F 868 .Y6 W7 V i-:^' fe '*?T'-,*- -% flippy Class Ei^:^ Book _^J^7 Cofi>iightN?, COPyRIGKT DEPOSIT. On the Coulterville Rosul tliroiiKli ^lert-etl (Jrove of Hi;;; Trees ILLUSTRATED BOOKS BY JOHN H. WILLIAMS "The Mountain That Was *God"' "The Guardians of the Columbia" "The Canoe and The Saddle" BY THEODORE WINTHROP to which are now first added his Western Letters AND Journals. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by John H. Williams. 'There is no death; love paid the debt; Tho' moons may wane and men forget, The mountain's heart beats on for aye; JVJio truly loved 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 tlie Sierra." YO SEMITE and Its HIGH SIERRA By JOHN H.WILLIAMS Author of "THE MOUNTAIN THAT WAS 'GOD" "THE GUARDIANS OF THE COLUMBIA" etc. WITH MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS INCLUDING EIGHT COLOR PLATES FROM PAINTINGS BY CHRIS JORGENSEN TACOMA AND SAN FRANCISCO JOHN H. WILLIAMS 1914 •To l^ f^ The "Washington" and "Lincoln," Giant Sequoias in Mariposa Grove. COPVRIQHT, 1914, 91 JOHN H. WILLIAMS JAN -i^ 1915 ©CI,A393365 «. V.-..-'' " '-^•si*te,'';':.--;.:«*Wl On the Suiniiiit of CIouiLs Rest, lookinjz: .soutliea.st over I^ittle Voseniite and the Merced Cnuon to Mt. Clark. 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 bHnding sunsets blazon, Black canons 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 W. Service. starting; for the Ascent of Mt. Lyell. North Ddiiie, Hojal Art-lit's and Waslilnston Coluuiu, Meeu fruiii the Merced River. The concentric formation in tlie granite, which i.s characteristic of tlie Yoseniite region, is nowhere better sliown. Tlie imposing architectural aspect o£ this group, as if it were tlie ruins of some vast, decaying me- illeval cathedral, with crumbling arches and broken cam- panile, makes it the most Interesting rock feature in the Valley. The Half Dome, seen from the Overlinnging Rork nt Glacier Point, more than liulf a mile above tlie floor of Yosemite. FOREWORD 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, canons, lakes, waterfalls, and forests are so important and spectacular, that even the unprecedented number of illustrations 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 photo- graphs 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 profes- sional 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 pro- fessional work. My first acknowledgment must therefore 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 Valley and the Big Tree Groves. I a,m also indebted to the pas- senger departments of the Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and Yosemite Valley Railways for many fine photographs; to the professional photographers, Messrs. Fiske, Pillsbury, Tib- bitts, Boysen and others, for their interest and cooperation, and to Mr. M. M. O'Shaugh- nessy, City Engineer of San Francisco, for invaluable photographs of Hetch Hetchy. lO FOREWORD Thanks are also due to the directors of the Bohemian Club of San Francisco for per- mission to reproduce Mr. Chris Jcirgensen's spirited painting of Yosemite from Inspira- tion Point. The book is much enriched by this picture and by the others painted by Mr. Jorgensen especially for it. Mr. William E. Colby, the Sierra Club's untiring secretary, has kindly read proofs, and aided me greatly with his expert counsel. Prof. C. A. Kofoid and Prof. Willis Linn Jepson, of the University of California, Rev. Joseph S. Swain, of Cambridge, Mass., Mr. Russ Avery, of Los Angeles, Mr. Mark A. Daniels, of San Francisco, Superintendent of the National Parks, Messrs. Herbert Bashford and Homer T. Miller, of the same city, Miss Mary A. Byrne, of the San Francisco Public Library, and Mr. John B. Kaiser, of the Tacoma Public Library, have made me their debtor by many courtesies. I must also thank the Houghton-Mifflin Company, of Boston; the Century Company, of New York, and the Blair-Murdock Company and Mr. A. M. Robertson, of San Francisco, for liberty to quote from copyrighted works of Muir, Burt, Chase, Symmes, Sterling and Richardson. This book is an acknowledgment of a long-standing debt to the Sierra. Years ago, while a resident of California, I 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 the 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 European, with which I am ac- quainted,— a mingling of sublimity and tenderness that should make it the joy of all Americans, and the best-guarded treasure of California. "With frontier strength ye stand your ground; With grand content ye circle round. Tumultuous silence for all sound, . . . Like some vast fleet. Sailing through winter's cold and summer's heat; Still holding on your high emprise, ' Until ye find a home amid the skies." Tacoma, Nov. 15, 1914. Jack Main Cafion and Wllmer I^ake, north of Hetch Hetcliy Valley. L.iinc1i Time on the Tuolumne, at tlie Sierra Club's Camp near Soda Springs. CONTENTS I. THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 17 II. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 61 III. ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE 93 IV. TUOLUMNE GRAND CANON AND HETCH HETCHY 11.^ V. THE "KING OF THE FOREST" 137 NOTES 143 ILLUSTRATIONS The * indicates engravings from copyrighted photographs, illustration. See notice under the FOUR-COLOR HALFTONES From paintings by Chris Jorgensen. The Caiion of Yosemite By courtesy of the Bohemian Club 4 Cathedral Rocks and Spires 19 Yosemite Falls, seen from the Merced Meadows 24 Cascades at the Head of Happy Isles 41 Half Dome in the Alpen-Glow 60 Vernal Fall 77 Mt. Lyell and its Glacier HI In Mariposa Grove 130 ONE-COLOR HALFTONES. Title On the Coulterville Road "Washington" and "Lincoln" Trees, Mariposa Grove . On the Summit of Clouds Rest Starting for the Ascent of Mt. Lyell Royal Arches and the Merced River Half Dome, from Overhanging Rock, Glacier Point . Jack Main Canon Lunch Time on the Tuolumne The Gates of Yosemite Regulation Peak and Rodgers Lake Photographer Page S. A. Gray 2 H. C. Tibbitts 6 Pillsbury Picture Co. 7 Pillsburv Picture Co. 7 H. C. Tibbitts S H. C. Tibbitts 9 J. F. Kinman 10 Pillsbury Picture Co. 11 Pillsbury Picture Co. 16 J. F. Kinman 17 12 ILLUSTRATIONS Title Photographer Page Returning from Summit of Mt. Hoffman Dr. Edward Gray 17 Upper Yosemite Fall Arthur W. Wilding 18 Bridal Veil Fall Pillsbury Picture Co. 20 Sentinel Rock (2) Fiske and Pillsbury 21 A Glacier Landscape: Tuolumne Canon C. H. Hamilton 22 Another Glacier Landscape: Mt. Starr King, etc. . . . George R. King 2 2 El Capitan, from East Side George Fiske 2 3 First View of Lyell and its Neighbors Prof. Everett Shepardson 25 White Cascade, in Tuolumne River Walter LeRoy Huber 25 Indian Grist-Mill George R. King 2 6 Snow-Creek Falls Lena M. Reddington 26 Three Brothers H. C. Tibbitts 2 7 The Domes in a Winter Storm Pillsbury Picture Co. 28 Two North-side Lakes (2) J. F. Kinman 29 "Apron" and Glacial Tarn, in Little Yosemite Hazel E. Roberts 29 Cathedral Peak Walter LeRoy Huber 30 Dome at Head of Tenaya Lake Pillsbury Picture Co. 30 View East from Glacier Point J. T. Boysen 31 The "Governor Tod" Group Pillsbury Picture Co. 32 A Study in Clouds and Mountains Clinton C. Clarke 33 Buttercups Following Retreat of the Snow Clinton C. Clarke 33 Washburn Lake J. T. Boysen 34 North Dome, seen from Happy Isles H. C. Tibbitts 3 4 The Tuolumne Grand Canon Walter LeRoy Huber 35 The Terraced Walls of Hetch Hetchy Pillsbury Picture Co. 36 Giant Sequoias at Cabin in Mariposa Grove H. C. Tibbitts 37 View South from Kuna Crest Walter LeRoy Huber 38 White Firs on Eagle Peak Trail Prof. George J. Young 38 Mt. Dana, seen from Tioga Lake H. E. Bailey 39 Sugar Pine Loaded with Cones George R. King 40 Crossing Cold Canon Meadows Ruth I. Dyar 40 View down from Clouds Rest J. T. Boysen 42 Yosemite Squaw, with Papoose J. T. Boysen 43 Polemonium near Parker Pass Rose M. Higley 43 Mono Pass; with Bloody Canon and Mono Lake (2) . . Francis P. Farquhar 44 ♦Happy Hours! (Deer in the Park) J. T. Boysen 44 Sardine Lake in Bloody Canon J. T. Boysen 45 Mt. Hoffman, from Snow Flat on the Tioga Road .... Philip S. Carlton 45 Yosemite Valley, seen from Yosemite Falls Trail . . . George Fiske 46 Distinguished Visitors to the Grizzly Giant Pillsbury Picture Co. 46 Western End of Yosemite, from Union Point George Fiske 47 Indian Acorn Cache H. C. Tibbitts 48 Tenaya Peak, with Tenaya Lake Pillsbury Picture Co. 48 In Tenaya Canon (2) Prof. J. N. Le Conte 49 Tenaya Lake J. T. Boysen 50 Gates of Tenaya Caiion in Winter George Fiske 51 South Merced Valley, from Lookout Point J. T. Boysen 52 A Yosemite Wood-Gatherer George Fiske 52 Mirror Lake and Mt. Watkins Pillsbury Picture Co. 53 Yosemite Indian Basket-Maker J. T. Boysen 54 "Umbrella Tree" George Fiske 54 Wild Flowers beneath the Royal Arches Pillsbury Picture Co. 55 The "Forest Queen" in the Mariposa Grove J. T. Boysen 56 *"Watch Me!" (Bear Cub) J. T. Boysen 56 *0n the Overhanging Rock in Winter Pillsbury Picture Co. 57 Blue Jay in Merced Canon Prof. Everett Shepardson 57 John Muir in Hetch Hetchy George R. King 58 Ready for the Trails H. C. Tibbitts 58 Tenaya Canon and Half Dome, from Glacier Point . . . George Fiske 59 Merced River and the Forest in Yosemite H. C. Tibbitts 61 Lost Arrow Trail H. C. Tibbitts 61 Chilnualna Falls, near Wawona J- T. Boysen 62 "New England Bridge," at Wawona George Fiske 62 Bridal Veil Meadow H. C. Tibbitts 63 ILLUSTRATIONS 1 3 Title Photographer Page On Wawona Road George Fiske 63 The Merced River above El Portal Pillsbury Picture Co. 64 Cascade Falls J. T. Boysen 65 Bridal Veil Fall in Early Winter George Fiske 66 Winter Sports in Yosemite Philip S. Carlton 66 El Capitan and Three Brothers Pillsbury Picture Co. 67 A Glimpse of North Dome George Fiske 67 North Wall of Yosemite Valley Pillsbury Picture Co. 68 Panoramic View East from Washburn Point Pillsbury Picture Co. 68 Cathedral Rocks and Spires Pillsbury Picture Co. 69 The '-Back Road," South Side of Yosemite George Fiske 70 Yosemite Falls, seen from North-side Trail Pillsbury Picture Co. 71 Cliff at Head of Yosemite Falls U. S. Geological Survey 72 Leopard Lily Arthur W. Wilding 72 Evening Primroses and the Half Dome Pillsbury Picture Co. 73 Ice Cone at Upper Yosemite Fall (2) George Fiske 74 Overhanging Rock at Glacier Point George Fiske 75 Glacier Point Jutting into Yosemite Pacific Photo and Art Co. 76 *Illilouette Fall Pillsbury Picture Co. 78 The Merced at Happy Isles (2) Pillsbury Picture Co. 79 Le Conte Memorial George Fiske 80 The "Fallen Monarch" U. S. Forestry Bureau 80 Vernal Fall, from Clark's Point George Fiske 81 Vernal Fall in Winter George Fiske 82 At the Head of Nevada Fall W. J. Grow 82 The "Cataract of Diamonds" Pillsbury Picture Co. 83 Little Yosemite, from Liberty Cap Pillsbury Picture Co. 83 Nevada Fall (2) Pillsbury Picture Co. 84 Little Yosemite, with Clouds Rest George Fiske 85 Sugar-Loaf Dome, in Little Yosemite George Fiske 85 Climbing the Half Dome (2) R. O. Quesnal 86 Overhang at Summit of Half Dome R. O. Quesnal 87 Phlox Pillsbury Picture Co. 87 Half Dome at Sunrise Violet Ehrman 88 On the "Short Trail" to Glacier Point Pillsbury Picture Co. 88 Lake Merced J. T. Boysen 89 A Characteristic Dome Landscape Pacific Photo and Art Co. 90 Sentinel Dome George Fiske 90 Jeffrey Pine on Sentinel Dome .' Pillsbury Picture Co. 91 Aspen Forest at Lake Merced W. W. Lyman 92 Triple Divide Peak William Templeton Johnson 93 Climbing Mt. Clark F. R. v. Bichowsky 93 Tuolumne Pass (2) Clair S. Tappaan and Dr. Edward Gray 94 On Lake Washburn at Sunset W. W. Lyman 94 Vogelsang Pass and Vogelsang Peak Pillsbury Picture Co. 95 View South from Vogelsang Pass Pillsbury Picture Co. 95 Summer Snowfields in the Sierra (3) Charles W. Michael 