill ^oMfiiiUe \ alley the noted expert of the United States Geo- logical Sur\e\% who has for some years been in charge of the Sur\ev"s thorough in\esti- gation into the geological history of the Vo- semite region : The Vosemite Valley evidently was carved from prevailingly Hssured materials in which the ice was able to (juarry to great depth and width. Tenaya Cation, on the other hand, was laid along a rather narrow zone of fissuring, flanked by close-set, solid masses; and the glacier that flowed through it. while permitted to carve deeply — more deeply even than the mightier Yosemite Glacier, — was impeded in its lateral excavating, and has been able to produce only a narrow, gorge-like trough. — Sketi/i of Yosemite Nniionnl P/irk. The full report of Mr. Matthes' Yo- semite studies, which the Geological Survey expects to publish before the close of the present year, has long been looked forward to. Pending its preparation, he has from time to time made public, in the Sierra Club Biillfli)! and elsewhere, preliminarv obser- \ations of great value. In one such pass- age, he cites the progress of geological study in the Yosemite Sierra since the davs of such pioneer glacierologists as Clarence King and John Muir. 1 take pleasure in quoting this aLithoritati\e statement, as it clearly sum- marizes its author's deductions regarding matters formerly in dispute: In Muir's day glacial science was in its infancy, and no man had as yet that perspective of the succession of ice-ages and intervening epochs of milder climate which the worlil-wide research of the last two decades has made known to us. To Muir and his contempo- raries the Glacial Epoch still seemed a single, uninter- rupted cycle of glacial conditions that slowly reached a climax, like an oncoming tide, and then slowly waned, the glaciers making many repeated but progressively feebler re-advances, like the waves of an outgoing tide. To-day we know that the Glacial Epoch, so called, really consisted of several prolonged ice-tides separated by ei|ually prolonged intervals, during each of which the ronlinental ice-sheet and the lesser ice-bodies on our Western mountain ranges shrank back to their sources and perhaps vanished altogether. In the Sierra Nevada indications of at least two uieat ice-floods have been clearly recognized by several iliservers, — two ice-floods that occurred manifestly at widely difl^erent times, the later culminating probably oidy twenty thousand years ago, the earlier, perhaps as THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 107 much as several humlrcd thousand years ago. The evidence is the more readily established as the later ice-flood was the smaller and less extensive of the two and left undis- turbed the moraines — that is, the ridges of ice-carried rock debris — that mark the limits of the earlier ice-flood. In no part of the Sierra Nevada have these facts been ascer- tained with more precision than in the Yosemite region and the High Sierra immediately above it. T'hus it is now definitely known that the later ice-flood invaded the Yosemite Valley only as far as the Bridal Veil Meadows, whereas the earlier ice-flood advanced eleven miles farther down the Merced Caiion, coming to a halt a short distance beyond El Portal. — Sierra Club Bul- letin, Vol. xi., pp. 21, 22. Many who come to Yo- semite late in the season are disappointed when they dis- cover that the long summer of the High Sierra has de- pleted the famous Merced cataracts, Vernal and Ne- vada, and perhaps quite dried up Yosemite, Illilou- ette and Bridal Veil Falls. Hence too much emphasis can not be laid on the fact that the sight and music of ^ ^ these waterfalls, phenom- enal as we must regard them, are not the only or the best pleasure which Yo- semite has to offer the intel- ligent visitor. Even though he may not class himself with the "nature-lovers," one must be strangely in- sensible to the wonder- worIin;;' the Half l>(»iiie. This feat, lon^ deemed iiii- |i<>.s.sihle, «ns first achieved in l-ST.' I>y George C .\ii4iers(»ii, >vli4», witli ealile and eye-l»(»n.strueted with iron po.st.s. steel e:il>le.s, footholds. ;ind. at the steepest point, a riO-fot»t lad- der. 'I'lle tilial :iseent. XttO ft., over an incline some- times excceilin;;- AT* dejsrees, is thus made safe and comparatively easy. The summit. 4,!»70 ft. above the \'alley floor. <»fVers a memorahle vie«- of V4»- seniite, l.iltic ^ *>seiiiite, and most of the llerced- lllilitiictte watershed. 108 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA height were shaped to perfect propor- tion and beauty, in- stead of mere wild bulk, and how the whole view, seen from almost any point in the Valley, was softened to a landscape blending sylvan grace with tremendous power, must always be a study of surprise, interest and value. And so I repeat that the greatest and fin- est thing to be seen in Yosemite is the record of its making, written upon its sculptured walls, accented by its highest summits, and gently told again in the sunny forests and flowery meads of its floor. What a debt to the cold snows of the Sierra, and to the slow, savage ice-streams which they fed! And what forces of prime- val world-making molded El Capitan, Half Dome and the Sentinel to survive the glacier's mightiest thrusts! These superb cliffs, perhaps the noblest rocks in the world, withstood the ice as they now endure the storms. Serene and distinguished, they dominate the great Valley, expressing Yo- semite's majesty. "The Colorado Grand Caiion," wrote John Burroughs, "is more unearthly, apocryphal; but one could li\'e with Yosemite." The KiNNiircs, a deep f::a-sh in the south \v:ill of the \'nlley, near Tnft l*olnt. 'I'hi.s was made hy the er<»sion of a .small seetion of highly fissile roel& amidst an area of solider j^ranite. ICanKers* t'luii-llouse in loseiiiile \ alley, a uift from Stephen 'I', ^latlier. IJireetor of the >ational Park Ser\iee. !*» the men ^vli(» are developing and KuardiiiK the i'ark. KveninK PriinroseN and the Half Dome. These beautiful hiininoUN yelloiv tl4»>vers are a faiiiilar decoration of Yoseinlte, Hetohy Hetehy and o her valleys in the Park durin;; July, ^vhen their bud.s **poi>" open noiNily at .sunset for a sing;!,' ni^ht of fr»K'rant revelry. I \t the Koot of PtTtiniKlcx I*:i.sk in Koltrtinry. Tnkon «>n the e.vtreiii4' Kouthenstcrn border of the I'urk. ^vith t^ale l*eiik 4lO.!NE<) ft.» t^vo iiiileN ii^vny. This nnd other nii4»«v Neeiies shoivii in these pn^es vividly illiistrnte llie o|i|>i»rMi nit ies for ^vinter iiioiin tii iiieeriim- in the Niinny \ oNenilte iipianils. erster Peak. S« culleil 'I'riple Divide l*eak (ll,Gli{ tt.i, seen fritiii iiieadow.s al the foot c»f l'^t>er.. — . „ because its permanent nno^v-fields feed the San Joaiiiiin Ki^ er and t^vo forks of the Meroed. III. Ox\ THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE The silence that is in the starry sky. The sleep that is among the lonely hills. — William H'ordsiL'orlh. I ramble to the summit of Mt. Hoffman, eleven thousand feet high, the highest point in life's journey my feet have yet touched. And what glorious landscapes are about me, new plants, new animals, new crystals, and multitudes of new mountains, far higher than Hoffman, towering in glorious array along the axis of the range, serene, majestic, snow- laden, sun-drenched, vast domes and ridges shining below them, forests, lakes, and meadows in the hollows, the pure blue bell-flower sky brooding them all, — a glory day of admission into a new realm of wonders as if Nature had wooingly whispered, "Come higher." — John Miiir: "My First Summer in the Sierra." ^^[HE best way to see Yosemite is from the heights. The wonder and pleasure of this experience draws thousands of visitors each summer to Yosemite Point, overIooiIereed Hiver, tlie great ) «iNeiiiite Yvithout visitin;? (ilaeier l*oiiit, ivhieh ooniniandN one of the nolileNt and most estimate either the labor required or the rewards to be obtained. As one rises from the Valley, the view develops unexpected surprises; the oppo- site cliffs rise with him; new rock forms are discovered, colossal and unique; near-by proportions and distant perspective alike change with increasing altitude; until, at last, from the summits he beholds at his feet a vaster and more wonderful Yosemite than he has ever dreamed of. Few things are better worth while than such a climb. These upland trails are the keys that unlock, not only the secrets of Yosemite Valley, with its cliff sculptures, waterfalls and glacial story, but also the greater mysteries of the higher mountains. No one can ascend the Yosemite heights, under the clear Sierran sky, and behold the panorama which they unfold of the far-away California sky-line, without hearing the call of those snowy peaks and sunny ranges rising in the east. And even if he can not respond in person, he will gain from his broader outlook enduring memories of the grandeur E "^^^ ■ ' ''"^ peace of the mountains, recollections f'^' that t 3i . . . have power to m.ike I ^''-»„ Our noisy years seem moments in the being Of the eternal Silence. Splendid views of the High Sierra may be had from Glacier Point or North Dome, and nearer ones from Clouds Rest, east of Half Dome and easily reached by trail from Nevada Pall. Clouds Rest is the highest point on the rim of the Valley. I am sorry for any one who leaves Yo- X »_ Semite without at least visiting Glacier Climbing Mt. c'larkr Point. Evcn here the panorama inchules ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE 113 Mt. Starr King. Illilouette Watershed Glacier Point Hotel. north «'all of Yo.seiiiite Valley, bnckeil by distant >It. HnfTiuan, the oanieru sweeps throii^'h watershed of the Illilouette, anil all the heights, near and far, iVo one should leave interesting landscapes in Anieriea. not only the whole of Yosemite Valley and the neighboring domes, but embraces a score of noteworthy snow-peaks lightly silhouetted against the distant blue. It is important for the convenience and benefit of all Yosemite visitors that Glacier Point be brought by better roads nearer to the floor of the Valley. Hence it is to be hoped that when the road across Forsyth Pass is constructed, the undertaking will include a branch turning west from the top of Nevada Fall, crossing Panorama Point and the hanging valley of the Illilouette, climbing Glacier Point to the attractive new hotel there, and continuing along the south rim on the route of Pohono Trail, past Sentinel Dome and the best viewpoints over Yosemite Valley. Such a road, besides being many miles shorter than the present roundabout and uninteresting trip via Chinquapin, would quickly become one of the famous scenic high- ways of the world. I believe it no less feasible than desirable. As to the possibility of obtaining an appropriation for this work, in addition to the Forsyth Pass road, I find the whole matter convincingly summed up in a letter received from the Superintendent of the Yosemite Park. Lack of funds has long hampered Mr. Lewis In his efforts to fit the roads of the Park for automobile travel, and what he says may therefore be commended especially to on i.ake washhum at sunset. 114 VOSKMITE AND US HIGH SIERRA the attention of the CalitOr- nia delegation in Congress: If the proper enthusiasm is placed behind a real road-building plan for Yosemite, the question of a few hundred thousand dollars, one way or the other, is not going to prevent it from receiving Con- gressional approval. Likewise, un- less there is some force brought to hear, any scheme is going to be de- feated, and we shall continue on iiur present course of uncertain an- nual appropriations, allowing only for the barest needs. A disappointing lack of understanding recently de- feated — for a time, only, I hope, — a worthy effort to make Glacier Point quickly accessible from the Valley floor. This was a plan to dri\e an inclined tunnel from near the site of the Sierra Club's Le Conte Memorial upwards to near the Glacier Point Hotel on the rim abo\e. The tram- way would be wholly under- ground, thus offering tele- phone and electric light \^ires much-needed protec- tion from snow, and carry- ing passengers from one level to the other in a few minutes. On every count, the thing seems both desirable and feasible. But it met a storm of protest, largely due to the misrepresentations of a certain popular weekly, which employed a well-known California writer, who might easily have learned the facts, if he did not know them, to expose the project as a scheme to hang a railway on the outside of 1^1 Capitan! In time, no doubt, this underground road will splendidly demonstrate its value by carrying many thousands of Yosemite visitors to a better acquain- tance with the Yosemite upland in summer, and in winter to the best snow sports obtainable anywhere in California. Views of the High Sierra from the summits overlooking Yosemite Valley are a poor substitute for the prime enjoyment of days and nights spent among the loftv passes and fascinating alpine meadows nearer the On the OverhanKinK Hofk at (ilaripr r^ilit, with eiwht teet of sli€»«. (ilarier l*oilit. with its platrail well above 7,000 feet, seems destined (o l»eear]y e<»nstriietioii of the |>r<»|tosed in- elineil tunnel from the \ alley is needed. 116 VOSEMITK AND ITS HKill SIKRKA backbone of the range, with such ascents as may be within one's time and inclination. Hence the most important thing about the trails out ot the Valley is that they invite one on and on, to the grander Yosemite of the far heights. Visiting the Yosemite Sierra has till recently meant genuine explora- tion, but with the good trails now opened to many parts of the Park, one can hardly go anywhere below timber line without finding signboards or blazes guiding him to lake or peak or valley. All this is in disregard of the professional climber's fear that his favorite wilds will be rushed by the "mob." The Park Administra- tion wisely aims to make this great na- II o I II III II 4* l*:iss, — ii|>|iiT liew loiikitiK .smith; louver viftv. north, lit*- liiiv IN Neeii a niki^v- tivUl on the slopt* of MX. Vo^elNaii^'. with ailvanre of Sii>rra i'lllh liafk-train c-oiiiinu in- to \'ietv. Ilf.vonil art* HatVerty Crt'fk Canon and HatVerty and .lohn- son Peaks. tional recreation ground fully acces- sible to the public, as well as to the mountain enthusiast. The "mob," of course, will not follow; but mountain parties become larger every year, and with the establishment of lodges at Lake Merced, Lake Tenaya, and Tuolimine Meadows, the number of such companies taking the long trails is likewise multiplying. No season would be long enough to cover all the trails, of which the Park has six hundred miles. Hence it is best to under- take some definite section, knowing that unforeseen calls are likely to be made on one's energy and time. Every section offers enough of interest and wonder to make a summer's vacation a round of unforgettable days. And if your vacation fall in winter, the Yosemite country will wel- come you then quite as whole-heartedly. We have not as yet made winter mountaineering the popular sport it deserves to be; but when it becomes a popular sport in America, as it long has been in F.urope, then California's High Sierra, and notably the Yosemite uplands, with their abundant snow ii ; ■^ ;- f.