96 Cathedral Peak, from Cathedral Pass J. Floyd Place 97 Looking up Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne Prof. Everett Shepardson 98 Pack Train at Vogelsang Pass Pillsbury Picture Co. 98 Kuna Crest, from Meadows near Mono Pass Rose M. Higley 99 Mountain Hemlocks Ruth I. Dyar 99 In Alpine California (2) Prof. E. Shepardson and F. P. Farquhar 100 Cutting Steps up Snow-Finger on Mt. Lyell Walter LeRoy Huber 100 Luncheon on Lyell Summit Pillsbury Picture Co. 101 Sierra Club Climbing Mt. Lyell Pillsbury Picture Co. 101 Rodgers, Electra and Davis Peaks J. Floyd Place 102 A Convenient Crack Clinton C. Clarke 102 Summit of Mt. Lyell Prof. Everett Shepardson 103 The "Bergschrund" of Lyell Glacier H. E. Bailey 104 The Uplands in July: Echo Peak from Unicorn .... Francis P. Farquhar 104 Mts. Dana and Gibbs (2) Ruth I. Dyar 105 The Craters of Mono County J. T. Boysen 105 Summit of Mt. Conness (2) F. R. v. Bichowsky 106 14 ILLUSTRATIONS Title Photographer Page Cathedral Peak Range, from Tuolumne Meadows . . . Philip S. Carlton 10 7 Tenaya Lake, from Old Tioga Road Pillsbury Picture Co. 108 Lambert Dome and Tuolumne Meadows Pillsbury Picture Co. 108 Matterhorn Canon, from its East Slope Ruth I. Dyar 109 The Hammond Fly-Catcher Rose M. Higley 109 View East, from Benson Pass Walter LeRoy Huber 110 Snow Plant J. T. Boysen 110 Mts. Ritter and Banner, from Shadow Lake Walter LeRoy Huber 112 Group of 2 50-foot Sequoias U. S. Forestry Bureau 113 Nearing the Summit of Mt. Lyell Pillsbury Picture Co. 113 Piute Mountain and Lakelet in Seavey Pass C. H. Hamilton 114 A Typical Glacial Cirque U. S. Geological Survey 114 Upper Hetch Hetchy, from Le Conte Point Walter LeRoy Huber 115 Coasting on the Granite Pillsbury Picture Co. 115 Lower End of Tuolumne Meadows, from Lambert Dome . Ruth I. Dyar 116 Cathedral Creek Falls Robert L. Lipman 116 Glen Aulin and Wildcat Point Philip S. Carlton 117 Spermophiles at Conness Creek Ruth I. Dyar 117 Tuolumne Falls Walter LeRoy Huber 118 Grand Canon of the Tuolumne River Walter LeRoy Huber 119 Largest of the Waterwheels Francis P. Farquhar 120 A Fair Knapsacker Lucile R. Grunewald 120 Waterwheel Falls, Tuolumne Canon Francis P. Farquhar 121 Benson Lake (2) Prof. Ralph R. Lawrence 122 Cookstoves on the March Ruth I. Dyar 122 Rodgers Lake Rose M. Higley 123 Heart of Tuolumne Canon; Entrance to Muir Gorge (2) . Francis P. Farquhar 12 4 *Lower End of Muir Gorge Francis M. Fultz 12 5 Little Hetch Hetchy John S. P. Dean 126 Weighing the Dunnage Elizabeth Underwood 126 River, Meadow and Forest, in Hetch Hetchy Pillsbury Picture Co. 12 7 Waterfalls and Cascades in Tuolumne Canon .... Pillsbury Picture Co. 127 Sunrise in Hetch Hetchy Rose M. Higley 12 8 Unnamed Lake in Eleanor Canon J. F. Kinman 12 8 The "Twins" Walter LeRoy Huber 129 Five-Finger Falls, in Hetch Hetchy Walter LeRoy Huber 131 Lake Eleanor J. F. Kinman 131 Central Hetch Hetchy Taber Photo Co. 132 Upper Hetch Hetchy H. B. Chaffee 133 Yellow Pines George Fiske 134 Overhanging Rock at Eleanor Canon Robert Schaezlein, Jr. 134 Lower Hetch Hetchy H. B. Chaffee 135 A Contemporary of Noah: the "Grizzly Giant" .... H. C. Tibbitts 136 Cavalrymen at Cabin in Mariposa Grove Pillsbury Picture Co. 137 A Fish Story from Laurel Lake J. F. Kinman 137 Wawona Meadows and South Merced Valley J. T. Boysen 138 Red Fir Meyer Lissner 139 "Alabama," in the Mariposa Grove J. T. Boysen 139 Maul Oak, on Wawona Road H. C. Tibbitts 140 Mariposa Lily Prof. Ralph R. Lawrence 140 The "King of the Forest" (2) Walter LeRoy Huber 141 Three Veterans E. N. Baxter 142 Del Portal Hotel, at El Portal J. T. Boysen 143 Camp Curry (2) Pacific Photo and Art Co. 144 Watching the Sunrise at Mirror Lake Pillsbury Picture Co. 145 MAPS From Yosemite Valley to Wawona and Mariposa Grove, Drawn by Chris Jihgensen 14 6 Travel-Guide Map, Yosemite National Park. U. S. Geological Survey, Inside Back Cover Yosemite Valley. Drawn by Chris Jiirgensen Inside Back Cover Regulatiou Peak (el. 10,500 ft.), and Rotifers Lake, tlie best known of many beautiful mountain lakes in tlie uortlieru 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 J 'an Dyke. THE Yosemlte Country invites all lovers of the thronging mountains. It offers the enjoyment of a landscape famous for its elements of surprise and wonder. It promises the lasting interest of upland grandeur, softened by the beauty of lake and forest, flowers and falling waters. A land of superlatives, it may truthfully boast the most splendid high-walled valleys, the loftiest cataracts, the oldest, stateliest, and most note- worthy trees, in the world. It multiplies the delights of mountaineering with the most equable of sunny mountain climates. Finally, . ' ' f — and this is its loudest call to thousands of true nature- lovers, it presents a legible RetumluK from tbe summit of Mt. Hofltman. Here the glacier ground the stone. Here spake God and it was done : Bnttress. 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 harp- er's hands On the quivering granite strands. — Now with thunderous thud and moan, Xow with giant undertone ; While the pine trees whis- per low. And the sunset's shadows slow Up the vast gnarled ridges go To the roseate far snow. — Rev. Joseph Cook: "Yosemite." "Soon, nibinatiou of N.vlvau es VoNeniite nniime i iiled arm ""ulaln llo«erH; l.,re»«s „f „,„„, greens an.l lawu.l.r>: the l.i».lual Ion veil!", .""""" "'■'■'■'■'" """• «'<'"«.lnK hiKl. nl.ove Ihlx world ol gentle •lii'i'T "" '""""'"" "''"' '"•■'• of i:i (aiiltnn. while I'oIi.mio drop" from "iiig ng valley- NUperl.l, Nenlptured. and «o l>eantlful thai he ma> " feet on the Noutli side of the valley, opposite Three Brothers. The perpenilieular front of the Sentinel, sheer for half its height. sIwmvs ho^v the eleavage has fol- lowed vertical j«>intlng lu the granite. In such alpine re- gions, whether of Eu- rope or America, the •eal out-door man needs no handbook of science to interpret their report forces, busy until comparatively recent time. Nor does the wild- scenes, or the slight effort needed to attain them, weigh against 22 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA the inspiration which he prizes more than comfort. He is not offended by the ab- sence of those sylvan graces common only to the older low- lands. And if, hap- pily, prodigal Na- ture, in her bounty, should set down a delightful picture of gentler beauty in the midst of her mountain grandeurs, he appraises it the more justly for its mighty surround- ings. 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 National Park. Its area of 1,124 square miles A Glaoier Landscape; Tuolumne Canon, where many thousands of years ago, the great Tuolumne Glacier left its record in the deep trough and polished granite slopes. Another Glacier Landscape: The domes of Mt, Starr King (right*, with the Mt. Clark group and its cirques beyond, forming the Illilouette water-shed. ^rM^«?«d»-. .v'. Bl Capltan (the Captain), with early morning annligrht on l^R eaat face. One needs the aid of figures to appreciate the maKnltude of this vnnt block of nnjolnted grranlte. The brow of El Capitnn In 3,100 feet above the Merced River; Its actual nnminlt Is ."jOO feet higher. Each face of the cliff exceeds 100 acres In area. A lone tree btoivIdk on a ledge under the arch seen in the sliado^v on the rljslit In more than eighty feet high. p <*^'»«jfi»j?»vi}IeC'lure are seen ou tlie sky-line. ri;;;lit of eenter. combines the most rugged wildness with innumerable scenes of composed beauty. Extending from an average elevation of 4,500 feet on its western boundary to the snowy summits of the Sierra Nevada Range, at more than 13,000 feet, it includes the watersheds of two important rivers, the Merced and the Tuolumne, and embraces a variety of upland scenery unequaled in any other of our national parks. Each of these great public outing grounds has its own especial inter- est: the Colorado Grand Caiion, its vast gorge, with an infinite variety in the forms and coloring of the river-sculptured rock; the Rainier Park, its single volcanic peak, imposing beyond other American mountains, snow- crowned, and radi- ating a score of huge glaciers down its densely forested slopes; the Yellow- stone, its wonderful thermal basins and their geysers ; the new Glacier Park, like the still grander Ca- nadian Rockies near by, a wealth of snow- peaks, glaciers, and 'Ilu- WliiJ.- C a.s,;,,l., in li;..l ,■ |{i%,i jU l ..iin.'.s., » re.k It: 26 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Indisin GriMt-Mill. An iniiiortant article of .sierra Indian diet >va.s meal made by pounding Idaek oak acornN in rude mor- tsirw in tiie granite. Tlie meal ^vas bleached ^vith hot ^vater to remove the bitter taste, and itaked into haril cake by dropiiin^ heated Ntoues into cookin;; biiskets containin;;' the paste. Such acorn Itread is still made by the Indians. beautiful lake-strewn valleys. The Yosemite Park has no geysers. Its former mighty ice-sheets have now shrunk to a few pyg- my glaciers, shel- tered on the north slopes of the highest peaks. These are mere shadows of the ancient glaciers, which left the story of their extent and work clearly written upon what is doubt- less the most fascin- ating glacial land- scape in America. Such a record holds, inevitably, far greater value and concern for us than the glaciers themselves could ever have had. The gray granite canons which the ice-streams dug are as deep as that in the Arizona sand-stones. Though less gorgeously colored, they are quite as wonderful in the carving of cliff and wall. But they have other interest found nowhere else in equal degree. Glorious waterfalls, flung banner-like from the sheer canon sides, tell of complex systems of branches. These radiated like a family tree from the trunk glaciers. All were bent to denude the Sierra slope of its sedi- mentary 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 cafions, they presented the form of giant stairways, down which the glaciers had moved majes- tically, to yield at last to the then tropical heat of the lower valleys. In this de- Snow-Creek FalU, on Tenaya Lake Trail. £ ... "3 c i * r 3 ? fci r. — I V). f • -^ I u Z r. ~ THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 29 scent, 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 hung a multitude of cataracts, and their deeply cupped treads held hundreds of high-walled lakes. The passing centuries have greatly relieved the primitive wildness of this glacial landscape. Forests as important as those of the Rainier Park, and perhaps even more beautiful in their universal mingling of sunshine and shade, have covered the upland mo- raines and soil beds laid 'l"»vo Xortli-.siile Lakes. Upper Twin I^ake, sibove, is sit the head of Eleanor Creek, and forms part of the Lake Elea- nor syxteni. Below is Tilden Lake, with Tower Peak ( 11,- 704 ft.> in tlie eentrsil dis- tance, and Sauriiin Crest on .the left. by the ice. Many of the waterfalls on the canon stairways have cut through their ledges, and become even more picturesque as cascades. While scores upon scores of the fine glacial lakes still remain — and a larger book than this would be required to describe and exhibit the notable lakes of the Yosemite Park, — many others have been filled by stream deposit, profitably convert- ing bare water areas into delightful mountain vales. Such is Nature's art. Here our debt to the glaciers reaches its climax. For among the filled lake basins made possible by their mighty sculpturing are the valleys of Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy, 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 va- riety and interest of their forests and mountain wild flowers, these famous valleys claim place among the pre-emin- ent treaSlirPS nnt nnlv nf Pplifrirn!