^ ^-i^ ^ m ^ u. 118 VOSEMITK AND ITS HIGH SIERRA and steady weather, invit- ing the climber to explore the lofty mountains easily reached from Yosemite Vil- lage, will see the best of it. The fascination of such ad- ventures is shown in the re- markable High Sierra win- ter scenes reproduced in the following pages by courtesy of Miss Elizabeth Keith Pond, of Berkeley, and her brother, Mr. Charles McHenrvPond, well known Siiinnier Siii»\^- ti <■ I (1 s In t h <- Sierra, Ippcr picture sho\^ s linrty enteriii;; Park via l>un- ohue PusM and eaNt shf»iilfler of >lount I. yell. Middle, n vie^i south, near jf^i^^^>^ fin ^(►erster Pons, noroKN frozen Kake llnrriet. I.<»\ver, coiiNt- iiif; on Niiow s I (» p e near I-'oerstor I'nss. ivit h M ereed Cnfion nnd Mt. <'lark In dis- (nnee beyontl. f»t-^ 1^ both as a mountaineer and an a\iator. These daring climbers, one February se\eral years ago, made an expedition across the Illil- ouette basin and over \Ier- ced Pass, thence to the top of Fernandez Pass and of Triple Divide Peak, on the southeastern border of the Park. It was an experi- ence few have yet enjoyed, but the story told by these pictures and in Miss Pond's UY«riiS?Kfr>-'-.«3; 120 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA l.onkiii;^- lip I, yell Fork of the Tiioliiiiiiie, with Kunu <^'reNt on the exti-eiiie left, INitler I'oiiit in the center, and ParNoiiN Peak at the eiiil of the riil;::e heyond. charming plea for mid-winter climbing should inspire many to repeat it. "I am delighted," Miss Pond writes, "that you will call attention to the opportunities in and around Yosemite for winter mountaineering. There is nothing else like it, — such a \ast chain of accessible mountains, with their great rivers, forests and meadows under the deepest of winter snows, yet bathed by the warmest of winter suns. For those who love the winter camp in the open, and joys of snowshoes and skii, such a country is ideal. "Take your snowshoes down from the \,all, build a sled on skii, and climb to the lim of Yosemite Valley when the snow lies tieep over boulders, brush and ice-bridged streams; then away through meadow, for- est, and over the pass. Artist, camera and pen cannot present the full beautv of these \ ast snow-clad mountains imder sun, moon or lowering storm; but mental pictures live forever in the memories of those who ha\e camped among them. "With shoepacks, strong snowshoes, and ilurable sled well laden with blankets ami bacon, come with us up the \\'awona R(Kul in IcbiHiarw ^ ou need muscle for the hills, biit the sled will glide like a boat :iin at \ «»u*t'Isaii;i Pass. lit. . . . . . _ ,. . ■ (lark is seen in llie distanee. tO CXplorC ttlC mil Of tllC \ alleV, MonO 122 YOSEMITE AND ITS HI(;il SIERRA Rodgers, Klet'trii nnd DnviN I't^aks. Mecn from near iMlaiifl l*asN. Meadow, and Glacier Point; and while we stand on the summit of Sentinel Dome, we shall choose our route along the slopes of Mt. Starr King, and up the wide, open spaces of the Illilouette, to the southern heights of the Mt. Clark Range. If we are snowed in for a few days, here or there, let us build a lean-to. When the storm blows over, wind and sun form a new crust, and the going is better than ever. I *^'"^"^^W "The glorious winter days in the High Sierra can not be sur- passed. Clouds and snow-showers bring added beauty of color; sun- rise and sunset transfigure the land- scape with indescribable splendor. Time speeds by. We cross Mer- ced Pass, camp a while in the snow at Moraine Meadows, at the head of South Fork of the Merced, and a few days later stand on Fernan- dez Pass, more than 10,000 feet > ,1 -. x^^HS^^SK^^BQRm above sea-level. It has been a stifF climb in the snow, but worth all the effort, for we seem on the very top of the world, looking over a sea of mighty mountains. Down again we A Convrnlent «raok. Sii.-h <-haii<-e fiNsures mUSt gO, intO thc UppCr VallcyS of frenucntly tiffer the only iiossihlc trnlls i C T ' ] ^L 1 „ aoro«H the Binoier-.H.iishe.i Brani..- slopes, thc San Joaquin; and another long \s^m^^f9ms^^ ti,. % ..« .;^ '4 E e k. b e ^K ^^^ a & si C X s „ .it " i6 E«. - s M g 124 YOSEMIl 1-: AND US IlKJI! SII-.RRA Kiiii:i (rest, seen from iticndows iiciir >Ioii«» I*:in.s. climb brings us Lip Triple Di\"ide Peak. Here let us camp for several days, to enjoy the most wonderful view of all. The wind may blow, and the snow fall; but there is a rock for shelter, and the brush will burn! Night will be as brilliant as day, for the moon is full, and the stars seem within arms' reach. We lie snug and warm in our blankets on the snow, — No boughs here for beds ! — and gaze out over three great mountain ranges. A snow cornice overhangs, so we make a careful descent by cutting steps in the ice, lowering the sled and shoes, and sending the rolls of blankets over the brink. Away they go, out of sight; but we shall find them some- where in the e\"ening. "We are now on the homeward stretch, down the headwaters of the Merced, skimming Lake Washburn on the ice. Another day's climb, up I'.cho Creek and down the Sunrise Trail, \\ill bring us back to the Valley." Except for the old Tioga Road, as I have shown, all highways entering the Yosemite Park lead to Yosemite \'illage, and now, I am sorry to add, end there; tra\el to the uplands south and east of the Valley, or north of the Tuol- umne Ri\er, sa\-e for the hardy mountaineers who can carry their own blanket-rolls and knap- sacks, must he by the horse-trails. Of these there are already 615 miles, with a large ex- tension of the system planned for that da\' — May it be near at hand! — when Congress shall ■^- H >}>^ / t i -«. ( 'llllillU Sl*'|ts II |l tlU' S|M»M - l'inK:«-r on >I < . I.>t'll. — thv 4*liiii:ix of ii loii;^ anil iiit<*r- «>>itliiu :is<>4'ii t. ON THE CALIFORNIA SKV-LINE 125 awake to the desirability of dealing justly by this great Park. Meanwhile, several important trails have recently been built. The most interesting of these are the Forsyth Pass Trail, leading across the 9,000-foot gap just east of Clouds Rest, and the much- needed beginning of a trail down the north bank of the Tuolumne to the celebrated but al- most inaccessible Waterwheel Falls. AboAC, >U. Dana I i::,ll.'>0 ft.l. Keen from (■il»bK. Ile- lon-. Gibhs 3Iountain 412,- 700 ft.), from the Dan:i- <>ililis .saddle. The Forsyth Pass route, soon, let us hope, to be used by the new automobile road, offers a capital day's journey, horseback or afoot, via the great falls of the Merced, and the lower end of Little Yo- semite, to Tenaya Lake. En route, the wayfarer may enjoy one of the finest of the great tamarack pine forests that cover many of the Park's highlands, and study glacier history written plain at the top of Forsyth Pass. Here glacial scorings, and thickly strewn boulders that were plucked from uplifted sea-beaches back on the crest of the range and freighted hither to diversify this granite land- scape, tell of former glacier levels, and remind us of the tremendous depth and mass of the ice-streams that were pushed down from Tenaya Lake and the Cathedral Peak plateau on the north and from all the Merced sources on the south. It is one of the sunniest and best-paying trail trips near the Val- ley, especially if, at the top of the pass, one turns off for the short ascent of an- „^l ^ *.U -. J J-* 1. ^ 4.1 '^ r *'Aiir«»ii" :inil (ilarial Tarn ,,r l.akelet. on Other thousand feet to the summit of tL Merced at head ..f I.Utle Yo»emite. 126 YOSEMMK ANO ITS UK, II Sll.KKA Clouds Rest, ami the broad panorama of snow-peaks which it unfolds. The trail down the Tuolumne Canon leads as yet only to the upper fall, but it commands a fair view of the whole series, and makes every one who travels down from Conness Creek and Glen Aulin rejoice that Super- intendent Lewis finds himself able now to extend it to the main falls and on to Return Creek Canon. Every mile of the way tells wonderful stories of the work of ice and stream in digging this colossal trench. We shall see much of it, and of the Waterwheels, in the next chapter. Another much-needed trail ex- tension is the promised completion of Harden Lake I rail down the huge south wall of Tuolumne Caiion and across the river to Pate ' ^^W^^ ^ ^M^^^iaHS Valley. This trail, when opened, will furnish one of the most remarkable III \l|iiiif Ciiliforiilii. \l>ove. >lt. I>una (iljK'ier, Neon fniiii the Muniiiiit. nlth euiiiera pointing shnrply diiwnward to the iiiiiriiineN nnil Nnotv- fiivered iee ensi'mles. lie- low, an aretie pool, not at the North I'ole, hilt In lllooily t 'niinn. . It i, .^■■':t' \ d scenic trips in the Yosem- ite or any other National Park. Both these im- provements, Mr. Lewis writes, will be made during the summer of 1921. The next step in trail development on the Tuolumne will be a trail from Return Creek Canon, over the ridge above Muir Gorge (see p. 39), to Pate Valley. Outing parties visiting the High Sierra may now leave Yosemite Vil- lage, where camp equipment and supplies, horses and guides are to be had, by one of several trails. The most popular are, first, those by Nevada Fall, Little Yosemite and Lakes Merced and Washburn in the Merced Canon, continung thence up to the headwater peaks, or diverging to the Illilouette basin or across one of the north-side passes to the Cathedral Peak uplands; second, the trails from Glacier Point south to the lakes north of Wawona, or east to the upper Illilouette country and the heights of the Merced Range; and, third, the Snow Creek and Yosemite Falls Trails to the Tioga Road, and thereby to Lake Tenaya and Tuolumne Meadows. 128 YOSEMITE AND IIS HIGH SIERRA The Merced route, besides attractive branch trails to Clouds Rest, Mt. Clark, and their great outlooks, connects with other well-blazed trails crossing the Merced-Tuolumne divide via Sunrise Mountain or Tuolumne Pass; and also offers access to the entire upper water- shed of the Merced. In this basin, the Merced's branches flow down from cirques and '^.. snowfields which form a great i'! horseshoe stretching from the '■ Merced Range and Triple Di- vide Peak, on the south, along the crest of the Sierra to the Cathedral Peak Range. Its principal peaks, reaching eleva- tions of twelve anci thirteen thousand feet, are Long, Foers- ter, Electra, Rodgers. Lyell, McClure, Florence, Parsons and Vogelsang, — a splendid line of snow-fountains, encir- cling a \"ast amphitheater laced with canons and ridges, and ev- erywhere decorated with great riioraines left by the old Merced Cilacier. In this wild region, Mr. Muir counted sixty-seven glacier lakes, not to mention scores of others in the Illilou- ette basin, and a multitude more on the south side of the Park, in the watershed of the Merced's South Fork. This whole section is a favorite haunt of sportsmen, since its lakes and streams are abundantly stocked with trout, — as, indeed, are the waters of the entire Park. Many thousands of young trout have been successfully planted in nearly every stream and larger lake, up to nine or ten thousand feet. As the region offers some of the toughest mountaineering, so no- where in America is there better fishing. Down in Yosemite Valley, the Merced shelters many an educated trout that exhibits only indifference to the lures of the fly-book. But back in the streams ami lakes of the higher altitudes, as well as in the less fished I'oi'ksi'oiiili 4'r4*.s(, iiMi.st t'iirit»ii.s mill .strikiiiK **f lllllliy iiiniinrlcd iii(»lintllili iims.se.s fl(»t(iiiK (h*^ Hlpiiu' plateau east of Cathedral Peak. The KpireN er€»«-|iin(:: this crest and its neiffhikor.s, 1 nleorn. Keho, Coluiiibia and the Cathedral it- self 4 see |>. 27). testify that they missed the iee-plane, anil thus sliotv the highest reaeli of the K'reat 'l'iii»liiiiine tilaeier. ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE 129 'I'lie "iter^Mi'tirunil** uf Lyell Glacier. Thi.s German word < **iii4>uiitain rift**» is apiilied tn the great crevasse stretching across the head of every active glacier at the point where its motion begins, and the ice-stream pulls away from the summit snowtield. To the weathering of the slope exposed in such crevasses, through daily tha^ving anil freez- ing in summer, is chiefly due the head-wall cutting that digs the **circiue" or glacial heafl-liasin far back into the heart of the mountain, and opens passes through the range. This is now recognized as the prime factor in the sculpturing of high mountain dis- tricts. The upper rim of a bergschrunil often overhangs, as here, in a "snow-cornice." waters of Hetch Hetchy, during July and August, even a novice may fill his creel with glittering beauties. The native Rainbow trout {Salnto irideus) is widespread in the Sierra. The Eastern Brook trout (Salvelintis fnnt'tnal'ts) , introduced here from the hatchery near Wawona, has multi- plied extensively on the upper Merced, especially \ in Merced and Washburn Lalces, and also in the Tu- olumne basin. A few Tahoe trout (Saiiiio wxkiss hcn- shazvi) are also to be taken in the Merced, and an oc- casional Loch Levin, or hybrids of it with native species, rewards the angler. On the other hand, the „,^.i,^/»,.<^..11,, U..:ii:.,„4. „„ i '''"^ I plands in July. View of Kcho Peak from I'nieorn wonderfully brilliant and peak, with Mt. Honman in the distance. 130 YOSEMITK AND ITS lll(;il SIKKRA gamy (iolden trout ot high altitudes in the Mt. Whitney region is not fouiul here. It is to be caught only in the lakes and streams ot the southern Sierra, notably in the Cottonwootl Lakes, where it is known scientitically as Salmo agtia-bonita, and in N'olcanic Creek, Salmo roosi-vclli. I'Or those who mix mountain climbing with their fishing, or vice versa, the snow-peaks that sentinel the Mer- ced amphitheater offer fascinating ascents; and the climber is rewardeil with far-reaching views, both of that watershed and of the upper San ^^ SiiiiiiHil of <'4»iiiiesM >loiinfiiln (12, .'.'I! ft. I. 'I'hf I'liir Mliiinn bfliiiv is the I<>|| i>f a -J.dOO- fintt >T:tll, part iif thf rial «»f :iii ;in4*ient ;£tii(*i:ll <'ir(|iif. Joaquin. But the best mountain climbing in the Park is doubtless to be had from Tuolumne Meadows as a base. The way thither from the upper Merced, by either pass, is a day's easy march across high country of broad, snowy cols and sunny, wind-swept plateaus, dotted with peaks of curious glacial architecture and shining granite bosses, all bur- nished by the recent ice. It is country of immense interest, because it is astonishingly new, — so new, indeed, that the rapid disintegration common to altitudes of nine and ten thousand feet under daily interchange of sun and frost has not yet tarnished the landscape. Glacier-polished slopes and benches are common enough on the uplands adjacent to ^ osemite and 132 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Hetch Hetchy. Here, on the edge of the snowfields, they are every- where; but thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of years younger. How hard it is to take Nature's word for it, that this hind of sunshine and gentlest mountain airs, with joyous flowers in every hollow that holds a spoonful of soil, was yesterday a sea of sullen ice ! Yosemite visitors who have the time will find a trip to Soda Springs from the Merced, across one of the high passes, as fine an experience as .^^ VH the Park can give. But the Tuol- t^ I Mfl^rifT'* ^ umne maybe reached more directly V\f^ ^ '''■""^ ^^^ Valley, either by the Yo- ' Semite Point trail or by the Snow- Creek trail out of Tenaya Carion. Each of these trails soon brings one to the Tioga Road, which he fol- lows to Tenaya Lake, and thence northward past Mt. Hoffman and Fairview Dome. This is the region traversed by the south branch of the Tuolumne glacier, on its way to Tenaya Canon and Yosemite. The cleanness of the country is amazing, and we realize how the mighty ice-stream stripped the whole region bare of its overlying sedimentary rock, and left only the hardest granites (See pp. 29, 49). The trails radiating from Tuolumne Meadows bring a score of im- Keturnin^ from Asfent of llaiint'r l*4':ik. The C'rnterN of >loii(i loiiiilj. 