^ "Apron" and Olaelal Tarn on Lakelet, on enc treasures, not only or L,aiirornia, the Mereed at head of Littie vosemite. 30 VOSKMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA ^^^^^^ ^ but of all America. They are ^^^^^^P part of our great national heri- ^^^^^^ ^^ tage, — part, indeed, of "those P^- ^^^^ higher things among our pos- sessions," as Prof. Lyman has said, "that cannot be measured in money, but have an untold bearing upon the finer sensibili- ties of a nation." Let no one, however, who knows only these renowned val- leys imagine that he has won his due share of Yosemite's inspira- tion. His birthright of beauty and grandeur here is something far more worth while. The two great valleys are of course mag- nificent, and each day spent in them, or in climbing their walls, will bring new rewards. But I am sorry for those who go no farther; who cannot spend a few days, at least, back in the upper country of the Merced or Tuolumne, among the lakes and shining granite domes of the highlands. Even though they may climb no peaks, the high mountains will welcome them to sit at their feet, share their gentler sunshine and broader outlook, 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 Val- ley. Happily, this is now to be made easy, even for the "tenderfoot." For the Yosemite country is a picture of contrasts and harmonies that make a perfect whole. It is not to be known by its fa- mous valleys only. These are but the enchanting fore- ground of our scene, and gain vastly by the dignity and austerity of their high mountain setting. Viewed separately, the valleys, splendid as they are, do not make the picture, any more """"■ '" "*'"" "/ ''"77/' '"'"*'• ,.^"**: *"*' '"'■*^'^ *'*'^* i^ ' .' ^ru^viiiK' lialf^viiy up the NUtpe. CsitliedrnI Peak «el. lo.uaa l't.», a pruiiiiiient laml- iiiark on the cliviile between the Merced anil Tuolumne ^vaterHheds. lew Kn.st frttiii <>l3ii-i«>r i'oint. Holo^v. in lln' >l «tc«mI < nnoii, jir*- \ «Tn3il iiikI No^ikIji Fall.s. mIIIi IJherty Cap. ii qiiiirter «l(>iii<>. risiiiK a tlioiiNiiiKl fe«'t «l>o\«> llie liittor fall, 'riu- Kraiiil«> Mlopcs of Little YoMrniite are seen lie.toiiil. >lt. Clark, the "Olieli.sk," to|>.M the .sky-line on the rijclit, anIaniniotli. The cloud seenery of the Sierra is as eharacteristic and impressive as its landscape. from the somber granites, Is sufficient Invitation. The short alpine summer Is long enough for their modest needsi Boldly they rush the season, edging away the tardy snow-banks, and calling on Old Winter to be up and going. Hardly waiting for his departure, at once they set about their business of hiding the glacial scars with masses of gay color. This ministry of beauty begins at the very snow-line, and grows as flowers and forest march to- gether down to the sunny glacial meadows, and on to the still older valleys of the Slerran middle zone, deep with soil, and glowing in the long summer. Eager as Nature has been to plant the broad Yosemlte uplands with flowers and trees, she has scattered other wonders here with even greater extravagance. Almost everything is on a scale of surprise. No- where else in America are highland lakes so plentiful or their settings more su- perb. The giant cataracts of Yosemlte Valley dwarf a hundred other great water- falls and cascades in the Park. These are hardly noticed here, but any one of them, could It be removed to Switzerland, would be- . Hiit«cr<'ups I'ollo^vinK Hetreat of tlic Snow. Tills Is come a center or crowded Hic custom of many early flowers, near the timber line. 34 VOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA W'lisliliiiru Kiike <7,, on tlie Meroed Kiver above I^ake Merced. Lougr Mountain (11,46.^ ft. », on the crest of the Sierra, is seen in the distance. tourist inns. The Park's genial forests of white and red firs, sugar and yel- low pines, incense cedars and mountain hemlocks, spreading up to altitudes of eight and nine thousand feet, thrill every lover of splendid trees. But these are overshadowed by its groves of kingly Sequoias, the marvel of the botanical world, — immemorial trees that might have heard blind Homer sing the fall of Troy, or furnished the timbers for Solo- mon'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 ob- jects does he clearly see that here, truly, .North Dome, seen from ita|>|>.v Isles. IS a playgrOUnd 36 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA fashioned for giants. The very harmony of Its elements makes us slow to grasp the full majesty of the whole. To know Yosemlte 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 know its mysteries. If Yosemlte were of Greece, how Inevitably legend-, seeking the clue to such perfection of beauty, must have peopled It with gods! The Indians of the Sierra, however, were seldom builders of myths. 'I'lu- 'l"«'rraoe«l AValls of Hetcli Hetchy, seen from granite bar in eenter of the Valley near its loiver end. Kolana Rock on rig;lit and jVorth Dome on left rise more than 2,000 feet above the meado^vs and forests of the Valley floor. Stolid and unimaginative beyond most of their brethren, they saw In their mountains only homes, sustenance and defense. Superstitions and devil- lore they had In plenty. One of their tales, for example, concerned Yosemlte Valley, their "Ah-wah-nee," meaning a deep grassy vale. Ah-wah-nee, they told the whites, was the abode of demons, at whose head was the great Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah, the "Rock Chief," which we have translated into cur- rent usage In the Spanish "El Capitan." His ominous face could be seen m 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. Giant StMiuoisis Jil tlie (a l>iii in Marlpcfsa <;rovc. 38 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA View South from Kuna Crest, showing Mts. Lyell, McCIure and Florence on the distant sky-line, with Potter Point and Parsons Pealv in center, beyond Lyell Forli Canon. 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 leg- ends of present-day publica- tion. But even these ascribe to the aborigines here no such veneration for the great peaks, the wonderful cata- racts, and other superlative forms of nature as among primitive men elsewhere clothed them with power over human lives, or amounted to worship. Nor does it appear that their speculation undertook seri- ously to explain these phe- nomena by a mythology such even as grew up in the Northwest, where the leg- ends of the "Bridge of the \\ hite Firs (Ahles concolor), on the EjikIc Peali Trail. r^r»r1c" nr\A tht^ "Ra<-fl«i rtf This tree, so named hefiiiiNe of its liKht Rray bark, vjOQS anO tnC Ijaitie Ol Is common tlirouKbont tiie Park at 5,000 to 7.000 ^J^g Winds" On the Colum- feet, Kivine place to the Red Fir, which abounds at i t-» f- altitudes up to 0,000 feet. bia Rivcr, the Pugct Sound 40 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA tolk-tale of the "Miser of Tak- homa," and the like show the Indian's restless mind allying Nature with his daily life, and seeking curiously to unravel her problems. For the Yosemite Indian, the unknown darkness held only ghosts and witches. His mountains gave him no vision. Yet they supplied him with a place to live in comfort and aboriginal luxury. They provided him with acorns, nuts, game and other food. They en- abled him to hide in pathless caiions, where pursuit was im- possible, 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, there-, fore, that our first native tradi- tion of the Yosemite represents the Red Man as telling white trespassers that Tutockahnulah 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 mountain Indians had no wish to be "civilized" as their valley cousins had been. Hence even as early as 1833, long before the discovery of gold and the rush of miners to the foot- hills, Captain Joseph Walker, the first white man to lay eyes upon the Yo- semite country, was carefully warned by his Indian guides r 1 C'ros.sIii>j Gold Ciinou ^loadow.s, oii vith Mnniinoth Moun- tain and Kiina Crest on left. Below, Bloody Canon and Walker I^ake, with Williams Butte and Mono Lake beyon*!. he then discovered, al- though the honor has been accorded to some other person at a period twenty years later." Thus it is seen that the present claim goes somewhat beyond the testimony of Walker and his nephew. We may accept "Camped at Yosemite," but are we war- ranted in assuming that "at" means "in"? On the contrary, Dr. L. H. Bunnell, who was of the Savage party visiting the valley in 1 8 5 I , and who named it "Yosemite," says in his well-known book, "Discovery of the Yosemite" (4th ed., PP- 38> 39) : I cheerfully concede the fact * * * that "his were the first white man's copvHiGHT, J. T. BovsEN eycs that ever lool\;ed up- Happy Hours! Deer are a familiar siKlit everywhere in the np- *-*'^ '-'■'® YOSenilte above lund forests and meadows of the Park. the valley, and in that THE VOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 45 Surdine fillincr a glacial cirque iu lilooily Cafiou, belo^v Mono Pass. sense he was certainly the original white dis- coverer. 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 de- pression indicating the valley, and its magnifi- cent surroundings, could alone have been dis- covered, and in Capt. Walker's conversations with me at various times he was manly enough to say so. Up- on one occasion I told Capt. Walker that Ten- ie-ya had said that "a small party of white men once crossed the mountains on the north side, but were so guid- ed 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 become nearly barefooted, our animals poor, and ourselves on 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 told him that "his Ute and Mono guides gave such a dismal account of the caiions of both rivers that he kept his course near to the divide," — that is, between the Tuolumne and the Merced. With no other chronicle of this first expedition, Bunnell's quotations from Walker and the Yosemite chief enable us to see the weary explorers struggling up the steep defile of Bloody Canon from the volcanic Mono plain, descending the long western slope, half starved, and floundering through the untracked snow of Novem- ber on the divide, to reach at last the sunshine and com- fort of the pro\-incial capi- tal, 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 Yosemite home. Mt. Hofl'nian, from Sn<>\v Flat, on tlie Tioga Koail. Tlil.s Wp muSt roncllldp T mass of granite ramparts Is the crest of tlie diviile < • , . ■. i,' between Yosemite Valley and the Tuolumne. think, that \^hlle WalkcT 46 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA E^nstern End of Yoseiiiite Valley, seen from Yosemite Falls Trail, near foot of the llpper Fall. Beginning T»ith Glacier Point on the right, the sky-line sho«» successively >It. SStsirr King, the Mt, Clark grouit. Half Dome, and North Dome. first traversed the Yosemite uplands, and was, In that sense, as Bunnell admits, "the original white discoverer," the honor of first visiting the tioor of the valley and making known the majesty of its walls remained for the "Mariposa Battalion." Of that second expedition we have a vivid and trust- worthy report. Dr. Bun- nell's account of it, and of the Indian war of 185 i, of which it was a part, is a frontier classic, with Tena- ya as its hero. In the old chief's last stand for the mountain fortress of his people, we see the Indian at his best. The gold-seekers and game-hunters of '49 and '50 Distinguished \ isitors to tin- (iriz/.ly t;iaiit. On I'resl- WCre pUShing thC natlVCS dent Roosevelt's right are Gim,rd Pinchot and Gov. ^^^y^ Jj^^q j-J^g mOUntainS ; Pardee; on his left, .John Muir, neujaniin Ide \V^heeler, etc. Out of this visit grew the recession of Yosemite the Indians WCre rCtaliat- Valley and the Mariposa tirove, and their ineorpora- • i • i 11 tion in the Yoiiemite National Park. "Ig aS USUal Wltll rODDerieS, \\ fstcru eiwl of \ ONeiiiito. with Sentinel Rock nnti 101 (:i|>iliin, Neeu frtiiii I iiion I'uiut, ^,.'!50 feet above the Valley floor. 48 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA burnings, and occasional murder. To the reser- vation established by the Indian 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 by the militia companies of the new state government. 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 down rocks upon all who pursue them. Other tribes dare not make war on them, for they are lawless, like the griz- zly 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 Major Savage, a veteran frontiersman who com- manded the Battalion, the grave old Indian said: "My 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!" Iii:i ('anon, ^vltli retloctioii of >lt. W'ntkiii.s. ri.sinK: more than 4.<100 feet ali<»ve Its .siirfaee. I'erfeet refleetioiiw siieh a.s this are Neeii only in the early niorninis: Interval hetiveen the ilownward eurrent.s of the nl^rht and tlie ^variu -winds that draw up the Sierra Mlope ax .soon a.s the sun strikes It. 54 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Yoseniite In<1i:iu It:isket-!^l:ilver, >vo:ivius' a burden basket. l:irs;e basket to the left is for cooking-. by others, Yosemite, or Grizzly Bear, for the animal which the Indians 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 advantage of the relaxed vigilance of their guards, they fled in the night, and were not again to be tempted away from their valley. In- ducements successful with other tribes were rejected with contempt. Gaudy clothing and cheap presents Tenaya declared no recom- pense for loss of freedom in their mountain home. Even the offered beef was refused; the Indians preferred horse-flesh. Hence, after the Chow- chillas had been subdued, and the other tribes had made treaties, Savage sent a second expedition, under Captain Boling, to bring in the stubborn Yo- semites. Bunnell again was of the party, which expected to have little difficulty in persuading Tenaya to surrender. But on reaching the valley in May, Boling found only deserted wigwams and smoking ash-heaps telling of hastyflight. Three of the chief's sons were captured at the foot of the great rock then named, in memory of the cap- ture, "Three Broth- ers." One of these youths was killed in trying to escape, and shortly afterwards Tenaya himself was caught by Boling's Indian scouts on a "Umbrella Tree," a sno>v-flattened pine at head of Nevada Pall. THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK :)3 high bench east of the "Big Falls," whence he had been watching his enemies below. When he saw the body of his son, his grief found vent only in a look of hatred that Bol- ing well understood. No word could be coaxed from him in reply to the cap- tain's regrets for the youth's death. A day or two later, he made an unsuccess- ful attempt to escape across the swollen Merced. Then at last his grief and rage poured out in characteristic speech. "Kill me, Cap- tain," he cried, "as you 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 you and your people. 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. Wild Flowers beneath the U«»jal Arches. 56 YOSExVIITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA !t*:-- I. isr^ 4 ^ ,1 ^ ^#:t| hi ii k •i»,"^»;v-i !*t.i:\ The "P«r»'.st tliii-t'ii," in tlie Mnrlpo.sa Gr<»ve, — an ex- ce|i(ionally NtrsiiKlit Ierce«l Cniion below ,.,..... -i i i Vernal Fall, which jurisuiction was responsible! COPYRIGHT, PILLSBURV On the Overhanging Rock at Glaoier Point, with eight feet of snow. Blue Jay, -JS YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Joliu M here John Muir was one of the first and most active in pointing out the importance of ending this imperium in impetio. 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 Universi- ty, and other well-known men were in the party, which received Mr. Muir's arguments for the recession of the valley and Big Tree grove with unanimous approval. A vigorous state-wide cam- paign was started by the Sierra Club, the strong California society of mountain-lovers of which Muir was president. The plan won gen- uir in Hetch Hetehy. The tree shown erOUS SUppOrt frOm the nCWSpapcrS ; is a fine example of Yellow Pine. r 1 11 r 4-U ^ of the State, as well as from the Native Sons and other large organizations; and was eventually successful, though its advocates had to overcome bitter opposition, both at Sacramento and at Washington, from certain politicians and favored concessionnaires whose private interests conflicted with the public advantage. The recession has been justified by its results. Better order has been established, and in every way the rights and convenience of the public have been promoted. The federal management, while sometimes open to criti- cism, has devoted annual appropriations exceeding $50,000, besides an in- creased income from con- cessions, mainly to im- provements that would still be lacking underthe clumsy dual system. Several hun- dred thousand dollars have been spent in building good roads and perman- ent bridges, and in leading trails into all parts of the Park. No one who views the matter impartially can now be found to advocate a return to the old regime. Ready for the Trails. Tenaya Cnfion, from Glacier Point (3.250 feet), with the iate (>aien t'lark at tlie ase of !>4 on "I'lio- togrrapbera' Roclt." The perpendicular cleavage of the Half pome by ^veatherinK is well .sliown in thin view. Mirror Lake lies below in the caiion, and beyond rise Mt. Watkins on tlie left, Clond.s Rest on the right, and Tenaya Peak in tiie diMtanee at the head of tlic caiion. Ilsiir-I)om«' pcn-tilo^v. Now, whilo a farowoll Klcam of evening light Is fondly lingering on thy shattered front, Do thou, in turn, ho paramount; and rule Over the pomp and heauty of a scene Whose mountains, torrents, lake and wood unite To pay thee homage. — Wordsworth. Merced River nn«l the Forest in VoMemite, ^vitli Half Dome in iliNtance. II. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE. "Of the grandest sights I have enjoyed, — Rome from the dome of St. Peter's, the Alps from Lake Como, Mont Blanc and its glaciers from Chamouni, Niagara, and Yosemite, — I judge the last named the most unique and stupendous."- Horace Greeley. "The only spot I have ever found that came up to the brag." — Balph Waldo Emerson. EARLY visitors to Yosemite paid well for its pleasures. To reach the valley by any of the old routes meant a hot and dusty ride of two or three days, in a primitive vehicle, over the roughest of mountain roads. In common with thousands of others, I painfully recall my first trip. We quit the train from San Francisco at Raymond, to endure a day of misery in a crowded "stage," which jolted us up from the low country into the noble valley of the South Fork at Wawona. That ride made the friendly little inn there, when we finally reached it, seem more luxurious than any metropolitan hotel. The next day was spent among the Mariposa Big Trees. The third carried us across the broad Wawona ridge to Inspiration Point and the hard-won vision of Yosem- ite itself. We were bruised and happy. Hundreds of tourists ^•11 J 1 ,1 Lodt Arrow Triiil, eiiNt Nitle of VoMenilte Creelw, leading still come and go by the ,„ c„mp LoMt Arrow. 62 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Wawona route, leaving or return- ing to the railway at Madera or Raymond. Automobiles, good roads, and improved hotel service have robbed the trip of its terrors. The traveler is able to enjoy fully the increasing interest of a wonder- ful ride, as his motor climbs swiftly back among the great, forested hills of Wawona. It is a country which, even without Yosemite or the Mari- posa Grove, might well draw him to its own splendid outlooks, deep valleys, and fine waterfalls and lakes, — a sportsman's paradise that should form part of any extended Yosemite outing. The Wawona route, like the Big Oak Flat road north of the Merced, is recommended by the fact that it gives the incoming visitor his introduction to Yosemite Valley from the heights. Few things in this world can exceed the surprise and pleasure of that view. Nearing the rim of the plateau, the road sud- denly leaves the forest for a turn far out on a rocky promontory. Nearly two thousand feet below, the river lies, a white thread, at the bottom of its gorge. The foreground is wild and unformed, — an abyss fringed by pro- jecting crags and pinnacles, and barren save for a few rugged and adv^en- turous pines clutching the ledges. But eastward opens the famous valley, always more impres- sive than imagina- tion has conceived It. Its nearest cliffs tower as far above as the river lies be- low, while, miles beyond, the great picture closes with domes and peaks lightly silhouetted against the softest blues and whites of the Sierran sky. "IVew Rnsland Bridge," at Wawona, built by Galen Clark in 1S70. Chilnualna Falls, near AVa^voua; one of the most beautiful series of cataracts and cas- cades In the Park. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 63 Bridnl Veil Meadovi-, on the route of the ancient Pohono Glsioier. Siieh Nkiuny K'l:ii'i:il flats, large anrt small, telling; of olrt lakes long since transfornieil by stresim-Avash, are come upon everywhere belo^v timber line, on forest trails or among the upland granite domes. Homes of flowers and deer, musical fvith the song o£ birtls, they are one of the surprises of the Park. It is a picture one can not afford to miss, and if he comes to Yosemite by rail, as most visitors now 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 Yo- semite's message from the sublime outlooks on or near this road, as it rises out of the cafion; or that the scene inspires such admirable work as we have in Mr. Jorgen- sen's Bohemian Club painting. 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 advertise- ment, delights not in sign-boards, and (>„ Wa^ona Itoad, near inspiration 64 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA 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. S8. The Merced River, three miles above El Portal. The sharp V-shape of the gorge indicates that it tvas probably cut by stream erosion, rather than by the glacier ivbicb carvetl the U-shaped canon of Vosemite above. Along this ^vild trough, filled ^vith boulders from the cliffs, an excellent automobile road has been built at great cost. The majority of Yosemite visitors to-day prefer the quicker service ot the railway, even to automobiles on the roads into the Park which have recently been opened to those vehicles. Leaving the Southern Pacific or Santa Fe system at the pleasant town of Merced, their through cars from San Francisco or Los Angeles carry them over the Yosemite Valley Railroad to El Portal, its terminus, just outside the Park boundary. This road is a noteworthy piece of railway building. A few miles above Merced, it en- ters the Merced River gorge, which it follows for the rest of its seventy- eight miles, as the canon sinks deeper into the range. For most of this length it was blasted out of the granite or cleated upon the wall of the gorge. Below it the Merced winds in a narrow, tortuous channel, which is dammed here and there to supply power for quartz and lumber mills. Gold mining is in progress at many points. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 65 At El Portal, the rail- way maintains an excellent hotel. From here automo- bile stages run not only to Yosemite, but also to the Merced and Tuolumne Big ^free Groves. These small areas contain many fine trees, and the journey to them is one of great interest. The road, as it climbs the hills, unfolds magnificent views of Yosemite and the lower Merced valley. Even if there were no Giant Se- quoias in prospect, the ride would be well worth while, for the forests of fir, pine and cedar through which it passes are among the most interesting in the state. A ride of twelve miles over a good automobile road of easy grades brings the visitor to Yosemite Vil- lage, at the center of Yosem- ite Valley. This highway is one of the most pictur- esque mountain roads in America. FVom El Portal to the very gates of the val- ley, it had to be cut out of the granite hillsides. All about it is a scene of colossal disorder, the work of ava- lanche and earthquai<:e, fill- ing the canon with mighty boulclers from the cliffs above, over which the river foams in continuous cascades. One great waterfall is passed before 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 passengers' attention to its beauty. This is Cascade Falls, seen on the left, where Cascade Creek pours from the north wall of the cafion, five hundred feet, in a deep recess close to the road. So fine a sight should not be overlooked. It prepares one for the Cascade Falls, four miles west of El Capitan. 66 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA greater magnificence of Bridal Veil Fall ahead. Soon, quitting the narrow, clut- tered wildness of the lower river, the newcomer is face to face with the ordered peace and glory of Yo- semite itself. Gratefully, silently, he breathes the very magic of the En- chanted Valley. For here, fully spread before him, is that combina- tion of sylvan charm with stupen- dous natural phenomena which makes Yosemite unique among Earth's great pictures. He sees the caiion's level floor, telling of an an- cient glacial lake that has given place to wide, grassy meadows; fields of glad mountain flowers; forests of many greens and laven- ders; the fascination of the wind- ing Merced, River of Mercy; and, gleaming high above this world of gentle loveliness, the amazing gray face of El Capitan, while Pohono drops from a "hanging valley" su- perbly sculptured, and so beautiful that he may well deem it the noblest setting Nature has given to any of her famous waterfalls. Here, too, at the very gates of the valley, we find an invaluable key to the problem of its origin. As we followed up the Merced, we have thus far seen it everywhere a turbulent canon stream. But at the base of Cathedral Rocks its character changes. For seven miles above that point, it is the most peaceful of meadow-bordered rivers, with only a few feet of fall as it me- anders indolently down the level valley floor from Happy Isles. A little easy investigation, for want of which, however, some eminent sci- entists have gone far astray, ex- plains the change. At the place iuSt mentioned, ^Vlnter sports m Vosemite. SkUng and , T-'l/^- i'i r snow-shoeing draw many parties to the where El Capitan bridge formerly vaiiey each winter. Bridal Veil Fall, seen in early "Winter from the south-side road. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 67 El Cnpitan and Three Brothers, seen from the moraine at the foot of Cathedral Rocks. Tourists of the class that finds its chief out-door interest in discovering: zoological re- semblances in natural objects have dubbed El Capitan "the Crouching Lion of Voseiu- ite." This is a misnomer, as the splendid huge rock is obviously an elephant! Stood, and where Its piers may yet be seen, a broad ridge of glacial debris, now covered with young forest, and notched by the river channel, stretches from the talus slope below Cathedral Rocks a quarter of a mile across to the rock slide, or earthquake talus, west of El Capitan. It is largely buried in silt and river gravel, but about twenty feet of its height is visible on the upper side, and twice as much below. So solid and level an embankment of soil and boulders, some of which have been freighted down from the sea- beach strata still re- maining back on the highest peaks, is unmistakably a glacier's record. Had Prof. J. D. Whitney seen it when, as state geol- ogist, he conducted his famous Yosem- ite survey, fifty -' - A Glimpse of \urth Dome, from one of tlie beautiful forest roads years ago, he would in Vosemlte Vallej. 70 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA 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 ridge is simply a terminal moraine, deposited by the great valley glacier at the point where the last of its repeated advances stopped, and from which its final slow retreat began. The line of the moraine, geologists tell us, practically coincides with, and covers, a granite bar, or sill, which formed the dam of the an- cient Yosemite Lake. This body of water had the same history as hundreds of other cafion lakes still to be found in the High Sierra, occupying the depressed treads of the huge glacial stair- ways. Deep basins were quarried by the glaciers wherever inflowing "branch glaciers greatly augmented their mass and weight, with a correspond- ing increase in digging power. Glaciers alone produce these rock-basins. Lakes such as Merced and Tenaya, above Yosemite Valley, 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 requires the long scouring of incal- culable moving ice-masses, armed with vast rocks plucked from their beds, to prepare the canons for the lakes and 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 student that distant day when the receding glacier left behind it a beauti- ful lake, seven miles in length and probably four or five hundred feet deep, TLe "Back Road," on the south side of Yosemite. The trees sho^vn are ehiefly California Black Oaks (Quercus kellog^^ii), a deciduous species tliat does niucli to beautify Yosemite aud Hetch Hetchy. Its acorns supply bread to the Indians, and are prized by squirrels and woodpeckers. Yoseniite FhIIh, seen from trail through tlie beautiful oak and pine foreiit that skirts the north wall of the A'alley. The upper fall. beKlnninK 2,o- floor, ilropn 1,4.30 feet; the lower fall, 320 feet, with Meveral Nnialler fnllM between. Vowenilte Point, 2,075 feet, is on the rlgrlit, and the tall {granite spire in front of it Im the "I>ost Arrow" of Indian lesend. 72 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Cliir nt Head of Voseniifo Falls, slio^ving the vertical cleavage joints ^Tlileh have guided the gla- cial sculpturing and made possible the sheer v%alls of Yoseniite. Hetcli Hetcliy and similar caiions. 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 a pass for itself through the moraine. This is also used by the road 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, and giving us the fertile val- ley floor, wMth an inestimable part of the beauty of Yosemite. That Yosemite Valley is due mainly to glacial action, which deepened and widened a river gorge existing before the glacial epoch or epochs, is now generally accepted by the geologists; they differ only as to the length of the main Yosemite gla- cier, some believing that it extended lit- tle below El Capi- tan, while others find evidence that convinces them it reached the foothills. Government geologists are now making a minute ex- amination of the region, and the publication of their work will throw light on many such minor problems. But the main question is no longer disputed. Such agreement, however. Is of comparatively recent date. There have been many theories as to the making of the great caiion. The most interesting of these, because of the eminence of its author, and the violence with which he mistakenly denounced the gla- cial hypothesis, was the famous fault-block contention of Prof. Whitney. Said he : 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 Alps, could 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 ignorance 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 Leopard i/il.v < i-. par- daliuiim), a gorgeous orange - siud - purple nienil>er of tlie Lily family, which fre- quents the louver valleys of tlie Park. Evenlnir Primroses nn.l the Half Dome. Tl.ese beautiful luinlnonH yellcT flo.ver« are a '«"••"" decoraUoTof Vosemlte. Hetch Hetehy an.l other valleyk In the Park during July. «hen their buds "pop" open noisily at sunset for a sln^ile nlieht of fragrant revelry. 74 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA 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 underneath. — The Yosemite Guide Book, 73, 74. Had Whitney's examin- ation of the valley been thorough enough to take note of the old moraine below El Capitan, it is probable he would not have written those words. And yet he had other evidence that should have prevented his error. El Cap- itan Moraine and the old Yo- semite Take which it helps us loo Cone at the Foot of Upper Yo- semite Full. This volcano-like hill rises each ^vinter to a height of four or five hundred feet, formed by the freezing spray and by blocks of ice fallen from the face of the clilf. The mouth of the cone is about 200 feet in diameter, says Muir, ^vlio has ooked dOYvn into it from the edge seen on the right in tlie upper picture. Tlie two small specks on the side of the cone in the lower view are the late Galen Clark and a companion, who climbed it to get a look into the "crater." to reconstruct are far from be- ing the only reminders of the valley's glacial history. Most striking of all, the hanging valleys on its walls are no less clearly of glacial origin. Overhanging Rock at Glacier Point, the most famous nu0 feet siieer to the Merce.l. ivIncllnR amonK the forests and men.lows of the Valley floor, and across to the beautiful Yosemlte Fall, dropping half a mile out of its o^vn banging valley. 76 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA As we pass Bridal \e\\ Fall, we note that it drops, not from a flat plateau abov^e, nor from a narrow cleft in the wall, but out of a high side-valley, which in turn is framed by 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 have cut only a V-shaped gorge. Its sculptor, in fact, was a minor glacier, mighty enough to dig a splendid wild valley, more than fif- teen hundred feet deep, but not powerful enough to sink it to the bed of the main valley. Hence, as the larger Glacier Point, jutting; into Yosem- ite Valley at its junction Tvitli tlie Alerced-IIIilouette Canon. Seen eitlier from the Valley floor or from the trail to Vernal Fall, this massive cliff is the stateliest headland of the south ^vall. Its precipitous faces are due to i^Iuoial quarrying' along vertical joint-planes. glacier shrank in bulk, and ceased to fill the great canon of Yosemite, the Pohono glacier was left "hanging" on the side, to drop its ice and rock in avalanches upon the trunk glacier below. Final- ly, both glaciers vanished, Vernal Fall. Thy springs are in the cloud, thy stream Begins to move and murmur first Where ice-peaks feel the noonday beam, Or rain-storms on the glacier burst. — Bryant. Illiloiiclte Fall, viewed from Urn caiion below. Thin line waterfall lias a drop of 37« feet. It In a hard elliiib up IllUouette C'auon from the Mereed River to the foot of the fall, whieh ma.v he seen more eaNil.v from ahove, on the Lons Trail to Olaeler Point. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 79 with increasing mean temperature and decreasing snowfall. Of their canons one was occupied by the typical glacier-made lake of Yosemite, nearly four thousand feet above sea; while the other, for want of icebergs to drop into the lake, just as plainly declared its origin by flinging out a glacial banner, the most graceful and musical, though far from the largest, of the Yosemite waterfalls. Other famous cata- iM^^^^^^^^^^ft^ I Au ^^^ A ^,^P^^^H i'^(^ts hung high on the val- ■^^^^^^^^^^■kl^S^ "'^^k.