'I'his iiiiitiiit* \oli-aiii(' riiiiKt*. wliii-h lies in llir ileNert of Eastern ('allf(»rnia, liehi^T ^lon<» PasM. rises ^..^lOO feet alM>\4' the near-hy >l€»iio Lake. The picture in a «"inter vle«' from l*iimlee A'alley. ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE 133 portant peaks, with their glaciers and snowfields, within easy reach of the climber. The story of actual ascents must be left to our illustrations show- ing some of the adventures of California's great Sierra Club. Of all high mountain scenes which reward such strenuous sport, the glacial head-basins are the most interesting. For they hold the secret of the glacier's method. The fundamental importance of such cirques as makers of mountain landscape was not recognized, even by leading geolo- gists, till a decade or two ago. Much less was it understood that the tool Matterliorn Canon, seen from its e:ist slope. Matterhorn Peak ( 12,27:2 ft.), is on the sky- line at rig'lit, and the Saw-Tooth Ran^^e in the distance on left of center. This slope bears one of the noblest forests of beautiful alpine hemlocks to be found in the Park. with which that work is done is the "bergschrund," or crevasse across the head of every living glacier, separating the moving ice from the snowfield above (See page 129). That the bergschrund, through its exposure of the head-wall to daily thawing and drenching, and to nightly freezing, plucks huge rocks from the mountain, and so drives the cirque deeper and farther back, till great peaks are undermined and overthrown, and broad passes are cut where two glaciers head together, — this world-old romance of the silent, icy heights is one of the newest nature-stories told by twen- tieth-century science. So little were these things known a few years ago, indeed, that the famous Scotch geologist, Professor Geikie, could describe the "corries" or cirques of the Scotch Highlands as mainly excavated by "convergent torrents," dropping over their rims! But if Geikie's theory begged the question, it remained for our distinguished American scientist. Dr. Gannett, president of the National Geographic Society, writing as late as 1898, to ascribe the cirque to the avalanches which its steep walls induce. 134 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Neither Scot nor American visual- ized his mountain as it was before the glaciers had clawed into its heart. Said Gannett: Glaciers commonly head in amphithe- aters or cirques — basins lying under the shadow of the summit cliffs. An amphithe- ater is surrounded on three sides by vertical walls or steep slopes, down which the ice and snow slide in avalanches. The effect is precisely like that of a waterfall. The fall- ing snow and ice dig a hollow or depression at the foot of the steep descent, just as water does. Such amphitheaters are found at the heads of all glacial gorges in the high moun- tains. — Xational Geographic Magazine, vol. '. p. 419. Dr. Gannett assumed the ex- istence of the "vertical walls" and "steep descent" — the very things his theory professed to account for ! But Held work by those indefatiga- .* Typical «;iari:,i . ir.n.e on Kuna .res,, su.-h ^Ic gkcicr-trailers, Johnson and a horseshoe-shapeii ii.aii-i..isiii i» due by Matthes, discovcred the real cause. each fX'lacler. iiniiik' (he her^-.s4>hrllii(l as a tool. It was the bergschrund that dug the cirques and modeled the peaks of this new land of the West, just as, in older time, it helped to level the once lofty ranges of the East. California's mountains crown all her diversified wealth of scenery and cli- mate. The story of her old glaciers is as fascina- ting as the new life of tree and flower which they have made possible. Un- der the gentle and unfail- ing sunshine of the high- lands, on one of their broadest alpine meadows, those dauntless explorers, the members of the Sierra Club, led by John Muir, America's greatest moun- taineer and long their presi- dent, discovered the Foun- tain of Youth, and proved /•III ,' c * Piute Mountain, and I.akelet near the head at It no table but a ract or the seavey Pa»». ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE 135 Yosemite Sierra. Here, at Soda Springs on the Tuolumne, they have established their upland headquar- ters, Parsons Lodge, a memorial to another beloved member, and from this base in alternate summers they explore all the neighboring heights. But for Muir no building is a fit me- morial. He is commemorated truly in the stark granite trail which bears his name, leading south from the Yosem- ite country to the alps of the southern Sierra. And what a leader was Muir ! As one reads his books or recalls inspir- ing talks with him, George Sterling's lines on another great Californian come to mind: of all he said, I best recall: "He knows the sky who knows the sod ; And he who loves a flower loves God." Sky, flower and sod, he loved thera all. The Sierrans testify their love of the mountains by spending a month each summer among them. This is the sanest and most joyous of sport. It was my privilege a few years ago to join the club's large party at their camp in Tuolumne Meadows, and there learn how two hundred and fifty men and women, drawn from all the professions, lawyers, teachers and business men, students, doctors, preach- ers, were able, after a day's climbing, to gather about a huge campfire, and jest away their weariness in club songs : There are rocks in the cradle where I sleep, And roots and cones embedded deep ; .Aslant I lie upon tny bed. My feet are higher than my head. I know I shall not hear the "call" — My camp is farthest off of all; And so I dare not go to sleep. While ants and lizards o'er me creep. liritiiii itt S.'O-foot Sequoias, shon'iii^ oliar- a*'teristi<' dome shape of erown when unbroken. The sharp-pointeil trees at sides are White Firs (Abies eoneolor). Xearing the Summit of >lt. I.yell. Ah ! those mountain fire- sides, after the long marches 136 YOSEMITF. AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Vif%^v Knst from ll«>iisoii I*:ins (10.i:tO ft. I. In llie fort'K t'ottiid, Wilson (rrt-k <'Hrit»n leadx lloivn to thv >latteriiorn Cafion. I^iffht iniIeK fast, 4'onneMS >loiln(ain rises at renter of the sky-line, over the snow-rields, or across the passes, or down the canons! We were not always frivolous. One evening, a brilliant college philosopher put into crisp English Plato's legacy to modern life. Again, a returned displomat outlined America's relations with the Orient, and a well-known Hebrew scholar, turning from philology, very delightfully describeil the birds of Yo- semite. Another night, a distinguished scientist from California's great uni- versity explained how he told the years of a trout. "We estimate the age of a tree," said the solemn professor, "by its growth rings. We estimate the age of a horse by its teeth. We estimate the age of a woman by counting ten, and then asking. We estimate the age of a fish by noting the circles in its ear- bones." No wonder those "serious" campfires drew crowds of tired tramp- ers ! This inspiring society is one of the most useful of California organiza- tions. We mar\el that the East goes to Europe to see mountains. This will be true until we make our own more Unable mountain districts as accessible Sno« IMai.1 tSaroodes san«...i»ea..— the ^^ ^j.^ fhe AlpS, and aS Wcll knOWn. hMv iMiic- h*-H. «hero its srni.v s' t % follow the relreal of thv snow. ttlCSC tUSKS. ^ S^ ii "a* r s >. - « * _ £ J3 3 - • -_1„ = T ■? * £'£§ 3 ^ ^ X = : I d J ° 4) s s otvi'r lOnd of 'I'littlliiiiiie llt':i€loi%.s. tvitli <'ii(bedrjil l*(>uk on the sky-lliic. 'I'lie Tio^u Itoail skirtN the Niiuth Nlile i>f the Valley, whieh lis als4» rea<'lied liy niiiiiy trnilM, innkinK it the niOKt aeeeNslhle point In the n<»rth<'aNtern part of the I'ark. ivliile the Important mountain** MiirroiindinK it make it a favorite Mtartlnu point f<»r exploration. In the eenter of thlM pietlire i.s .seen the Soda S|»rinBs traet of the Sierra Clnh, ItSO a*'res. inelu- dins the Sprln^^H themselveN, at the edKe of the tvooded moraine nitrth of the river liend. Tbe Club ItaN ereeted a lodK'e here. 'I'liis \iev.' is from the summit of l.amhert l>4»me. which was preempted by John Baptist Lembert, a stockman, in 1885, be- fore the creation of the National Park. The tract embraces several fine mineral springs, and with one exception is the only private holding in the eastern section of the Park. The land is part meadow and part hillside facing the moun- tains on the south. Its central location, with the Tioga road running south and east, and trails radi- ating to all parts of the Tuolumne wa- tershed, makes it the natural starting point, either for mountain climbing, or for exploration of Tuolumne Caiion and the alluring re- gion north of it. The AVhIte < as<;ilaiiy <)f these. • . 1 J* «. like the one in vle«. are of (jreat heiuht anil splendor. With CCJUal UireCt- TUOLUMNE GRAND CANON AND HETCH HETCHV 141 ness across the passes to Mono Lake or west to Hetch Hetchy. Many times in its history, at in- tervals of a few years, the Club has found Tuolumne Meadows a con- venient and delightful base for sum- mer explorations; and here, on the one hundred and sixty acres which good fortune enabled it to acquire, it has now erected its High Sierra headquarters. This structure, ad- mirably planned to fit into the upland scene, and built of rough stones from the moraine on which it stands, is named "Parsons Me- morial Lodge," in honor of the late Edward T. Parsons, long a direc- tor of the society, and one of its most active mountaineers. With an established mountain home, the Club returns more frequently than ever to the Meadows as a climbing center, and, save for its trips into the Southern Sierra, is likely to find hereabout enough climbing of varying difficulty, to occupy most of its members on most of its summer expeditions for years to come. It is only a day's good walk from Soda Springs to the summit of Mt. Dana and back. The Tioga Road and Dana Fork are followed to the foot of the mountain, whence the trail climbs the pass between Dana and Gibbs. The ascent from the saddle is short and easy. The summit of Dana commands a view of more snow-peaks, probably, than one can see with so little labor anywhere else on the continent, while a mile down on the east side lie Mono Lake, rimmed with fine mountains, and, south of it, a gray and grim line of volcanic peaks. From the Dana-Gibbs saddle one July day, — the only stormy day of that Sierra Club outing, — I be- held a scene not soon to be forgot- ten. In Tuolumne Meadows, west- ward, it was raining lightly; but be- low us, on the east, a wild thunder- storm swept the Mono Lake basin ^. ^ with lightning and rain. All the Cookstoves on Ibr niuroli. l':irl ..I ili<. Sierrn 1-1 l rn J cinb'.s commissary in motion. great amphitheater seemed filled Glen Aulin anil \\ iidfat I'liint. near the upper end of Tu4tluiiine Grand I'niion. .I'^^Il^^^Wf' m^-^i mmx: -m^.^. IS loluniiip FnIK, nt (he llenil of the Ornrul 1'nnoii of the Tuolumne: — lirst and mo.st Ini- l>i>rtnnt of the 4>ii.s4-:ideN by nhieh this ntihly turbulent rii er, droiipin;; r>.0()0 feet In twenty-live inileM, eoines tu the (|uiet uuters jind t\ild Kairden>» of lleleh lletchy. Grand Canon of the Tuolumne, seen from Its north «all. liM»k.iit»4 ai'r«».sM t<» ifae 4lfe|>l> eroded side of FalU Ridj^e. This vast cutting by glacier ani>\t* (he \\ iiler^vheels. with the black, solid mass of the tempest; but as flash upon flash pierced the darkness, we saw, ^^^^ \ivid as day, the [ ' ^1 ^^i^^^^^^l breakers beating the shore of the lake, and the trees upon the islands that dot its breast. While this storm blackened the Mono basin at our feet, beyond stretching far into Nevada, range after range rolled away, waves of a sea of mountains, flashing in the same sunshine that bathed our lofty outlook. Other peaks are reached from the Tuolumne base with almost equal ease. The trail to Mt. Lyell and its neighbors follows up Lyell Fork, and unfolds a succession of splendid mountain pictures. In other direc- tions, trails lead north to Conness Mountain, remarkable for the sheer walls of great glacial head-basins, and to beautiful Matterhorn Caiion and the Benson Pass country. Those who like still harder climbing may go with the Tuolumne down the whole length of its rough canon to Hetch Hetchy. The Sierra Club parties commonly divide, part taking the trail across the uplands, the rest choosing the pathless river gorge. The former route offers the inspiration of wide views from the heights; the latter, the zest of a long scramble across huge boulders and pol- ished benches, around frequent cascades, and over the walls of such impassable box-canons as Mulr Gorge. The canon of the Tuolumne is one of the deepest and wildest glacier-troughs in the world. Its walls rise to heights of a mile above the mad ri\er, with constantly changing inter- est in their sculpture. The waterfalls of the Tuolumne are nowhere comparable in altitude with Ver- nal or Nevada Falls; almost invariably the erosion of their granite glacier-steps has con\erted them from straight cataracts into broken, gliding cascades; but they have the fascination of infinite \'ariety and the impressive power of repetition, while t'atheilnil Creek l''nllN, (he tine ens- eacle hy ivhieli ('ii(heflral C'reeic flropN tn(i» 'ruolniniie Cnntin. TUOLUMNE GRAND CANON AND HETCH HETCHY 145 C alil'i>riiia Falls and I [iper A\ aterirheels. their setting, at the bottom of this truly grand canon, is far more stupendous and wonderful than that of the great Merced cataracts. For twenty-five miles of cascades, rapids, sheer falls of lesser drop, and delight- ful glacial tarns, the wild river plunges down a path so nar- row and difficult that to follow it two or three miles is sometimes a day's work for a party of experienced climbers. Even these climb over and around Muir Gorge, rather than risk their lives in its deep flume. Camping at Conness Creek basin, below the splendid Tuolumne Falls, and at the foot of the noble White Cas- cade, most of the Sierra Club party, one July before the present trail was made, went down the caiion as far as the Water- wheel Falls. It was a surprising and I dare say almost unique scene that rewarded the hard tramp over rough earthquake talus and through the dense chaparral. These veritable "waterwheels" are found where the turbulent river, shooting down smooth inclines at furious speed, drops in- to spoon-shaped depressions caused by the erosion of soft rock. The water is hurled aloft, twenty to forty feet at different stages of the stream, and the backward action of the spray gives a good imitation of a wheel revolving with great velocity. Returning to Conness Creek, we took the high trail, a day or two later, up the fine Cold Creek Meadows, and across Vir- ginia Caiion, thence climbing an unnamed *'"?„"«";" "rl7^i'' 17opr„rMa;: P^ss to reach Miner Lake, and late in the terhnrn Cafion. where there Is a jaftCmOOn dcSCCnded thrOUgh a nOtCWOrthv remarkable forest of this most Ir riL 'ri *i ii graceful of alpine trees. itorest ot ttic beautitul mountam hemlocks 146 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Largest of the "AVaterwheels," Tuolumne Cauon. to our night's camp in Matterhorn Caiion. Matterhorn Peals, and the cafion are worth seeing, but the next day, after we had climbed the long trough of Wilson Creek to Benson Pass, and then ascended the hills over- looking the pass at an elevation of about 10,500 feet, a wonderful array of mountains, cafions, valleys and lakes swept majestically from Conness on the east around the circle to Rancheria Mountain and the blue deeps of Tuolumne Canon in the southwest. Everywhere the vast amphitheater told of its ancient inhabitants, the glaciers, now long vanished, but pro- claimed in the clean-cut cirques, deep-set glacial lakes, and silvery water- falls dropping from hanging valleys high on distant canon rims. Descending from Benson Pass, the trail wound round Volunteer Peak, past Smedberg Lake, and in the sunny afternoon brought us to camp on Rodgers Lake, the queen of all lakes on the north side of the Park. Leaving this camp the next morning, abandoning the ilelightful lake shore was a hard part- ing. But the day brought new wonders in the great views it gave us of Tuol- umne Canon, as the trail oc '^■IH^HBB skirted its north wall. Camp CoaKtinK on the folUhed liranite. n< (he W nler«vheels. at Ulgnt at rlCaSant Valley ■s >: Si *• a a 11 - e c *• Via £■0 Ja? = s * X 3j 148 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA in Piute Caiion was followed by the long ascent of Rancheria Mountain, the next day, through forests of red fir (J hies viagnifica) that were a joy to see. These stately trees justify Chase's enthusiasm: "If I were called upon to choose the one among the conifers that I would live and die by, I should choose the red silver fir, with no fear of ever wearying of its sub- lime companionship." Reaching camp on Rancheria early in the afternoon, we had more glimpses down into the Tuolumne abyss, and still more the following morn- SiiiiNct on SnieflliiTK lf Piute Creek, north of the Tuolumne. ing, when the trail led us westward to Rancheria Creek. The descent into its caiion brought us to its charming falls, and finally to the Mecca of our pilgrimage, lovely, famous, changing Hetch Hetchy. This book is not a brief for or against the San Francisco power and water dam. Enough has already been said on both sides of that contro- versy that were better left unsaid; and although I am heartily with those who oppose the commercializing of any of our too few national parks, I recognize that many conservative and disinterested Californians, both in and out of San Francisco, hold that the conversion of Hetch Hetchy to the city's use was necessary, and that it need not close the Tuolumne watershed, or preclude the establishment of sanitary camps and hotels for visitors who may wish to explore the Tuolumne highlands. The issue was fought in good faith, and to a finish. Congress acted sincerely in the belief that B — a s : !3 150 VOSEMITE AND ITS HICH SIERRA the necessities of this case transcended the danger of a possibly troublesome precedent. Its action, confirmed by court decisions and commercial set- tlements, has closed the controversy so far as the public is concerned. It remains for me only to point out that Hetch Hetchy is soon to become one of America's finest lakes, and that, in the change from a glori- ous mountain Valley to a unique mountain lake, some far-reach- ing public benefits will result. If there were no Yosemite, Hetch Hetchy would doubtless be the most celebrated Valley in America. But it is mislead- in the Heiirt of the Tuolumne (irand t'nnon. Above, the Tuolnnine In ween near its jtiiiftion ivllli t'athetlral ("reek. The louver vie«- >*ho\v.s the entranee to ^luir (iorjie. Here the ri^er eontraets to a raee-llke Ntreani. Kri|»|iecl helween the sheer walls of a Ikix eanon. ^vhieh is Inipa.ssnble save at li»«est water. Kew have e^er iiiaile the trip. ing, though easy, to describe it as merely a minor edition of the more magnificent caiion. The resemblances, of course, are startling. Sheer gray walls of granite, marked with "royal arches," crowned with domes, and hung with splendid waterfalls, rim a similar level valley floor. This records the filling of an ancient glacial lake, which is still more plainK recalled in the high rock sill at its lower end (See page 154). Here the Tuolunme, after flowing la/ily for three miles amidst meadows and the charming forests which ha\e now been felled by the engineers, cut a narrow 152 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA box-canon, where now the San Francisco dam is building. Slowly passing this bar, the stream at once resumed its role as a caiion torrent, and bounded wildly away to join the distant San Joaquin. Thus the Valley duplicated the glacial story of \'osemite. But Hetch Hetchy had, and has, a character and atmosphere all its own. Three hundred feet lower in altitude than Yo- semite, it is only half as long and wide, with walls two-thirds as high. The smaller caiion is warmer, sunnier, more gra- cious. Its beauty is less appall- ing, and while the forests re- mained, its charm was so much more intimate that save for the formal resemblance and con- tiguity of the two Valleys, a reader of mountain character might never think to compare the gentler graces of Hetch Hetchy with the stupendous and startling grandeurs of the more famous canon on the Merced. The walls of Hetch Hetchy, imposing in their height and sculptured forms, will make a very notable frame for the restored lake. Its two great waterfalls, with the fine cascades in the branch canons of Rancheria and Till-Till Creeks, so far as not buried by the 300-foot lake level, will always be among the most beautiful in the Park. But the Valley floor, with all its splendor of mountain flowers and stately forests, is gone forever. Utility apart, and as a matter of beauty, no lake can ever take its place, or make up the loss of such groves of pines and oaks. Black oaks dominated here, just as the yellow pines are supreme on the floor of Yosemite. Ti, I I ,. * VVeliirhinK the llunnnffe. ThiM cereiiioiiy preoeileN each aller than the live oaks, ilay-s mar.-Ii on n sierra a a ER 2 ■• 2 1 >- •■ "^ a 3 j< « * _" ■• s *^ *- '* f K - a =:■= s » b I -■'si- aria- ai}-.2S i; k e l<- Mit I nitanieil I. like In l'Mennt>r C'lifinn above l.nke ICIeanor. TUOLUMNE GRAND CANON AND HETCH HETCIIY 155 its $45,000,000 of 4^2 per cent bonds in 1910 may increase the cost of the Hetch Hetchy-Lake Eleanor project by fifty per cent. Even so, San Fran- cisco's investment will be the best of the three. For the engineers have calculated that it will not only add 400,000,000 gallons daily to the city's present water supply — a generous per capita allowance of 100 gallons a Hetrhy Hetoliy Gorjte. Here is seen the roek sill telling of the Valley's history as a fliled-nii glaoial lake. In this gullet, twenty yards ivide, the San Franeisro engineers, under authority of (onBress, are building a 300-foot dam, nhich ivill oreate a lake seven miles long, impounding 112,000,000,000 gallons of the Tuolumne's snow wr.ters, now wasted in spring floods. This will add 400.000,000 gallons daily to the water supply of the San Franolseo flay Distriet, In bringing it to sea-level, an eleetrio devel- opment ultimately totaling 200,000 horse-p(»wer is promised. day for a future metropolitan district of 4,000,000 inhabitants — but will develop 250,000 horse-power of hydro-electric current. In a word, the return from the city's outlay should, after redeeming the bonds, greatly reduce taxes, while providing water and power at low prices for the entire municipal, industrial and domestic needs of the Bay section for generations to come. Any account of the wider Yosemite that is fast coming into public use must make note of the opening of San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy rail- road, sixty-eight miles along the Tuolumne. This for the first time fur- nishes direct access to Hetch Hetchy Valley, and a base for exploring the wild mountain and lake region north and east of it, stretching from the Lake Eleanor headwaters to Tuolumne Grand Caiion. Many visitors may be expected to enter the Park by this railway, visiting Hetch Hetchy, 156 YOSEMITE AND ITS llKill SIKRKA Lnke lOlennor. five miles north^v«-'«( of llcti-h lleti'hy. This heaiilif iil iiiuuntnin-wiille*! Inke, enlarged by n dam nt its outlet, Im now a part of the San Franeiseo water NyNtem. and thence journeying across the hills by auto-stage from Mather Station, via the Tuolumne Big Tree Grove, to Yosemite Valley. The trip is full of scenic and historical interest. For the lower Tuolumne Canon is all "Bret Harte country"; the "bars" and "flats" along the river still bear the names given them by the old Argonauts who worked them for their "dust," and Groveland furnished the original of "Tennessee's Part- Next to the Hetch Hetchy Railroad, the most important step in opening the Tuolumne below Soda Springs for \isitors is the new trail now to be completed from Harden Lake to Pate Valley. It will be one of the most popu- lar trails in the Park, leading down to the very heart of the Tu- olumne Grand Canon. ''l^e-l''iiiKer I'^jill.s, In Uanrlteria ("reek. Iet4'h llet,*hy. i i i - '■^ - • i = «i i s ^ - s J. i s J * •* s * ^ a ■=5 2 ' i * » 5 * s 9 s s ■- 3 . e j< s => * a< — P> i5o 2r.S • * Ml : J 8 « B " s 1-3 4, . S s «* 3 •3 £ -: 5 X !! . 3 ^ ' '^■3 s ? J s - . St- i «i s ' -I 1 I M ■3 £ * r * i - - "■is S " a 1 t! « B : « The **^IeK|iil«-> .*• iMit* of lli*- iiuix>i \ tl.i imxleltMl Oifs; Treej* in the >luri|K»s:i Grove. This lilant Sequoia is rredileil (»tlM>ially ivlth ii rireii inference of seventy feet at the ground, and a diameter of -2.:t feet. \t ten feet up. these diinenNii>nN nre a thiril lewH; but above its biilKinu base the Sequoia's etiliininar bole tapers slo^vly up to its eonipaet eroivn. Cavalrymen at the Cabin in >lari|io.sa <;r*>ve. For many years the NutitMiiil I 'ark ^vas policed by a cletail of Vnited Stutes ea^ airy, and its Superintendent was an Army olttoer. This system, however, was changed by the last Feileral ailministratlon to one of civilian supervision. V. KINGS OF THE FOREST Poems are made by fools like me. But only God can mnke a tree. — Joyce Kilmer: "Trees." In terraced emerald they stand Against the sky, Each elder tree a king Whose fame the wordless billows magnify. — George Sterling: "An Attar of the West.' |HE crowning glory of the Yosemite country is its forests. Every- where below timber-line, these boldly make themseUes a factor in the mountain scene, and always they render to it an invaluable service, both of beauty and of utility. On the farthest ridges, they climb to inaccessible heights, and up to the very limits of plant life are found struggling to conceal the glacial scars, soften the bleakness of moraine and caiion, and decorate the barest granite benches with tough, adventurous pines and junipers. Covering valley and mountain-side alike with their protecting coat of rich green verdure, they shelter the snows and maintain the mountain springs. Thus, both directly and indirectly, they work incessantly to beautify the High Sierra, while, by preserving the head- fountains of river supply, they make possible the agriculture of the lands below. The Yosemite forests are mainly composed of only a few great species. Commercially, they are almost wholly made up of conifers, the 160 YOSEMITE AM) ITS HIGH SIERRA oaks, maples and other hard- wood trees occupying a wholly secondary place in the vast army of tree life. Foremost among the cone-bearers in ex- tent and commercial importance stand the pines, with the grand Sugar Pine ( Pintu lambcrti- ana), noblest of all the tribe, and its ubiquitous rival. West- ern Yellow Pine ( P'niiis ponde- rosa), and the latter's hardy first-cousin, Jeffrey Pine {Pinits jeffreyi), far in the lead. Ex- tending the broad province of the pines upwards into the sub- alpine belt, and often far to- wards timber-line, the Lodge- pole Pine (Piiitis contorla) , here commonly called Tama- rack, undertakes the homely office of covering the wildest moraines and windiest ridges with forest life and something of forest charm. Two of the great family of the firs range from the upper edge of the Yellow Pine belt to the middle Tamarack zone. These are the White Fir {Abies concolor) antl Red or "Sil\er"' Fir (Abies SuKlir I'in** < IMiiii.s l:iiiilK*rli:iiiii ). loadcil Willi €M»lirN. 'I'liiN Ircr. kiiiK of nil llie pjiicN. In niitoil for ilN lliii' I'oiie.s, ttvelve lo liveiily iiiflicf, lonfji'. The "Falli'ii >loiiar<'li,*' ^vilh tri»o|i of I'lt^tllry. This K'reat Secilloia, nht'ii NlJindllif!^. wax our of till* InrueNi in the >larl|>ONn iirove. D.s5g k.jS a! f, -H a V 162 VOSEMITK AND ITS HIGH SIERRA A Tliiek Sfnnil of JelTrey nnd VuunK YeIlo*¥ Pine. The uilult trees in f<»rt'Krouiiil are JelVrey Fines, easily l^no^-n by the dee|i lissurin^; nnd Irre^iiliir ridures iif (lieir dnrit refl-l>roivn hiirlt. and its riil^'es irre;:;ularly eonnected. tMtntrastine' tvitti the l»rt>ad, sliield-lilie plates In tlie russet-red hark of mature Yellow I'ines < See pp. .%- nnd l«t;l». Tiiis interesting:^ pieture illustrates the open character 4»f the Sierran forest, ivhere one may often wander at will, ivith a compass for his only Kuide. niacfiiifica) , both of them splendid members of the clan. Less numerous than these, but still a familiar inhabitant of fertile \alleys and watered ridges, in the lower third of Yosemite Park, is the Incense Cedar [Liho- tedriis (Iccurroii ) , always an inter- esting and beautiful tree, with bark and foliage, and often with a crown, suggesting somewhat distant kinship with the greatest of all conifers, the Sequoia. The Yosemite National Park contains three groves of Sequoia gi- c/aiili-a, which botanists now agree in calling, with specific reference to Its pre-eminence among the world's •.permoi > a I ion.Mvs (r.-ck. sllva, "Big Trec." Thcse groves KINGS OF THE FOREST 163 naturally form the climax of the Yosemite forests, as the tree itself represents the climax of all plant life. Two of them, the Merced and Tuolumne Groves, on the west border of the Park, contain from thirty to forty mature trees each, some of them magnificent rep- resentatives of their kind. But the Mariposa Grove, on the south side of the Park, and reached via Wawona, is one of the largest and most important areas of Sequoias which are found in the central Sierra, and are termed "groves" by way of distinguishing them from the vast Sequoia "forests" of the southern slopes of the range. The Yosemite forest, of course, forms a mere fraction in the great blanket of tree life which clothes the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Range. This vast woodland is about five hundred miles long and from twenty to thirty miles in width. Predominantly a pine forest, it locks hands, at the Siskiyous, with the broader zone of Douglas Hr, which sweeps up the coast, through western Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, to the very edge of the Alaskan glaciers. But colossal as is the northwestern fir forest, holding in Washington and Oregon a full third of all the standing timber now left in the United States, yet the mid-Sierra belt of pines and firs embraces not only the most noteworthy trees for size and age which any country can claim, but also the finest open forests and the largest variety of conifers. The grandest of these cone-bearers, and therefore the world's noblest tree, the Sequoia, is found nowhere else. When an observant lover of trees crosses this California forest, tra- versing the very gradual west slope of the Sierra from the comparatively barren foothill belt of digger pine and poison oak up clear to the timber- line beneath the snowfields, he discovers that the forest he has seen divides itself with some distinctness into belts or zones, corresponding, though with many variations, to the parallels of elevation shown by the contour lines of a topographic map. The variations, he learns with a little study, are Sii^^ar I'ines and 'bellow Pine, .sho^vin^ the lar^-e flat plates in the hark of the mature Yellow I*lne eontrasteil with tlie .smaller anil .shal- lt»>ver convolution!