^ml^^m^^^M ley 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 valley, are the tr. ^^KI^^^^Kh'VS^^^^^H^^^^^^^^^I most important in volume ■^^^EN^^r ^P^^^^^B^PP^^^SIR and length of season, ■i^^^^^3^Btey-«^7!^3Hy^^ S^^Ta ^ ing by their well-defined hanging valleys and fan- like amphitheaters, set deep in the highlands, that thev, The Merced at Happy Isles — Xwn beautifully -woodert islets at tlie upper enil of the Valley, -vvliere the river rushes out of its narrow eaiion helow Illil- ouette and Vernal Falls. too, are glacier-born. No more enjoyable oc- cupation can be found for part of a Yosemite vacation than to trace their old glaciers to their sources in the Hoffman and Merced spurs of the main Sierra. 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. Hoftman, along the southern slope of the Merced-Tuolumne divide, and forming a mountain-walled basin, almost VOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA circular, and five or six miles in diam- eter. In outline it is like the spreading crown of one of the caiion live-oaks that beautify the upland roads and trails. This characteristic abandoned home of a minor glacier no longer holds its per- manent neve. It is to-day merely a tem- porary reservoir. There the annual snows are held until it pleases their par- ent, the Sun, to transform them again 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 several miles wide, crept slowly from the Mt. Hoffman Range to meet the great ice-stream of the Merced; and when the larger glacier sank low in its vast cafion, the north-side feeder dug back its section of the wall until it had quarried a deep branch canon, in which Yosemite Upper Fall now thunders its own Le Conte Memorial, at the foot of Glacier Point; erected by the Sierra Club in honor of the late Prof. Joseph Le Conte, the famous g:eolog'i»it and autlior, of the University of California, and maintained as the Club's Yosemite headquarters. Here a library of out-door literature is accessible to the public. The "Fallen Monarch," with troop of cavalry. This great Sequoia, standing, ^vas one of the largeHt in the Mariposa Grove. Vernal Fall, from Clark's Point, on tlie horse trail. This famous oataraot is eighty feet >vi«le, and haa a drop of 317 feet. Although the most conventional of the great falls in Yoseniite, Vernal offers a niat;nifloent ploture. both in Its setting and in its >vealth of color. The isrolden lereens and blues of the steadily fnllln;^ stream, its shootini^ "comets," clouds of spray, and circular rain- bows, uiake it an Ideal study, tvell worth many vlaits. 82 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA chapter of the glacial story, king of all the waterfalls in height and stateliness. How easily the Yosemite cliffs were undercut and torn away by the blows of avalanches from the glacier above may be guessed from the picture on page 72, show- ing the wall so deeply fissured by vertical and intersecting cleavage planes that it is merely a standing pile of huge rectangular granite blocks, ready to be tumbled over by any power that can. The Illilouette watershed is larger, and even more interesting, as rimmed by higher mountains. From the "Long Trail" approaching Glacier Point, we get a good view of its deep lower valley, 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 Gray, 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 occupied by a broad river of ice, is now a land of sunny meadows, shining domes, and densely forested con- verging moraines, the whole walled by snowy mountains that rise to eleva- tions 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 pho- tography. 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 as a landscape architect. 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 largest in volume of all the Yosemite group. Instead of falling from their own hanging valleys, backed by independent basins, they are part of the Merced itself, and drop from giant steps ^^ ^„^. „^,,., ^^ j,^^.„,^^ p„„^ ^^^^ „ in the river's glacial stairway. These urojecting leii^^e, gruaraeii by an i., > J. I |./-|- (■ iron rail, enables visitors to study Steps, like the outstanding sheer cliffs ot the >viid flood at dose range. Vernal Fall in AVinter, when the MereedN fountains in the High Sierra are frozen, and eurlous iee- fornis are built by the spray at the foot of the slirunken fall. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 83 Yosemite, owe their remark- able height and perpendic- ular faces to the alternation of practically solid granite ridges, lying across the path of the ancient Merced gla- cier, with areas of looser rock, vertically jointed, and therefore readily disinte- grated by the ice. Glacial caiion steps as high as these are exceeding- ly rare. Hence caiion water- falls of the height of Vernal and Nevada are elsewhere almost unknown, while cliff cataracts of even greater fall, dropping from hang- ing 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 cata- racts 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 cataract, — a solid sheet of clear water bending easily from the brink of a 'Cataract uf Diunionils," bettveen Vernal and NevaIt. Clark In in dlNtance (left). 84 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA broad, level granite platform, and offering all the colors of its own delightful rainbows, as the flood changes swift- ly from golden green at its brow to broken grays and flashing snows in the sunny canon below. Nevada presents a striking contrast to such con- ventional, if surpass- ing, beauty. Already churned to foam in Nevada FaH (5!>4 ft.), seen from the eaiion belo^v and from Zig-Zag Trail, lialf- y\ay to the top. In dis- play of power, this great fall ranks first among the Yosemite cataracts. Steep, crooked trough, it shoots far out from its narrow cleft, a pas- sionate cloud, seeming- ly 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 THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 85 Little Yoseinite, with Clouds Rest in tlie distance. Still more dazzling whiteness. So splendid are the children of the glaciers. The record of these waterfalls is corroborated by the rock-basins which the glacier scoured out on their plateaus, just as it hol- lowed the basin of Yosemite Lake itself. Emerald Pool, the little tarn immediately above Vernal Fall, is hardly a stone's throw across, but unmistakable. River erosion could never have fashioned so perfect a bowl. A mile higher up, beyond Nevada Fall, the basin was three miles long, holding a lake that has now given place to the charming vale of Little Yosemite. Here bare cliffs and domes frame another level valley of meadow, for- est and lazy river, all on about one-half the scale of the greater Yosemite below. Other yosemites lie beyond, until we reach the splendid glacial lakes, Merced and Sugar-Loat Dome, at the head «f l.ittle Yosemite. 86 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Washburn, far up the canon. These, too, in time will fill with detritus from the hills, and become delightful valleys. Nature abhors barren waters. 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 j^^^^^HHBlEI^HRinnSMlri^^i^iflji plane away, though it gouged out the vast beds of jointed rock in which Climbing; the Half Dome. This feat was first performed in 1875 by George Anderson who drilleii holes and set eye-bolts in the northeast slope, the only practicable route. The ascent is now made by occasional adven- turers, aided by Anderson's spikes and a rope. The lower view here shows a climber making his way up across the projecting lay- ers of granite. they lay ; and as it swept over them, it shaved down their east slopes so that one may easily scale them, and find glacier boulders on their tops that have traveled far. THE CANON OF YOSEMITE 87 As Merced Canon forms the southeast hranch of Yosemite Val- ley, so the still deeper canon 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 carion's lower two miles, — that is, beyond the foot of Mt.Watkins, — it crowds to a narrow box-caiion between that great cliff and the steep incline of Clouds Rest. This might seem to be a V-shaped, stream-cut gorge, rather than to have the broader bottom commonly left by a glacier. But a little exploration discovers glacial footprints in the terminal moraines and the lakes and filled lake-beds, with fine connecting waterfalls, that mark a glacier's descent from the Cathedral Peak Range, south of the Tuolumne. We have hardly entered the cafion, in- deed, before we are reminded of El Capitan moraine and the enclosed Yosemite Lake. A similar boulder ridge, thrown across the canon 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 evidently occupies the lowermost of the glacial steps. It is a mere reminder of its former size, the delta of Tenaya Creek having stolen a mile from its upper end. Farther up the caiion, below and above Mt. Watkins, stream sediment has already turned similar lakes into meadows. But eight miles east of Yosemite, at the head of the canon, Tenaya Lake not only presents one of the most fascinat- ing views in the whole Park, but also recalls, in its polished granite pave- ments, walls and domes, a verv dififer- „,.. ,„ , .... „ ^,, . ent scene, — a picture of the old Tuol- Plilox (P. Ierced River. III. ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE 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 Muir: ''My First Summer in the Sierra." THE best way to see Yosemlte is from the heights. The wonder and pleasure of this experience draws thousands of visitors each summer to Yosemite Point, overlooking Yosem- ite Falls, and thence to the still higher b elevations of ErCapitan, Three Brothers | (Eagle Peak) and the North Dome; or, on p the south side, to Glacier Point, Sentinel [ Dome and the great outlooks offered by the Long trail and Pohono trail. These com- - paratively easy ascents should be made on foot by everybody who commands good wind and a fair pair of legs. Others are advised to take horses. It is not well to underestimate either the labor required or the rewards to be obtained. As one rises from the valley, the view develops unex- pected surprises; the opposite clifts rise Climbing: >It. Clark. 94 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA 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 beautiful Yo- semite than he has ever dreamed of. These upland trails are the keys that unlock, not only the secrets of Yo- semite Vallev, with ruoluiuue Pass, — upper vie^v looking: south; lower view, nortb. Be- low is seen a sno»T- field on the slope of Mt. Vogelsang, ■with advance of Sierra Club pack-train coming; in- to view. Beyond are Rafferty Creek Canon and Raflterty and John- son Peaks. its cliff sculptures, waterfalls and gla- cial story, but also the greater mysteries of the higher mountains. No one can climb the valley walls, 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. Splendid views of the High Sierra may be had from Glacier Point or North Dome, and still grander ones from Clouds Rest, east of Half Dome and easily reached by trail from Ne- vada Fall, — the highest point on the rim of the val- ley. But distant views are a poor substitute for the real enjoyment of days and nights spent amongthe lofty passes and fascinating alpine meadows nearer the back- bone of the range, with such ascents as may be within ^n Lake Wasbbum at sunset. 96 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA one's time and inclination. Hence the most important thing about the trails out of the valley is that they in- vite one on and on, to the grander Yosemite of the far heights. Visiting the Yosemite Sierra has till recentlymeant real exploration, but with the good trails now opened to many parts of the Park, one can hardly go anywhere below timber line without :i«sssi's^.:. Suiiiiiier Sno»v- field.s in tire Sierra. Upper picture shoT»s party enterin;; Parlt via Don- ohue PasN anil east Nlioultler of Lyell. Mid- dle, a vie^v Houtli, near Foerster Pass, across froxen Lake Harriet. I^o^ver, coast- ing on sno^v slope near Foerster Pass, «itU Merced Canon and Mt. Clark in dis- tance beyond. finding sign-boards pointing him to lake or peak or val- ley. All this is in disregard of the professional climber's fear that his favorite wilds will be rushed by the "mob." The Park administration wisely aims to make this great national playground fully accessible to the gen- eral public, as well as to the mountain enthusiast. The "mob," of course, will not follow; but mountain par- 98 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Looking up Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne, with Kuna Crest on the extreme left, Potter Point in the center, and Parsons Peak at the end of the ridge beyond. ties become larger and more numerous every year, and with the establish- ment of the Sierra Club's lodge and camp at Soda Springs next summer, and the chalets which the government is about to erect at Lake Merced, Tuolumne Meadows and some of the intervening passes, the number of such companies taking the long trails will, happily, soon be multiplied. There is variety enough in the moun- tain trails and the districts to which they lead to fill many summers with enjoyment. No season would be long enough to cover all the trails at anything less than a sprint- er's gait. Hence it is best to undertake some definite section of the Park, knowing that unforeseen calls are likely to be made on one's interest and time. Except the old Tioga road, all high- ways entering the Park lead to Yosemite Village, and end there; travel to the up- lands, save for persons relying upon their knapsacks, must be by the horse-trails. The Tioga road is not really an exception. Built many years ago on easy grades to reach the Tioga Mine, it follows up the Merced- Tuolumne divide, and crosses Tioga Pass. East of the Park, it is maintained as a state road; but the western end, long unused and I'ack Train at VoKelsanw; Pass. Mt. . i i r L" 1 * • 1 Clark is seen in the distance. now impassabk tor vehiclcs, IS Simply a ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE 99 Kuna Crest, seen from inendo^vs near Mono Pass. well-marked, though very rocky, trail through the central zone of the Park to Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne Meadows. It is necessarily traversed in part by those who go north from the val- ley, whether to the upper Tuolumne or to Hetch Hetchy. This road could be put in good shape, and connected by a branch road from Aspen Valley with the Big Oak Flat road, at com- paratively small cost. When this is done, we shall have a practicable highway, as nearly direct as is now possible, from Yo- semite to Tenaya Lake and the Tuolumne country, and forming part of a transcon- tinental automobile highway. Such a road would be very much used. Next to more hotels, it is the greatest present need of the Park. The government project of a road from Yosemite to Nevada P'all and Little Yosemite, and thence across one of the passes east of Clouds Rest, promises in time to give the Park a magnificent highway by the upper Merced to Soda Springs. But It will probably cost four or five times as much as the other, and, in view of Congressional indifference to "mere scenery," is not likely to be built within a decade. Mountain Henilnoks (TsiiKa nierten- siana) on east Hlope of Mat- terliorn Canon, ^vliere there Is n reni]irkal>le forest of this most Krttccful of alpine trees. lOO YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Outing parties visiting the High Sierra may now leave Yosemite Village, where camp equipment and supplies, horses and guides are to be had, by one of several trails. The most popu- lar are those by Nevada Fall, Little Yosemite and Lake Merced, in the Merced Caiion, and by Lake Tenaya and the Tioga road to Soda H ^^^: ^^K^!^*?^'^"^ Springs and Tuolumne ^^^^ ^^■b- jtAsr-:^^ Meadows. There is also In Alpiue California. Above, >It. Dana Glacier, seen from the summit, with camera pointing sharply «lown-\varler-pollshed granite slopes. on the UppCr McrCed, CSpCCially in \ h U S ^ S O s r o 1a — b I04 VOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Till- "HerKsfliriind" <»f I^yell Glacier. This Gt'niinii «orlono County. Tills unl<|iie voleanle rnnjje, ^vlilcli lies in tlie desert of Kastern California, belo^v Mono Pass, rises ^..'(Nl feet aliove the near-liy Mono Lake. Tlie picture is a ^vinter vie^v from I'umioe Valley. io6 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA sun and frost has not yet tarnished the landscape. Glacier-polished slopes and benches are common enough on the uplands adjacent to Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy. Here, on the edge of the snowfields, they are everywhere; but hundreds, perhaps thousands, or years ' - ''''^^'^■■ll younger. How hard it ^11 is to take Nature's word for it, that this land of sunshine and gentlest mountain airs, with joy- ous flowers in every hoi- ^^^^^^mimmmmf> .-i^y-' ."^f ^n^^ '.u'i low that holds a spoonful of soil, was yesterday a sea of sullen ice ! Suniinit of Mt. Couness (12,556 ft.). The cliff sho^vn belo^v is the top of a 2,000-foot wall, part of the rim of an ancient glacial cirque. 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 the Park can give. But the Tuolumne may be reached more directly from the valley, either by the Yosemite Point trail or by the new Snow-Creek trail out of Tenaya Cafion. Each of these trails soon brings one to the Tioga road, which he follows to Tenaya Lake, and thence north- ward past Mt. Hoffman and Fairview Dome. This is the region traversed by the south branch of the Tuolumne glacier, on its way to Tenaya Cafion 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. a 1* a 5 9 S fa - a * Z a-; SI •a S s5 S 5 3o a ^ £ Ml s " ^ 4) ., a n il 'i >-T r at — ? * it X C a ^. O a; B ^ 3 bfl •- 'Z P^ ^ ON THE CALIFORNIA SKY-LINE 113 California's mountains crown all her diversified wealth of scenery and climate. The story of her old glaciers is as fascinating as the new life of tree and flower which they have made pos- sible. Under the gentle and unfailing sunshine of the highlands, on one of their broadest alpine meadows, those dauntless explorers, the members of the Sierra Club, led by America's greatest mountaineer, their president, have discovered the very Fountain of Eternal Youth, and proved it no fable, but a fact of the Yosemite Sierra. And what a leader is John Muir ! As one talks with him, or reads his books, 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 them 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 for the first time to join the club's large party last July 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 students, doctors, preachers and business men, were able, after a day's climbing, to gather about a huge campfire, and jest away their weariness in club songs: In the mountains of California, We're hitting the trail and shov- ing our feet along. Or, still more pathetically: There are rocks in the cradle where I sleep. And roots and cones embed- ded deep; Aslant I lie upon my 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 NeariuK the Sunimit of Mt. LyeU. Creep. Group of 250-foot Sequoius, shovrlng char- acteristic dome shape of cro^vn ^vhen unbroken. The sharp-pointed trees at sides are AVliite Firs (Abies concolor). 114 VOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Piute Mountain, and Lakelet near tlie head of Seavey Pass. Ah! those mountain firesides, after the long marches over the snow- fields, or across the passes, or down the canons ! We were not always frivolous. One evening, a brilliant col- lege philosopher put into crisp English Plato's legacy to modern life. Again, a returned diplomat outlined America's relations with the Orient, and a well-known Hebrew scholar, turning from philology, very de- lightfully described the birds of Yosemite. Another night, a distinguished sci- entist from California's great university 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 esti- mate the age of a woman by count- ing 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 trampers! This inspiring society is one of the most useful of California organ- izations. Its intelligent efforts to make the mountain districts of the state better known and more widely enjoyed should have the support of many thousands of Californians, expressed by the payment of its modest membership fee. We com- plain that the East goes to Europe to see mountains. This will be true until we make our mountains as accessible as are the Alps, and as well known. The Sierra Club is V Typical Claclal cirque on Kuna crest, such a horse-shoe-shaped head-basin Is due by hard at work on that task. each glacler, using the bergschrund as a tool. Upper Hetfli Hetcliy, viewed from Ranoherla Trail on north side of Le Conte Point. Xortli Dome is seen on tlie right, Kolana Roelv in center, and Smith Peak on the left> 4,:!00 feet above the floor of tlie Valley. IV. TUOLUMNE GRAND CANON AND HETCH HETCHY I see an eagle sweep Athwart the blue; a gleaming river bind In gorgeous braid the valley's golden gown; A cataract plunge o'er its distant steep, And flutter like a ribbon in the wind. — Herbert Bashford. THE Sierra Club discovered the Fountain of Youth, which men have sought for centuries; and having taken possession of it, now plans to guard the treasure well, sharing it, however, with all who may come to drink its sparkling waters and breathe its mountain air. In the homelier language of to-day, this coveted fountain is the "Soda Springs." It is on the north rim of Tuolumne Meadows, a dozen miles by Tioga road from Tenaya Lake, and twice as far from Yosemite Village. No finer spot could be found for a mountaineers' rendezvous in the High Sierra. The great valley known as Tuolumne Mead- ows — a filled-up lake basin at the junction of the Dana and Lyell Forks of the Tuol- umne River — is about ten miles long and two in width. Coaatlng; on the Pollshed Granite, at the Waterwheels. ii6 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Lover Eud of Tuolumne Meadows, with Cathedral Peak on the sky-line. The Tioga Road skirts tlie soutli side of the Valley, wliicli is also reached by many trails, making it the most accessible point in the northeastern part of the Park, while the important mountains surrounding it make it a favorite starting point for exploration. In the cen- ter of this picture is seen the Soda Springs tract of the Sierra Club, 160 acres, includ- ing the Springs themselves, at the edge of the wooded moraine north of the river hend. The Club tvill erect a lodge here. This vie\>' is from the summit of Lambert Dome. On all its sides, the highest mountains of the central Sierra stand guard. Conness, Dana, Mammoth and Catliedral Creek Falls, the fine cas- cade l>y wliicli Cathedral Creek drops into Tuolumne Cafion. Lyell peaks are upon the north and east. The unique Cathedral Range overlooks it immediately on the south. Lambert Dome rises from its floor, and, still more beautiful, Fairview Dome towers over its lower end, where the river, leaving its quiet meadow reaches, plunges down the vast Tuolumne cafion on its boisterous way to