-! in the hark of the other trees. 164 YOSEMITK AND MS II1(;H SIKRRA 1 largely caused by ditierences in the character of the yrouini. Does it slope to the north or to the south? Is it k\cl land, well planted with soil and well watered by streams, or rocky hill- side, holding little of the melted snows? But in gen- eral the \ital factor in de- termining tree species, is temperature. Trees that l()\e the hot, dry lowlands not only shun the region of long winters and heavy snows, but they seldom in- \ade the median zones of moderate temperature and precipitation. On the other hand, some trees prefer the colder levels. "Often," says I'rof. Hall, "the line be- tween two belts is as sharp as though cut with a knife; again the belts overlap and intermingle in so confusing jeirre, i-m.-s. in the i..y„ K.,r.,t. e=.». of Y..s,.,ni..- ^ manner that even the ex- I'ark. Th«- ailiill tree K.-en here Is one of Ihe pert is bafHed in an attempt IliTne-s* speeiinens, helnp: about ten feet in (liaineter J* ' * U U '^ D ami 2(10 ft. hiKh. 'I'his tree fre<|iientN liare firanite tO dlStmgUlSh them. DUt slopes an.l the tops of ^ oseo.i.e .ioo.es. ,vhere it j,^ general it is UOt difficult to discern the broad boun- daries which climate and rainfall have set for the several species. These establish type. If there were an ele\ation midway the western slope of the Sierra and high enough to command the whole of the Yosemite National Park, any one who climbed to its summit might, with the aid of a powerful field- glass, see spread out below^ him a series of forest belts, running north and south, and distinguishable by the foliage of their dominant trees. On the east, the farthest strip would be a thin cover of alpine forest, mainly com- posed of gav white-bark pine (Piiiiis alhuaulis) and somber mountain hemlock (Tsuga iiicrlcnsiana) . These two species alone inhabit the upper edge of their zone, dwarfed and pathetic forest outposts, no longer bearing the true form of trees, but starxed by the cold, short season, and op- pressed by the deep snow of long winters, until they are mere dense mats of tough, sprawling branches, on top of which even a horse could pick his often assumes (iw.'irfeii anil fniitjistit* forms; l>iit uniler favornitie eonilitioiis it nttalns n sliapeiy ami mastiii^e K'rowth. An A^ed Juniper, inhabiting o moraine 4»n trail fr(»ni Tuolumne lleiidoiVN to Conne.sN Creek. Tfiis pietureN<|ue and hardy tree, e<»iiiiiionly l^no^vn as AA'estern or Sierra Juniper, in believed to outlive all its eon temporaries save only the Sequoia. 166 YOSEMITIC AND ITS MICH SIERRA Steps. Such is the timber Hne in the Sierra, at an eleva- tion reaching well above 10,000 feet. But the lower bor- der of this alpine belt, a thousand feet below, shows quite a different forest. Here the pines am] hemlocks take cour- age from the less austere climate to stand erect. They gather in their first groups, along the little avalanche meadows, and offer shelter at their feet to some bright, in- trepid flowers. This is the upward limit of the mountain "parks," where cal- ochortus, cassiope and erythronium shoulder aside the loitering snow-crusts, in order that they may lose none of the too short summer. And hither come stragglers from the next tree zone, stray mem- bers of the far-spread lodgepole pine tribe (Pinus contorta) , with occa- sional supporters of western white pine (Piiiiis monticnla) , foretelling the better covered areas of their own belt, the zone of the lodgepole or tama- rack pine. This great tamarack zone shows many spaces occupied by Jeffrey pines, hemlocks and red firs. It is the first of the commercial forest, and, outside the Park, is beginning to contribute substantially to the necessary timber supply of the country. Below the tamarack forest we should see the great zone of the firs, red and then white, with sugar pines largely intermingled; and farther on to the west, the still more im- portant yellow-pine zone, extending down to and even beyond the boundary of the Park. Now, of course, there is no such commanding peak; but we are aidetl in imagining what we should see, if there were, by the views we obtain from such actual summits as overlook parts of the great Yosemite forest. Several of our illustrations in this volume tell us much. For example, Asprn l'\»rf.st iit l.jik** >lt*roed. 'I'hr larm* Iriiiik lit the rl^ht nIioivs sfrnti'lifs from Ihe films of imtiintiiiii liitiis. Yvlil<'h flfli^ht in rliitibinvr those trefs. The Aspen (I'oplilus treniu- loidest is the iii<»st Yviilely ilistriituteii of Aiiierienn trees, nin^fin;; from tlie \r4*tie firele to Mexiro; and -with the lllaek Wiiltiw (Saiix ni^r.'it it iiionop4>li/.es the dtstinetion of heinff eoinnion to both the Atluntie and the l*aelfio Coast. KINGS OF THE FOREST 167 arp:e.st I^od^'epole or Tainnra<*k I'ine in tlle I iiiteii States, found In the Sierra \'ati(»nai Forest just south of A oseinlte P:irlc. This exceptional tree measured six feet in diameter and l.'i^ ft. hi^h, eai'h dimension l>einK: dolilile that of the norinai type. the remarkable pictures on pages 29 and 115 give us the story of the extreme al- pine belt. In the former is shown Cathedral Peak Pla- teau, approximately 10,000 feet, and deeply covered with snow till mid- July. It is obvious that the forest here is fighting odds too heavy to enable it to form a real cover for the barren waste, which only recently, in geological terms, was abandoned by the glaciers. The second picture even more graphically tells the unequal struggle of the forest to push its advance guard up the long ridges of the Mt. Clark group, to the utmost limit of tree life. But turn now to the illus- tration on page 20, show- ing what one may see from the top of Lambert Dome (9,400 ft.), in Tuolumne Meadows. Eastward, the \iew stretches from levels of less than 9,000 feet up to the snowy summits of the range. The forest below the spectator, as those who have explored the Meadows will recall, is mainly of lodgepole pine; and this tree predominates until, after covering the lower slopes of Dana, Gibbs and Mammoth, it at last finds the frost above 10,500 feet too constant even for its hardy constitution, and therefore yields the frozen ground to dwarf-pine and 168 VOSEMITE AND ITS IlICIl SIERRA alpine hemlock. Other illustra- tions confirm the story. i"or example, on page 27, the ris- ing slope of Dana Mountain above Tioga Lake {9.700 ft.), is seen scantily decked with the same trees, which send up their prostrate outposts almost to the rim of the dying glacier. But leaving these spectacles of Nature's struggle to beau- tify the alpine wastes, we must glance for a moment at the principal trees which constitute the main forest of Yosemite Park, — the trees which, outside the Park, furnish the bulk of the commercial timber of Califor- nia. These we characterize in the order of our meeting them as we descend from the High Sierra to Yosemite Valley: Loiigepole pine, the "tamarack" of the Sierra, called by some botanists Piniis lontorta mnrrayana, to distin- guish it from the scrub-pine (P. con- torta) of the coast. Grows in dense stands as a straight slim tree, which furnished the Indians' tent-poles, hence the name. Height, 50 to 100 ft., though the exceptional tree shown on p. 167 measured 150 ft. Most widespread of the pines, ranging from the Rocky mountains to tidewater on the Pacific, and from the Yukon to Lower Cali- fornia. Forms many fine homogeneous forests in Yosemite Park, at from 8,000 to 10,000 ft. (as in upper Tuolumne Meadows, on west slopes of Mts. Dana, Gibbs and Mammoth, and on Forsyth Pass). Easily recognized by its yellow-green foliage, arranged in "foxtail" tufts, the short needles growing in pairs; by its thin, scaly, grayish-brown bark, very resinous, and therefore giving the tree no fire protection; and finally by its small cones, which, when dry, cover the ground with thousands of little squat, pagoda-shaped burs, but which commonly remain closed on the trees for years, and are capable of resisting fire, thus insuring repro- duction of the species in districts burnt over. Of future importance commercially. Western white pine, the chief timber tree of Idaho and other parts of the Northwestern interior. Range within Yosemite Park, 6,000 to 10,000 ft., the finest examples appearing near the upper edge of its zone. Height, 100 to 150 ft. Bark, cinnamon-brown; checked in small squarish plates. Leaves in 5s, 2 to 4 inches long, blue-green. Cones 5 to 10 inches long, commonly curved; otherwise like sugar-pine cones, but much smaller. Timber almost as valuable as that of sugar pine. The firs, red and white. Red fir named from its thick, deeply checkeil bark, which on older trees is dark purplish-red. Mature foliage dark green, but new growth light, silvery green, giving the tree its other popular name, "silver fir." Well deserves its botanical name, "magnificent fir," its compact, spire-like crown rising to 175 or even 200 feet, and making it one of the handsomest trees in the Sierran forests, where it attains its greatest perfection. Forms occasional pure stands, as on Rancheria Mountain, in the Yosemite Park, though more commonly appearing with white fir, sugar pine and the Sequoia. Range, from 7,000 to 9,000 lll:ii-k Oiiks ''erii.s on A'ulley Flour. KINGS OF THE FOREST 169 ft., or even higher. Distinguishable from white fir by its larger cones, 5 to 8 inches, borne upright on the top branches, as well as by its bark. White fir gets its name from the whitish bark of young trees anil the corky-gray bark of adults, the latter being much and irregularly roughened. Its cones are 3 to 5 in. long. Otherwise, it closely resem- bles its relative, though it is less stately in size, and its range does not extend beyond the 8,0110 foot level. Sugar pine {Pinits liirnhfrtumd) , the most splendid of all white pines, and one of the most important trees, commercially, of the Sierra, which is its chief habitat. Note- worthy for its tall, straight stems, reaching 225 feet in height and 10 feet, occasionally more, in diam- eter. Easily distinguished from the familiar yellow pines by its foliage of darker green, its broader crown, which commonly throws out a few irregular branches far beyond the others, by its needles arranged in Ss, from 3 to 4 inches long, by its narrowly-furrowed reddish -brown bark, and by its remarkable cones, the largest on any tree, 12 to 24 inches in length, and hanging by short stems from the long upper branches. Popular name due to the white sugar exuding from anv wound in the heartwood. Range 3,000 to 7,500 ft. Timber of great commercial value. Western yellow pine {Pinus ponderosa) and its kin, Jeffrey pine (Pinus ponderosa var. Jeffrey!) . Most abundant and useful of the 3-needle, or yellow pines, the for- mer not merely outranking in num- ber and yield all other timber trees of California, where, in the Sierra, it achieves its greatest perfection, but having a wider dispersion and adapting itself to a greater di- versity of soil and climate than any other American timber factor. A tree of great distinction, often 5 to 10 ft. in diameter, with a straight trunk rising 175 to 200 ft. and a columnar crown of bright yellowish-green foliage, made up of needles 5 to 11 in. long, set in 3s and combined in great plumes, which distinguish this tree from all other conifers. Bark a grayish-brown, divided on adult trees by deep furrows into great plates, often 3 or 4 feet long and nearly a foot wide. Cones 3 to 5 in. long. Range, 2,000 to 6,000 ft. in the Yosemite Park, where it is the predominant tree on Yosemite Valley floor, and adds much to its beauty. Jeffrey pine has less height, a stockier trunk, broader crown, shorter needles of dark blue-green, and a range A Heaiitiflll (-rttup of Red Fir, one 4»f the iittlileNt mein- l>er.«i of the grreat family of llr.s. DiaiiiitiKr' (•r4iii|i, in '\lnripiisa \'e. Sucli tine .si'iilptiiriii;^ of the tiiit'k fihrixiN reel linrk hiiiidrcd feet or iiiorr to their tlr.st linih. iinkes theNe ureHt Se<|iioia trunks, often ri.sinK' iful til an llie tlnfeil eo in inns of a tareek teiu|>le. in(»re heaiit Giant Sequoias at the Cabin in >laripo.s:i Grove. 172 VOSKMITK AND IIS IIICH SIl.kKA exteiuling to 7,50(1 or 8,000 ft. Instead of seeking fertile watered valleys, it frequents barren ridges and summits of Vosemite domes, but under favorable conditions attains splendiit sym- metrical proportions. Covers large areas on upper edge of the yellow-pine belt. Incense cedar {l.ihocedrus decurrens), last of the important trees contributing largely to the Vosemite forest. Common on the floor of Vosemite Valley. ,\ handsome tree, seldom over 100 ft. high, but raising a broadly pyramidal crown of brilliant green on a conical trunk which is beautifully fluted in long plates of cinnamon-red-. bark, slightlv graver than that of the Sequoia. Seldom growing in pure, stands, it is found almost evervwhere within the 3,000-7,000 ft. zone mingling with the other conifers and adding color and beauty to the forest. Timber very durable and valuable. 'I'he "(■overiior 'I'oil*' <*rou|». onr of the tilu'.Ht fMiiiiliniiif .s «»f (iinnt Se«|ii<>i:iN in the >l:irl|»<»Nn *ir<»\e. Other contributors to the Vosemite forest picture, though numerous, are limited in their spread, and, save only the Big Tree, of less interest than the great forest-makers which I ha\'e thus briefly described. Doug- las tir {Psfudutsuya la.xifo/ia) , sometimes called Douglas spruce, but in truth neither spruce nor iir, but a false hemlock, is the supreme forest figure on the North Coast. Here it is of smaller size and forms no large stands. In Yosemite Valley, it courts the damp shade of the south wall; on the plateau above, it is found at Nevada Fall, Glacier Point, sporad- ically on the Wawona and Chinquapin Roads, and among the Tuolumne Sequoias. But it nowhere attempts to repeat its Northwestern supremacy. KINGS OF THE FOREST 173 The oaks of Yosemite and similar valleys and canons in the mid-Sierra have importance locally as factors in the landscape, but no timber value. Of these there are two. The intimate and highly decorative tree common on the rich valley bottoms is the broad-top, large-leaf deciduous species variously called Kellogg oak and California black oak {Ouerciis kclloggii, Oiicrctts Calif ornha). Its favorite belt lies just below that of the yellow pine; hence, while the pines outnumber the oaks in Yosemite the reverse was true at the lower elevation of Hetch Hetchy, before the trees were cut there in preparation for the San Francisco dam. The acorns from these oaks fur- nished the Indians with their meal for bread-making, and are stored by the woodpeckers for the winter food-sup- ply. By an inexplicable error, how- ever, Mr. Muir {Yosemite, p. 89), though he knew Yosemite better than most of us can ever hope to know it, ascribed this beneficence to the Cali- fornia live oak (Ouercns ac/rifolia) , a coastal oak which appears nowhere in the Park. But Yosemite Valley owes the deco- ration of its walls chiefly to another live oak, the canon oak, or maul oak {Ouercns ehrysolepsis) , perhaps best described by its other popular name, "golden-cup oak," given in recognition of the big turban-like cups that hold the tree's acorns, and late in summer are covered with a brilliant yellow down, seen afar. This tree never ap- pears on rich valley floors, but covers the talus slopes with grateful verdure, and is common on dry high-line trails. Western juniper {juniper occiden- talis), familiar to all who travel to Merced or Tenaya Lake, is one of the most variable and picturesque of the sub-alpine trees in the Park. Its he **eneral tirnnt,'* l»lit twelve feet :il>4>ve ground it is 117. ."» feet. 174 YOSEMITF. AND ITS HIGH SIF.RRA largest growth, indeed, is attained in the Sierra ; hence it is also called "Sierra juniper." Usually short and stumpy, it may rise to a height of fifty or sixty feet, or, on wind-swept ridges, it may exhibit mere- ly a twisted, split, and mis- shapen stalk, topped with a grotesque crown. In the Yosemite Park, this juniper ranges to 10,000 feet or more, but is commonest on the benches of canon walls, and at tops of cliffs. Nota- ble junipers are to be found at the summit of Yosemite Point, and above Xevaila Fall. At such low altitudes its stocky trunk often grows, in the centuries of its long life, to a thickness of five or six feet, and its flattened crown may be broader than the tree's total height. I have left myself too little space to speak in de- tail of the noblest and most famous of all trees; but this default is the less serious in view of the full and accu- rate descriptions of the Se- quoia now e\erywhere ac- cessible, and will, I hope, be atoned for by the many pic- tures of typical Big Trees here shown. "By well-nigh universal consent," says Prof. Jepson, "Sequoia yi- yautea is regarded as the most remarkable member of the earth's silva. Its great age, its enormous bulk, its restricted habitat, its somewhat precarious biological foothold in the northerly part of its range, and its plain relationship with the dominant types of the Miocene flora, combine to gwe the species a unique interest." (■eiierni (iriiiit." olif 4>f lllc t'tilir l:ir;;i-st :iiilis rant Xntiiinal I'ark. 4 oniciiiporar.t ot \ojili. I li*' t:inu>iis "Grizzly (iinnt." pnt riareb of the >liiriposa 4; rove. has watehed the eareer of man upon the earth prohnl>ly fi)r forty centuries. It is one of a few trees found in the several (troves that are lielieved to he survivors of a former generation <»f Sequoias. — douhtless the oldest of all living: thinK's. This venerable Bip: Tree is thirty feet in diameter; its larj^est limb is six feet thieli^. Its helfi^ht. -4>4 feet, however, is less than that of ninny youne:er trees, the storms harlnjj; destroyed much of its erown. It shows few sijB;ns of senility, and may yet live many centuries. 176 VOSEMITE AND US IlKill SIKRRA ' \ hihniiiii,** in the >ltiri|ioN:i Tirovc. Its \irKiii 4'r4»Yvii, Nh:i|»(*«l like iin jirrow- hejHl. iitr.H itet'ii ex4'e|iti<»nni in lliii.s far eKoniiiiiK' ilniiiaK'f l»y .sturm. \\ (Hilii \(>u know what the famous Big Tree really is, how it outlives all its forest comrades, enduring by the pluck that meets calamity with a laugh? A volume of botanical data would tell less of its habits, its virility, than one may learn by seeing a single example of Sequoia well-doing. Let us visit the little Tuolumne Grove, on the west boundary of the Park. This contains only thirty trees, among them some of colossal size and perfect proportion. But we have come to see a burnt and shattered stump that sets forth the vir- tues of its clan more bravely than any of its comelier peers. It is the so-called "King of the Forest." Among my boyhood friends was a worthy but broken old man. In earlier years he had served his community well. Ihen mis- fortune and ill health dealt him a cruel slap, and his kindly heart took on a veneer of eccentricity. He became a vil- lage"character.'" His neighbors, io\-ing him but knowing the tuist, put him gcnth' by as a negligible "back number." But when a test came that tried the V Typicjii Keil Fir, on soul ()t our town, Uancheria Mounlnln. KINGS OF THE FOREST 177 it was "Old Ben," the su- perannuate, whose fiber and courage saved the day. The forest life, too, has its crises; it provides tests of the hardest. And as human wrecks often regain their footing and make good, so a tree that by all signs is down and out, like an obsolete and seedy poli- tician, or king discrowned, — may not it "come back"? Originally our tatterde- malion "King of the For- est" was one of the noblest Big Trees. It had a circum- ference of more than ninetv feet. Its height was doubt- less three hundred. Its crown was worthy of a monarch of giants. Around it the tides of ordinary tree life rose and fell. Pines and firs, the sturdy commoners of the forest, spanning out their little generation of three or four centuries, came and went. But His Sequoia Majesty ruled on. For two thousand years, or even three, it was the pride of its stately grove. Then came disaster that would have wiped out any other tree. ¥\re destroyed one side of it, and ate away its heart. Of the huge bole there remained hardly a half cylinder of sound wood and thick cinnamon-colored bark. The crown fell, but this charred fragment stood, ninety feet of hollowed stalk, still Haunting two or three scorched and ragged little branchlets. It seemed merely a lopsided and ludicrous monument to departed gran- deur. Surely even a forest king, in such plight, might yield without dishonor, and returning to the soil await reincarnation in another age of Big Tree life. But not the unconquerable Sequoia. Blood will tell ! So long as a sound root remained, and sap still flowed, this "king" would be no less than kingly. Mustering its diminished resources, the stricken m-hortus veniisttiN). monarch held its ground. It is the Sequoia way, if a tree ^laill Oak 4 (iucrciis chrysolepis), on >\'a\vona Road. This familiar tree, also i^lio^vii as "t'auon Live Oak,*' "Gold-C'u|> Oak,*' etc., is eoiiinion on hillsifles and eaiion n-alls in the louver half of the l*ark, and covers the talus and roek leilRes of Yoseniite and lleteh Hetehj- ivith low-spreading evergreen foliaf?e. 178 VOSKMH K AM) lis lIKill SIKKKA be weakened by fire, to clutch the soil more broadly than be- fore. Thus, here, the few re- maining roots were sent farther out, and new stores of nour- ishment drawn upon. But it must do more than feed. It is a tree's oflice to be beautiful. It is a king's right to wear a crown. So now the sur\iving Kin;:; of the Forest," a mere .shell. efl hy tire, of -what \vas oiiee the inoiiareh «>f the Tin»liiniiie tJrove: iHnv making: an heroio elVort to re- hiiilil its ero«li. and ;iet a ne^v start in life. The three tisares at its base slio^v that its (lianieter was ne;irly thirty feet. The tine tree in the foreur«>iinrd,*' named for the oollep:e in Pennsylvania, illustrates the Indian praetiee of nsin^ Hi^ Trees :is haekhtjfs for fires. Althoiiffh Its eore was hurnt away, leaving: a eavern that is reputed to have sheltered seventeen horses and their riders, its reiuaininK roots have reaehed out the more stoutly for nourishment, and are supplying ample sap to stalk anil erown. declared: "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life." This Sequoia King, more than human in its tenacity, is a veritable Job of the forest. Its faith forbids death. Better to keep on growing against odds, better to live even as a misshapen cripple, showing what humble beauty it may, than to stand a black and rotting shell where once it reigned Sovereign of the Woods! Truly, it is not alone in the Forest of Arden that we Find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones. I'lii* Twins," a siileiitlid (loiible tree in the Tuoluiiiiie (irtive. NOTES FOR YOSEMITE VISITORS I. ROADS, TRAILS. BRIEF EXCURSIONS. The short-time visitor to Yosemite will naturally wish, first of all, to see the great things near at hand. If he conies in his automobile, he will want to explore the Valley floor, traversing both the North- and South-side Roads from Happy Isles and Mirror Lake, the present limits of eastward motor travel, west to and beyond the "Gates of the Valley." This will enable him to obtain a general view of the Valley's colossal walls, note their characteristic sculpturing, and see at some leisure, if not close at hand, two of their most important cataracts, Bridal Veil and Yosemite Falls. He should also climb with his car at least to Inspiration Point, on the Bridal Veil-Wawona Road, to enjoy the tremendous picture it offers of the Valley as a whole. This famous outlook discloses less of beauty, no doubt, than does the view from the North Road on the bank of the Merced just west of Bridal Veil Meadows (see Frontispiece of this volume), but it tells even more of the height and massiveness of the well-proportioned features in the Yosemite scene (See p. 35). No one, however, should leave Yosemite, if he can help it, without seeing more than can be seen from the seat of an automobile. A \ast deal of the Valley's beauty must be learned from the trails. For example, only by their help can one gain a near-by view of any of the waterfalls, or any satisfactory view at all of the incom- parable cataracts in the Merced Canon above Happy Isles. The three falls to be viewed there — Illilouette, Vernal and Nevada — are among the world's noblest spec- tacles ; and few persons are so poor in time and strength as to be unable to ride, if not to walk, to some of the good viewpoints commanding them. Cataracts of the Alerced Cation. — Thus a ride or tramp of a mile over the horse- trail above Happy Isles brings one past the foot of the lUilouette's branch canon, with a fine distant view of Illilouette Fall itself (See p. 87), and to the bridge over the Merced. This is half a mile below Vernal Fall, which is well seen from here, and still better seen from either of the trails beyond (See p. 89). The lower or "Mist Trail" (foot travel only) leads along the south bank of the river, unfolding a suc- cession of remarkable pictures, and quickly gains the very side of Vernal Fall, midway of its height. After enjoying near-by views of the cataract and its famous rainbows, and getting somewhat damp in the mist which fills the canon, the climber finally as- cends a well-guarded stairway cut in the face of the vast per- pendicular cliff over which V^ernal pours, and reaches the platform above, at the brink of the cataract (See p. 91). The same startling but safe viewpoint may be reached on horseback by the upper trail from the bridge. On this ride, which is half a mile longer than the foot trail, the rider should pause long enough at Clark Point to study the scene below and beyond, which in- cludes not only Vernal Fall, Ready f..r ihr Irails. 182 YOSEMITK AND US Hl(;il SIKRRA <'ii|i aiKl .\4*viiflu Full. I:irk I'oint, nl>«ive \'frnal seen Fall. hut also Nevada, a mile farther up the river, with Liherty Cap and the Half Dome towering above and contributing mightily to the great picture painted by the old Merced Glacier. Easily continuing for this additional mile to the foot of the cataract, the \ isitor ascends the famous Zigzag Trail, through a small canon cut by the glacier at the side of Nevada Fall, gains amazing near- by views of that great spectacle { See pp. •^6, 97), and, after crossing the moraine above, finally stands on the north rim of the rushing Merced, where it gathers power and speed for its tremendous leap into the air and its bOO-foot drop. Here he should not fail to climb down to the guarded platform at the ver\' head of the fall (See p. 90). Frojii the Top of Nevada Fall. — The Nevada Fall platform (six miles from Yosemite Village) is a convenient resting place and starting point for other delightful trail ventures. From here one goes to Little Yosemite, a mile farther along the river, and on up the canon to Merced and Washburn Lakes, where trout bite and Merced Lake Lodge ofiers good accommo- dations for an indefinite stay. Or he turns north from Little Yosemite for the ascent of Half Dome and Clouds Rest. But if he is limited in time, his best choice will be Glacier Point. Crossing the bridge over the Merced above Nevada Fall, he quickly climbs the south rim of the canon and reaches Panorama Point, with its fine views of the Merced and lililouette below, and Half Dome beyond; descends to lllilouette Fall, easily seen from its head, by a short trail from the bridge over lllilouette Creek; and ascends the long slope of Glacier Point to the charming new hotel at its summit and the world-famed views with wliich this great outlook rewards the visitor (See pp. 23, 68. 102, 1(J3). If possible, he should spend a night here; the sunrise over the High Sierra and the morning songs of Vernal and Nevada, heard from their granite seats below, will make him glad to be alive. The return to Yosemite Village should be made by the "Short Trail" (four miles), leading down past Union Point and the foot of Sentinel Rock (See p. 31). This trail unfolds changing pictures of the Valley itself, and the deep booming of Yosemite Falls, across the way, is never to be forgotten. Other trail routes back to the Valley are the Ledge Trail and the Pohono Trail. The former leads directly down from Glacier Point, two miles; but is not practicable for horses, and indeed should not be attempted b\ persons without experience in climb- ing. The Pohono Horse Trail offers a splendid scenic trip of twenty miles to Yosem- ite Village. Leaving Glacier Point Hotel, it passes Sentinel Dome via the Chin- ouapin Road, then turns off to Taft Point and the Fissures, touching the other main outlooks on the south rim, and finally reaching Fort Monroe for the return to the Valley floor by Wawona Road and Inspiration Point. Glacier Point may be reached, or left, not onh b\ the trails, but by automobile stages or private cars over the Wawona-Chinquapin Road. This fine scenic route is ftdlowed by thousands of motors each season. No one who wants to see the best tjiat Yosemite has for the hurried visitor should go away without getting to Glacier Point by one of these routes. In time, no doubt, the inclined tunnel will add a route protected from snow, making upland winter sports part of every winter visit. NOTES FOR Y0SP:MITE VISITORS 183 Oil the north ivall of the J' alley, two great routes, Yosemite Falls Trail and Snow Creek Trail, lead to the plateau above. The former trail quits the Valley floor a quarter of a mile west of \ osemite Lodge, rises a thousand feet over the earthquake talus, through a forest of tine golden-cup oaks, to Columbia Rock ; thence turning east it traverses a broad ledge, with constantly changing views of the Valley and its heights, to the foot of Yosemite Upper Fall, which can be reached by a short detour, and finally zigzags up the little glacial cafion west of the fall to the hanging valley of Yosemite Creek above. The brow of the fall is easily gained, and is well worth a visit for its near view of the falling stream, and of the remarkable jointing of the Valley wall, which enabled the old "Yosemite Creek Glacier to dig back this deep side caiion in which the Upper Fall hangs (See pp. 80, 81). But the trip is not complete till one has climbed still higher, to Yosemite Point (five miles from Yosemite Village), and enjoyed the fine glacial landscape modeled by the \'osemite Creek Glacier, and the splendid outlook over the Valley and up to the High Sierra on the east. Three branch trails lead from the head of Yosemite. One is to Eagle Peak, highest of the Three Brothers, and thence to the top of El Capitan. A second trail leads north, following up Yosemite Creek to Tioga Road, and commonly forms the first part of a trip of several dai,s to Ten Lake Basin and other north-side points of interest. The third trail offers the best route to the top of North Dome, where per- haps the most impressive view of Half Dome may be had. Return to the Valley may well be made via the Snow Creek Trail, a total of twenty miles from the morn- ing's start at Yosemite Village. Snow Creek Trail itself invites the visitor especially to a two-day round trip to Tenava Lake, one of the most interesting spots near the Valley. This journey should be begun early, as after passing Mirror Lake (where the fine sunrise reflection is seen at about 8 o'clock of a summer morning), there is a 2,500-foot climb by a hundred switchbacks, and the sun on this nortli wall becomes very hot before noon. The rising trail commands notable views of Half Dome and its neighboring Quarter Domes, and of the glaciated slope of Clouds Rest, across Tenaya Canon, as well as of Basket Dome on the north wall. After reaching the rim of the caiion, the climber may turn west to North Dome, and thence proceed to Yosemite Head and descend via the Yo- semite Falls Trail, or he may continue over the Mt. Watkins ridge and along the north rim of Tenaya Canon to a junction with Tioga Road, which quick- ly brings him to Tenaya Lake. Here an excellent Lodge offers accommodations for interesting days of mountain climbing, or a starting point for a further journey to Toulumne Mead- riimhinK the /.iKi^aK 'I'mil. at the side of Nevada 184 YOSEMITK AND ITS IIICII SII.KKA SiiKni* I'iiM'. i)\vs. Return fnim Tciiaya may \\ell be made by l'"ors\ tb Pass Trail, across the ridge east of Clouds Rest, and back to tbe V^alley via Nevada Fall. The sunny pass (9,000 ft.) is full of glacial autographs. Other inviting trails lead from (ilacier Point, from Merced Lake, and Tena\a Lake, and Tuolumne Meadows, but the ones named ofter the best short trips for the visitor who is limited in time. Those who wish to go farther afield and visit parts of the Yosemite Park not reached by a one-day trip from Yosemite Village may obtain information at the office of the Superintendent of the Park as to trails, outfits, and camping conditions. Much of such information may be found in the pamphlet, "Rules and Regulations, \'osemite National Park," to be had free at the Superintendent's office or by mail from the National Park Service, Washington. Every visitor should study this booklet. Many vacationists spend months in the Park up- lands, "hiking" to out-of-the-way points, not so far removed from some of the hotels, lodges or camps as to be unable to obtain all needful supplies at fre- quent intervals. Such mountaineering provides a de- lightful vacation at very moderate cost. The Super- intendent of the Park and the Yosemite National Park Company will furnish information of value to those contemplating such an outing. The Yosemite National Park Company also furnishes complete equipment for independent camping trips, including transportation, if desired, with guides and supplies. II. TRANSPORTATION. For persons coming to Yosemite by rail there are two methods of reaching the Valley. By the first, the visitor leaves the Southern Pacific or Santa Fe Railroad at Merced, 145 miles from San Francisco and 330 from Los Angeles, and travels by the Yo- semite Valley Railroad 78 miles to El Portal, near the western boundary of the Park, whence the Yo- semite National Park Compan\ operates an automo- bile stage line to Yosemite Village, 12 miles. The other route carries him from Merced by the auto stages of the Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company to Mariposa V^illage, thence to the Mariposa Big Tree Grove, Wawona, and Yosemite. Visitors en- tering by either route may leave by the other. The Yosemite National Park Company has an exclusive concession for other transportation within the Park, and maintains excellent service to the Mari- posa, Tuolumne and Merced Groves of Big Trees, to Hetch Hetchy, and, via Tioga Road, to Tenaya Lake, Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Pass, Mono Lake, and Lake Tahoe. The Companv maintains well- NOTES FOR VOSEMITE VISITORS 185 equipped lodges at Tenava and Merced Lakes, and provides guides and horses for those who wish to travel thither by trail. Fuller information regarding transportation may be had from either of the com- panies named by addressing them at Yosemite, California. III. ENTERTAINMENT. Next to getting Congress to vote money for improvements, the problem of caring properly for the growing tide of visitors has proved the hardest nut for the National Park Administration to crack. For the protection of tourists, it must annex strict conditions to leases, and limit them in time. These restrictions, with the shortness of the mountain season, render any large investment a risk which few capitalists care to assume. Hence, in Yosemite as well as in other parks, hotel-camps have been found the most economical, as giving the largest amount of accommodations on a moderate expenditure. Yosemite has perhaps the most typical and populous camps of this sort in any of the National Parks. Camp Curry. — This representative Yosemite resort is only less famous than Yosemite itself. It has enabled thousands to know Yosemite who, but for its good service at moderate prices, would never have seen it. For twenty-two years it has been a factor in the entertainment of Yosemite visitors, and during more than half that period its efficient organization and the personal supervision of its intelligent owners have made it the largest single factor in such hospitality. For the privilege of rendering this useful public service it has paid to the Government many thousands of dollars in license fees and percentages. The Camp was opened by the late David A. Curry on June 1, 189Q. Mr. Curry and his wife, both of whom had been students \mder David Starr Jordan in the Uni- f'aiiip Curry's Sorlal Life Centers :il>, IsU-s. 'I'liis jK tlit' larK4*Nt of lilt' tourist t-amps ill ^OKcmilr \allfy. 'I'lli- little l>oiiK*las siiiiirreiN are eoinmim tliroimlioiil the Park. tained to 2'^K). From this small beginning, the Camp has grown steadily about its central camp fire, until it now has 650 tents and thirty bungalows, accommodating a thousand guests. Its more permanent buildings, which began in 1900 with the erection of a dining hall, now include a score of roomy structures, among which are the central offices, an auditorium much used both as a convention hall and ball room; a large and attractive "studio," a billiard hall, bath houses and swimming tank, laundry, and a garage which is the largest building in the \'alle\, with shelter for nearly two hundred cars. "A distinguishing feature of Camp Curry," says Superintendent Lewis of the Yosemite Park, in his last annual report, "is its complete electric-cooking installation. \Vith one of the largest, if not the largest electro-cooking installations in the State, practically all of the cooking and baking for the camp's guests, reaching at times as many as 1,100, is done by this most modern and sanitary means." The Camp is pliiced in a grove of splendid pines, firs and cedars, a mile below Happy Isles, and almost within the shadow of the great wall of Glacier Point, tower- NOTES FOR YOSEMITE VISITORS 187 ^^^ ing more than 3,000 feet above. The original center of the Camp's social life, the camp fire, still holds its importance as a rendezvous, to which come, night after night, throngs of guests, to listen to music by experts, to hear lectures and addresses by dis- tinguished speakers, and to see moving-picture shows illustrating the great scenery of Yosemite and explaining its origin. Since the death of Mr. Curry in 1917, the Camp has been conducted with continued success by Mrs. Curry and her son, Mr. Foster Curry, ably assisted by Mr. Wallace B. Curtis, associate manager. Camp Curry is a favorite resort for automobilists. Among the causes of this popularity are the prizes offered by the Camp in several annual contests, the most noteworthy of which are the Economy Runs from Los Angeles to Yosemite, held an- nually for the last five years during the first week in May under the sanction and rules of the American Automobile Association. This event attracts nation-wide atten- tion, as establishing a standard test for automobile mountaineering. Yosemite National Park Com- pany. — The Yosemite Park, ^K^J however, requires more than single camps. The Park Ad- ministration's problem, there- fore, has been to find an organ- ization strong enough finan- cially to provide, not only the larger and varied accommoda- tions now needed in the Valley, in summer and winter, but also to keep pace with the proposed road and trail development by the Government by establishing camps — and hotels, too, if need- ed — in other parts of the Park, and carrying visitors to them. This meant an investment of millions, with a probability that profits, though assured, might be deferred. After several years' effort. Director Mather at last induced San Francisco and Los Angeles business men to form a corporation, the Yosemite Na- tional Park Company, which took over the Desmond conces- sions and properties in 1918, in- cluding the beautiful new hotel at Glacier Point, and the lodges at Merced and Tenaya Lakes. This company has enlarged Yo- semite Lodge by adding many bungalows, modernized the Sen- tinel Hotel in \'osemite Village. and established a lodge at Mari- posa Big Tree Grove and at Mather Station on the Hetch ^^'^TW... View from 8tril Point, on tlie Soiitll Kim of Vo- seniife <'.-iflon, west of Itriilal Veil Kull. Tliis pic- ture is of interest to motorists, Itei'iiiise in the ilistanee IliK C»nli Flat Hoael is seen ileseenilini-' to tile tloor of Yosemite Valley. Many tliousands of ailtoinoliiles enter the Park earh season over this steeii old toll road, hiinK on the side of the Kreat north wail. It will no doubt be largely su|i|>lanted when t'alifornia eoinpletes the State highway now buildinK from Mariposa to Kl Portal, thus opening; a low-srade road of great seenie value from the San .loaquin eountry up the Mereed Kiver level, at the bottom of this Korne. and direetly on to the Valley tloor. (Compare the lirst illustrati in 1 f»semite <';iflon." page «. ) ion, "IJawn 188 yOSEMITK AMI US lIKill SIKRKA Hetchy Railroad; and it is planning further additions. Information as to its excel- lent service may be obtained by addressing the compan\- at Yosemite or San Francisco. IV. AUTOMOBILES. Automobiles are now admitted to Yosemite Park, subject to the simple restric- tions printed in the Park Ser\ice pamphlet, Riilts and Regitliilinns. Yosemite Xationnl Park, to be had free at the Superintendent's office, or from the National Park Service, Washington, D. C. Vehicles enter from the south and west ( P'resno, Madera, Merced) via Wawona and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove, and follow the \Vawona-Bridal Veil Road down the south wall of the Valley; or from Stockton and Modesto, by the Big Oak Flat or the Coulterville Road, both of which descend the north wall to the Valley floor. As soon as these upland roads are open, in early summer, information of the fact is given to the several automobile associations in California, and tourists may learn the state of the roads from them, or by addressing the Superintendent's office, Yosemite, Calif. F'rom the east, cars enter the Park via Mono Lake and the Tioga Road, not open till midsummer. They reach Mono Lake from Lake Tahoe on the north, Tonopah on the east, and Bishop on the south, over good State highways. Owners who wish to avoid driving their cars over the steep mountain roads may ship them from Merced to El Portal, via the Yosemite Valle\' Railroad, at a charge of $12.85, including war tax. Manv owners bring in their cars thus, for use in the Park. The California State Automobile Association maintains a branch office at Yo- semite Village, in conjunction with the Park Service Information Bureau. Here the best information obtainable regarding road conditions is collected, furnished free to motorists, and disseminated through the association's city offices. V. NATURE-GUIDE SERVICE. A free nature-guide system has been established in \ oseniite V'alley by the Na- tional Park Service and the California State Game and Fish Commission. The object is to enable visitors to understand and name the trees, plants, birds, and other wild things seen in the Valley and on the trails. Two well-known California naturalists, Dr. H. C. Bryant, of the University of California, and Dr. Loye Holmes Miller, of the Southern branch of that institu- tion, are in charge of the work, delivering illus- trated lectures at the different camps, and lead- ing parties of visitors afield for intimate stud\' of the roadside life. This work is steadily being extended to include special excursions for chil- dren, and to interest still larger numbers of adults by trips to the upland at Glacier Point and else- where. This invaluable and popular service is free to all who care to take advantage of its in- struction and advice. VI. LE CONTE MEMORIAL LECTURES. The Le Conte Memorial Lectures in Yo- semite are established and maintained by the Hear anil Tubs, in iHMoiiott)- Canon. Universitv Extension Division of the Universitv NOTES FOR YOSEMITE VISITORS 189 of California as a memorial to the late Joseph Le Conte, the famous professor of geology and natural history in that institution from 1869 to 1901. Specialists in geology, biology, zoology, botany, Indian lore, and other scientific subjects illustrated in Yosemite will lecture in popular language on their especial themes. Admission is free. Dates, speakers, and place are well advertised in the Valley and through the public press, or may be learned at the Superintendent's office in the Park, or the Extension Division, University of California, Berkeley. VII. YOSEMITE MUSEUM. The Yosemite Museum, designed to exhibit the history, ethnology, physical geography, flora and fauna of the Yosemite region, was opened in the spring of 1921. It occupies the former Jorgensen Studio, across the bridge from Yosemite Village. Its central feature is a large "relief map" of Yosemite Valley, designed and modeled by Ansel F. Hall, author and Park ranger. This useful model was constructed by the aid of photography, on a horizontal scale of 1 1 inches to the mile, the work being built up of strips of cardboard covered with plaster, carefully shaped by hand, to exhibit all contours, elevations, roads, trails, and other Yosemite features. The Museum has much else to show, several interesting collections having been given or loaned by friends of the National Park Service. These include the notable collection of Yosemite Indian baskets assembled by Dr. Sargent of Lodi, the McFar- land Indian collection, and a large collection of Yosemite butterflies made by the Cali- Kelief >lo«leI of ^'osfiiiite Valle.v, a fe:itilrt> of (hr \osrnii(4- >lust*uiii just op«"neil in the former J" is a faithful reproduetion €>f the Valley's contours, designed and modeled by Ansel F. Hall, of the \ational I'ark Service. 190 YOSKMiri, AND US men sii.kka fornia Academy of Sciences. Not least interesting among the exhibits promised are two venerable stage coaches, one the first stage brought into the Valley, having arrived in sections during the late '60's. The other saw regular service in the Bret Harte days between Angels Camp and Murphy's. A fine collection of samples of Yosemite woods is the gift of a near-by lumber company. Thus ri good beginning has been made towards an instructive and comprehensive exhibit of the natural science of the Park. VIII. YOSEMITE LITERATURE. The useful pamphlet, iltiitral Iiifi/rinalirin Rtiinnl'ing Yosemite Sntinntil Park. may be had gratis at the (jffice of the Superintendent in \ Dsemite Village, or bv mail from the Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C It contains brief notes on the Park and its elevations, distances, trails, etc. ; size of Big Trees in Mariposa Grove; rules and rates of transportation ; hotels, camps, and camping outfits ; automobile regu- lations; and a bibliography of books and magazine articles. Three other government pamphlets are for sale at the Superintendent's office: Sketch of Yosemite "Sational Park, a popular account of Yosemite geology by F. E. Matthes, U. S. Geological Sur- vey, price 10 cents; The Secret of the Big Trees, by Ellsworth Huntington, 5 cents; and Forests of Yosemite. Sequoia aiitl Gen. Grant \atioiial Parks, by C L. Hill, 20 cents. A capital Yosemite Guide Book, by Ansel F. Hall, of the National Park Service, is to be had at all the studios, price 50 cents. It describes all roads in the Park, with the trails south of the Tuolumne. Foley's Yosemite Souvenir, a handy pocket guide, may be purchased at J. D. Fole> 's studio in the village. Handbook of Yosemite National Park, Ansel F. Hall editor, 1921, is the amplest contribution yet made to the popular science side of ^'osemite literature. The book mainly comprises essays on the histor\-, Indians, geology, life zones, birds, animals, reptiles, fishes, insects, trees. Giant Sequoia, and flowers of the Yosemite Park, written by professors in the University of California. Other informing papers on the National Park Service and \'osemite Park Administration are contributed by Director Mather and Superintendent Lewis, and articles on camping, motoring and photography by local experts. Arthur C. Pillsbury, Yosemite photographer, to whom the present volume owes many of its finest illustrations, has in hand a much-needed book on the wild flowers of the Yosemite-Tahoe Sierra. This publication, for which Mr. Pillsbury's accom- plished wife is writing the text, will render a service not hitiierto undertaken for lovers of the mountain flora b\ showing a very large number of plants in bloom, in color plates carefully prepared from nature. Pillsbury is one of the foremost American photographers, and these photographic studies of California flowers have for years occupied much of his time and interest. Advance orders for "California Mountain Flowers in Color" may be placed at the Pillsbury Studio in Yosemite, or at the city store, Pillsbury's Pictures, Inc., 501 Geary Street, San Francisco. Of the earlier books. Dr. L. H. Bunnell's Discovery of Yosemite. 1880, 4th ed., 1911, is the best account of the Indian war of 1851 and the visits of the Mariposa Battalion. The last edition is handsomely illustrated from photographs bv Bovsen. //; the Heart of the Sierras, by J. M. Hutchings, 1885, is a history of the Valley by one of its earliest residents. Prof. J. D. \Viiitne>'s The Yosemite Guide-Book, 1871, despite its obsolete theory of the Valley's origin, is a very readable and informing essay. Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1871, by Clarence King, Whitney's associate in the geological survey of California, is one of the best books inspired by the mountains of the West. Three booklets, Indians of Yosemite J alley . 1904; The Big Trees of California. 1907, and '/"/(( Yosemite T alley. 1910, by Galen Clark, discoverer of the Mariposa NOTES P'OK VOSKMITE VISITORS 191 Grove, and long the Guardian of Yoseniite under tlie State regime, contain much first- hand information. A charming and most valuable description of the Park, with its glaciers, past and present; its forests, flowers, birds and animals, is to be found in John Muir's Yoseniite, 1912. Muir's other books, Aly First Summer in the Sierrti, 1911 ; The Mountains of California, enlarged ed., 1913; and Our National Parks, 1909, are also full of Yoseniite. Naturalist and geologist as he was, Mr. Muir, rather than Joaquin Miller, has been the real poet of the Sierra, though he wrote in prose. His books are after all not so much treatises on its natural history as delightful interpreta- tions of its spirit. Yosemite Trails, 1911, by J. Smeaton Chase, is an enjoyable account of the Yosemite uplands, especially useful on their trees and flowers. Mr. Chase's little manual, Cone-Bearing Trees of the California Mountains, 1911, will also be found of service. The standard handbook on the botany of the Park is A Yosemite Flora, 1912, by Prof. Harvey M. Hall and Carlotta C. Hall. Untechnical in style and excellently illustrated, with keys for identifying the trees and flowers, this accurate manual is invaluable for field work. Prof. Willis Linn Jepson's The Trees of California, 1909, is well planned for laymen's use, and capitalh' illustrated. It is not to be confused with his monumental and technical Silva of California, published by the University of California. Supplementing these popular handbooks, Sudworth's Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope, 1908, published by the U. S. Forest Service, covers the Sierra forests with the same thoroughness given to the rest of its subject. The eleven volumes of the Sierra Club Bulletin contain a store of papers bv ex- perts, covering not only the Yosemite country, but also the great mountains of the Kings and Kern River basins. These admirably edited publications, with a considerable library of other mountain literature, may be consulted at the Sierra Club's headquarters, the Le Conte Memorial Lodge, near Camp Curry. In the general periodicals of this country and Europe, Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy Valleys have received more atten- tion than any other American scenic district, and many noteworthy articles may be found through the periodical indexes and magazine files at the public libraries. IX. YOSEMITE PHOTOGRAPHS AND MOVING PICTURES. All hotel and camp news-stands in the Park sell original photographs of Yo- semite and Hetch Hetchy Valleys, the Big Trees, and High Sierra scenery. Collec- tions of the finest photographs may also be found at the studios of the Pillsbury Pic- ture Company, J. T. Boysen and other photographers in Yosemite V^illage, and at the Camp Curry Studio, where Ralph C. Anderson is the photographer. The last-named studio now owns the noteworthy negatives of that artist-photographer, the late George Fiske. Photographs and enlargements by Fiske, Boysen, Pillsbury or Anderson, cor- responding to their pictures reproduced in this volume, and listed in the Table of Illustrations on pp. 11-15, may be had by calling at, or writing to, the studio con- cerned. Moving pictures showing scenes in all parts of Yosemite National Park, including the great cataracts, waterwheels and avalanches in action, and the mountain wild- flowers developing from bud to full bloom, attract many visitors to the Pillsbury Studio each evening in the season. Motion-picture shows also form a drawing feature of the evening camp fire entertainments at Camp Curry and Y'^osemite Lodge. ' ERRATA. On page 114, the notice, "Copyright, Pillsbury," which should appear under the illustration, was inadvertently omitted. The fact that this illustration is from a copyrighted photograph is indicated by the * in the Table of Illustrations, page 14. On page 123, in the second caption, and on page 124, line 1, "Triple Divide Peak" should read : Triple Divide Pass. INDEX Figures in light face type refer to tlie text, those in heavier type to illustrations. Aeroplane X'icw of Vosemite Falls, SO Agassiz Column. 102 ••Ahwahnec-," 32, 34 "Alabama'" Tvee, 171 "Apron" and Glacial Tarn, 125 Aspens, 100 Automobiles, 57, 58, 61. 62, 64, 70, 184, 188 "Back Road," Yosemite. 70 lianner Peak. 04. 05. 13a, 138 liashford, Herbert, quoted, 139 Basket Dome. 183 Bears, 03, 1S8 Benson Pass, 114, 146. 130 Bergschrund. 133-4. l:;» Big Oak Flat Koad. 57, 61, 70, 71, 3, 1N7 Blue Jav, r.O Bloody Cafion, 40. 3«. 58. 138 Boling. C'apt. lohn. 45, 46, 5« Bonneville, Gen. B. L. E., 36 Boys-en, I. T.. 191 Bridal Veil Fall. 71 82. 181, 3, 4, 35. 74, 75 Bridal Veil — Wawona Road. 181 Bridal Veil Meadow, 181, 71 Broderick, Mt.. SO Bryant, Dr. H. C, 188 Bunnell, Dr. L. H., 38, 40, 44, 511, 190. Bunnell Point. 08. 101 Burroughs. John, quoted. 108 Burt, Maxwell, quoted, 20 Buttercups, 35 Calochortus, 166 California Kails, 145 Camp Curry, 185187, 185, 180 Canon of Yosemite, 69 Cascade Falls, 74, 73 Cassiope, 166 "Cataract of Diamonds." 95 Cathedral Creek Falls. 144 Cathedral Peak, 125, 139, 167, 10, 30, 131, 140 Cathedral Rocks, 76, 35, 72, 77 Cathedral Spires, 94. 70, 77 Cedar, see Incense Cedar Chase, J. Smeaton. quoted, 71, 191 Cherry Creek, 154 Chilnualna Falls. 70 Chinquapin. 71, 113. 182 Cirques. S4. 133-4. 37. 11 Clark, Galen, 190. 70. SS. 103 Clark, Mt., 86, 167, 7, 33. 33, 35. 33. 113. II.-., 117, 118, 120 Clark Point, 181 Clauds Ucst. 62. 100, 112, 182, 7, 41, 40, OS, 113 CocksL-omI) Crist. 138 Colby Mtn.. 31 Cold Creek Meadows. 145. .50 Colorado Grand Caiion, 22, 24, 108 Columbia Rock, 183 ConnesF, John, 50 Conness Creek, 145, 50 Conness, Mt., 00, 1.30, 130 Cook, Rev. Joseph, quoted, 3 Cookstoves on the March, 141 Coultcrville Road, 57, 72, 30 Crane Flat, 62 Craters of .Mono Countv, 133 Currv, David \.. 185 Dana, Mt., 141, 167-8, 30, 27, 50, 01, 03. 125 —Glacier, 168, 37, 120 Davis Peak, 122 Deer, 44 Devils Postpile, 00 "Diamoiul Groiq>," 170 Domes, 93, 55. 101, 104 Donohue Pass, IIS Douglas Fir, see Firs, Douglas Eagle Peak, 111, 1S3, 47, 85 Kagle Peak Trail, 183, 30 Echo Peak, 13» El Capitan, 32, 50, 104, 111, 183, ■ 4, 31, 33.73, 78, 85, 100 - — .Moraine. 76. El Portal, 57. 58. 72, 73, 184 Eleanor Canon, 38. 154 Eleanor, Lake, 1.50 Eleetra Peak, 128, 133 Emerald Pool, !I2 Emerson, Ralph Waldo, quoted 69 Erythronium, 166 Evening Primroses, 100 Fairview Dome, 132, 139, 131 "Fallen Monarch," 1<(0 Falls Ridge, 30 Fernandez Pass, 118, 110, 131, 133 Firs. Douglas. 163. 172 —Red, 148, 161, 166, 168, 109, 170 —White, 161, 168-9, 3«, 101 Fissures, The, 9t, 1S2. 108 Five-Finger Falls, 150 Florence Mtn.. 128. 33 Flowers. Mountain. 28. 166 Foerster Pass. 118 Foerster Peak. 12.S. Ill Forest Trail, 54 Forest Fire, 53 Forests, 28, 159179, 30, 101 Forsyth Pass, 62, 113, 125, 168 Forsyth Pass Trail, 184 "Four Guardsmen," 51 Eraser, Monroe, 37 Gale Peak, 110. 131 Gannett, Dr. Ilenrv. c}Uoted, 134 Geikie, Sir .\rchibald, 133 "General Grant," Mariposa Grove, 51; Gen. Grant National Park, 174 "General Sherman" Mariposa Grove, 51; Sequoia National Park, 173 Gibbs, Mt., 141, 167-8, 30, 01, 125 Glaciers, 24, 78. 79, 80, 82, 133, 134, 120, 139 134 Glacier Landscapes. 22. 23 Glacier National Park, 22 Glacier Point, 86, 93, lOS, 111, 112, 113. 122, 182, 186, 9. 23 OS. 92. 103, 113. 113, 114 Glacier Point Tunnel, proposed, 114, 182 Glen .\ulin, 126, 141 Golden-cup Oak, see Oaks "Governor Tod" Group, 172 Grand Mountain, 39 Granite Benches, 34, 100, 34, 101, 133 Greeley, Horace, quoted, 69 "Grizzly Giant," 53. 175 Groveland, 71 Guides, 126, 185 Half Dome, 93, 94, 111, 112, 1S2, 183, 9, 32, 41, 4(i. tiO. S5. 93, 101, 102. 103, 107, 109 Mall, .\nsel 1".. 189, 190 Hall. H. .\1. and C. C. 164, 191 "Happv Hours" (Deer), 44 Happy'lsles, 62. 76, 181, 1S6, 50. 94 Harden Lake Trail, 126, 156 Ilendocks, Mountain, 145, 164-5, 166, 145 Hetch Helchv. 25, 79. 80. 146- 154. 173. 184, 19, 139, 153, . 154, 1.55. 1.50. 157 Hetch lletchv Railroad, 155, 156 Hoffman, .Mt'., 84, 104, 132, 20, 29, 37, 57. 112 Illilouette Canon, 188 lUilouette Creek, 182 Illilouette Fall, 181, 182, 87 Illilouette Watershed, 86. 113 Incense Cedar. 162. 172 ln< >>— c5 4> 4) a»«> ^ eg m ^ i> -^ o 7i^ 1) c 0**=* S^s* u;k ^t"tH Jt- ICS*^ J ^ O ?;: -^ -^ S < a- Z u s 1 ■ , i^ h a> CO o ^ CO =• o 2 •^:S CD a ^ 0) s = « z; a 3 s ca w ^ « » 5 m CU o cd ^ c« ID 73 ca d dl •S ill) (D o ^ a o ■ T3 . o •- S H ca Q> >i a> « 'E-g .C o c fe - S CO 4_1 ' ^ cc "■a !3> - SI a M ^ J5 0) O cl 0) c« ►" t~ CO (U ID S ^ a > •'til o dj aj o -^ ■5 =« •o a; !S i: o ca — *j c (^ « a; ce E S -^ --s i; - c ^ E — I) - o S <^ .5 01 c ca > 00 oh cp . ^ a; C J2 (l, t^ T. ^ (1) a J3 " s a 0£ • -I H ca t-i ~ ai CO 4-1 * OJ o Ji ^ c — a? ^ '. cs S ocm o J me^ -to ' ""■ K"3 "at" crj I" - tJ o -J O C'' 1 »-' ^ d - '- * 1-— 5 'I' c — ^ a) »-tw«^4Ccct» eooso»-'W«"ru;sct-ooos Advertisements Following the precedent of many foreign hand- books for travelers, a few advertisements have been accepted from establishments of the highest class, as containing information of interest to tourists. CAMP CURR.Y THE PIONEER YOSEMITE CAMP ESTABLISHED I8S9 EXCELS IN LOCATION— Nearest the principal trails and chief points of interest. CUISINE — Sanitary kitchen, all white crew. ACCOMMODATIONS— Clean, comfort- able, up-to-date. HOSPITALITY — Best entertainment, camp-fire, dancing; and THE PERSONAL MANAGEMENT OF THE OWNERS. Tents — Modern hotel rooms under canvas. Buiiffaloivs — Most comfortable in Yosem- ite. Electric light and heat, private baths, sanitary plumbing. Laundry — Modern and complete. Baths — Two well-equipped bath houses; also large swimming tank, clean and heated. Studio — Unique in Yosemite. Full stock of views, books, curios, Indian blank- ets, Eastman kodak supplies. Devel- oping and printing. Complete dark room. Auditorium— Beu in Valley for Conven- tions or Dancing. Hardwood floor. Excellent music. Garage — Largest in Yosemite. For literature and rates address The Curry Camping Co., CAMP CURRY, CALIFORNIA ^ (Vhere fSe f/re > , . arxf f/te Sfentor Calh" 3^fie '/Veco Camp Curri/ Garage Zfent Streets Paved with Neeates frof*> tfie Pines PILLSBURY'S PICTURES, Inc. San Frattcisco Store Yosemite Studio Pasadena Store 50/ GearTsUet Yosemite Village 345 E. Colorado St. Laj-gest Collection of Scenic Negatives on Pacific Coast KODAK AGENCY FINISHING PICTURE FRAMING Motion Pidures of Yosemite and the High Sierra a7iil of the Mountain Wild Flowers Opening and Growing, at the YOSEMITE STUDIO -— s««i open April to October "PILLSBURY" MEANS THE BEST in photography The Leighton Press PRINTERS & PUBLISHERS PRIVATE EDITIONS - PERIODICALS .-. ADVERTISING LITERATURE SI6 Mission St. San yrana'sco, Cal. ftv J^ Of course U oii II uisit San Francisco That fascinating, cosmopolitan city by J the Western sea, offers the delights of the Old as well as the New World. THE PALACE "San Francisco's Historic Hotel" provides every luxury of modem mind A cuisine unsurpassed throughout the length and breadth of the land. An evening dansant, with an orchestra famed from coast to coast. An information bureau that lifts the burden of travel from the shoulders of the traveler — reserva- tions, tickets, etc. A Nursery where baby may be left for any length of time — day or night. A garage within a stone's throw of the New Mont' gomery Street entrance. COMFORT LUXURY SAFETY The Palace for Service Jllanagemen! of HALSEY E.MANWARING Nearly 100,000 eopIeH of Jiihn II. \A illianiN' linokN nhoiit tbe Kreat nuiiiiitiiinK of the A\"t».st hnve alr«*alt. Hood, >It. Adams and Mt. St. Helens, and of the Colaniliia River and its forests. IXIFORM STYLES AXD PRICES: LIBRARY EDITIOV, in stout art crash. .tll.."0 net: express 1ok has such a prtuliKal yet representative nealth of pictures * * * 31uch of the present edition is ne«'» and Mr. AVilllains* notes are so adniirnhle that they really add to one's better understanding; of the history of the 'Oregon country'/* — The Orep;onian. Portland. The Canoe and the Saddle lly THKOUORE \V1.\THI«»)I' To which are now tir.st added his WESTERX I.ETTP^RS A>D JOURNALS. Edited with all Introduction and Xote.s liy John H. A\ illiniiis. R4»yal Svo.. with 1(> plates in color, -IS halftones, and tiO text etchini^s. lloiin