Hetch Hetchy. Upon this capital site, the club has bought the old Lambert, or Lembert, home- stead, a quarter-section in the heart of the Meadows, 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 mountains on the south. Its cen- tral location, with the Tioga road running south and east, and trails radiating to all parts of the Tuolumne watershed, makes it TUOLUMNE GRAND CANON AND HETCH HETCHY 117 the natural starting point, either for W^ mountain climbing, or for explora- i" tion of Tuolumne Cafion and the alluring region north of it. From it one goes with equal directness across the passes to Mono Lake or west to Hetch Hetchy. Three or four times, at inter- vals of three years, the club has made Tuolumne Meadows a base for its summer explorations; and now, on the one hundred and sixty acres which good fortune has en- abled it to acquire, it proposes during the coming summer to erect a lodge and establish a camp, thus making Soda Springs its permanent Tuolumne headquarters. Here will be provided simple entertainment, not only for members of the Sierra Club, but also for those of similar associations who may visit the Meadows, and for such others as there may be room to accommodate. It will be named "Parsons Memorial Lodge," in honor of the late Edward T. Parsons, long a director of the club, and one of its most active mountaineers. Arrangement for accommodations should be made at LeConte Lodge in Yosemite. As the Panama-Pacific Exposition will doubtless bring a host of mountaineers to California, the new camp on the Tuolumne should aid many In exploring the Park. It is 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 com- mands a view of more snow-peaks, probably, than one can see with so little labor anywhere else on the con- tinent, 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 spermophiios a. c u-s. Creek. ^^Y I'^st July,— thc Only stormy day Glen Auliii Jiud AVilrtcat Point, near the up- per end of Tuolumne Grand Canon. Tuolumne Falls, at tlie Ht-ail of the venty-flve miles In length and from 3,000 feet to a mile In depth. I20 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Largest of the "AVaterwlieels," Tuolumne Caiion. of the Sierra Club outing, — I beheld a scene that can never be forgotten. In Tuolumne Meadows, westward, it was raining lightly; but below us, on the east, a wild thunder-storm swept the Mono Lake basin with lightning and rain. All the great amphitheater seemed filled with the black, solid mass of the tempest; but as flash upon flash pierced the darkness, we saw, vivid as day, the breakers beat- ing 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 un- folds a succession of splendid mountain pictures. In other directions, trails lead north to Conness Moun- tain, remarkable for the sheer walls of great glacial head-basins, and to beautiful Matterhorn Canon 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, ^f::'kTu:r::f:L:VZ as did that of last summer, part taking the trails s es 23 a fl- e B e •- z '' h a zoo Sea = b — 4» t - s g 122 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA 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 polished benches, around frequent cascades, and over the walls of such impassable box-caiions as Muir Gorge. The canon of the Tuolumne is one of the deepest and wildest glacier-troughs in the world. ^itgT'^a^ffm'''^' ^ Its walls rise to heights of a mile abox^e the mad river, with constantly changing in- terest in their sculpture. The falls of the Tuol- umne are nowhere compara- Benson I^ake, one of the most pie- tiire.sqiie of tlie Park's alpine lakes. The inlet is seen above; the outlet belo^v. ble in altitude with Vernal or Nevada Falls, but they have the fascination of infinite va- riety and the Impressive power of repetition, while their setting, at the bot- tom of this truly grand caiion, Is far more stupendous and wonderful than that of the great Merced cataracts. For twenty-five miles of cascades, rapids, sheer falls of considerable drop, and delightful glacial tarns, the wild river plunges down a path so narrow 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 Cascade, most of the Sierra Club party in July went down the caiion as far as the Waterwheel Falls. These surprising water forms are found where the turbulent river, shooting down smooth Inclines at furious speed, drops into spoon- :' shaped depressions caused by the L " erosion of soft rock. The water is hurled aloft, twenty to forty feet at Cookstoves on the march. Part of the Sierra Hlffprpnf- cf i fTPC nf thp cfrpcim nnA ciub'a commissary in motion. uinerent stagcs oi tHc Stream, anQ mux ^m^^ 124 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA the backward action of the spray gives a good imitation of a wheel revolv- ing with great velocity. Returning to Conness Creek, we took the high trail up the fine Cold Creek Meadows, and across Virginia Canon, thence climbing an unnamed pass to reach Miller Lake, and late in the day descended through a note- worthy forest of mountain hem- locks to our night's camp in Mat- terhorn Canon. Matterhorn Peak and the caiion are worth seeing, but the next day, after we had climbed the long trough of Wilson Creek to Benson Pass, |M^^^'^ l^^tt^^^^^^^^^^^^^^tt and then ascended the hills 3I^^^1^^^^^B9H^P^IH^BP looking the pass at an elevation tlie Heart of the Tuolumne Grand Canon. The louver vie^v sho'«vs the entrance to Muir Gorge. of about 10,500 feet, a wonder- ful array of mountains, canons, valleys and lakes swept majestic- ally from Conness on the east around the circle to Rancheria Mountain and the blue deeps of Tuolumne Cafion in the southwest. Everywhere the vast amphitheater told of its ancient inhabitants, the glaciers, now long vanished, but proclaimed in the clean-cut cirques, deep-set glacial lakes, and silvery waterfalls drop- ping from hanging valleys high on distant cafion rims. Descending from Benson Pass, the trail wound round Volunteer Peak, past Smedberg Lake, and in the sunny afternoon brought us to camp on COPYHIOHT. f. M. FULTZ Mulr Gorge. View from Its lower end, lookiiiK up the Tuoliiniiie. Half a mUe above tlil« point tlie river contracts into a race-like stream, lieninied in l>y the precipitous walls of a box cafflou. impassable save at lowest water. Only a few daring climbers have ever made the trip. 126 VOSKMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Rodgers Lake, the queen of all the lakes, on the north side of the Park. Leaving this camp the next morning, abandoning the delightful lake shore was a hard parting. But the day brought new wonders in the great views it gave us of Tuol- umne Caiion, as the trail skirted its north wall. Camp at night at Pleasant Valley in Piute Cafion was followed by the long ascent of Rancheria Mountain, the next day, through forests of red fir {Abies magnifica) 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 sublime companionship." Reaching camp on Ranch- eria early in the afternoon, we had more glimpses down into the Tuolumne abyss, and still more the following morning, when the trail led us westward to Rancheria Creek. The descent into its cation brought us to its charming falls, and finally to the Mecca of our pilgrimage, lovely, famous, fought-over 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 controversy that were better left unsaid; and although I have been heartily with those who opposed the commercializ- ing of any of our too few national parks; who deemed Hetch Hetchy, properly drained and made access- ible, infinitely more valu- able, even to California, as a park than it can ever be as a reservoir for water that is obtainable elsewhere; and who saw behind the call for • At- 1 Weighing the Oiinnnge. This ceremony precedes each increasea water supply a day's march on a sierra Club outing. Little Hetch Hetchy, a mile above the main Val ley; Kolana Rock In the distance. 128 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA vast municipal power project, and questioned the propriety of Con- gress endowing such an undertaking with public property worth many millions; nevertheless I recognize that many conservative and disinter- ested Californians, both in and out of San Francisco, hold the opposite view, believing that the conversion is 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 has been fought in good faith, and to a finish. Congress has acted sincerely in the belief that the necessities of this case transcend the danger of a possibly troublesome precedent. Its action, unless re- pealed, settles the question so far as the country at large is concerned ; the matter now rests with the courts and people of California. I have room only to point out the fact that those who would know Hetch Hetchy must see it before it ceases to be the unique and glorious vale it is to-day. The Yosemite Park contains many lakes as fine as this will be ; it has only one Hetch Hetchy. If there were no Yosemite, Hetch Hetchy would doubtless be the most celebrated valley in America. But it is misleading, 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 plainly recalled in the rock sill at its lower end. Here the Tuolumne, ij„„„,„,^ ^ake m Eleanor Cafio„. at the foot of the after flowing lazily for overhnnRins, rotk shown ou page 134. Sunrise in Hetcli Hetchy. ^~ ,>v m HHI imm -1 ■>.'^ '* '^ "" ^""^^i^mI JlK^^M Ml l^i liii ^H ■n PWiHi ^^ w^M Hn t^ "- w tHHH '*Tbe "Fn-lma," a aplendld doable tree !■ the Tuolumne Grove. In Mariposa Grove. Thy giant brood, . . . Children of elder time, in whose devotion The chainless winds still come and ever came To hear an old and solemn harmony. — Shelley. TUOLUMNE GRAND CANON AND HETCH HETCIIY 131 three miles amidst mead- ows and forests, is cut- ting a narrow box caiion, too shallow as yet to save the valley from an- nual inundation by spring floods. Freed thus from unwonted re- straint, the impatient stream resumes its role as a caiion torrent, and bounds wildly away to join the San Joaquin. But Hetch Hetchy has a character and at- mosphere all its own. It lies five hundred feet lower than Yosemite; it is only half as long and wide, with walls two- thirds as high. The smaller cafion is warmer, sunnier, more gracious. Its beauty is less appalling, but so much more intimate and lovable that save for the formal resemblance Falls, iu Rancberia Creek, Hetch Hetchy, I,ake Eleanor, five iiiileN northwest <»t' Hetch Hetchy. This beautiful niountaln-walled lake, enlarged by a daiu at Its outlet, will form part of the Sau Francisco %vater Hysteiu. a •^ S w4 o jj 2 - Z S 4> > 4- , a. ^ r - 5 *- K - a - a o i2B «; 2 " a f "<- a -a - X '"' S -M a it % la ~ "M ^ s ■i^ -, it "in " ii fa " a -5 4( fci a ~ — 4» 2 "* f ^ -w c w a ^2-38 ^ .-So -US _• fa S f* • w it 1- "^ a - Z 7 w = 3x8 - ? o • v 1^ a Ja aj sa a - - « M a ■a s = u s "■ill = :als fa 7 S ; at i I S C fa 134 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA Velloiv PlneN (PinuM pouderoisa). and contiguity of the two valleys, a reader of mountain character would hardly compare the gentler graces of H.etch Hetchy with the stupendous grandeurs of Yosemite. The walls of Hetch Hetchy, imposing in their height and sculptured forms, will make a very splendid frame for the restored lake. Its two great waterfalls, with the cas- cades in the branch caiions of Rancheria and Till-Till Creeks, so far as not buried by the rising waters, will always be among the most beautiful in the Park. But its valley floor, with all the splendor of mountain flowers and stately for- ests, will be over- whelmed. No lake can ever compare with such a valley, or make up the loss of such groves of pines and oaks. Black oaks dominate this valley floor, just as the yellow pines are su- preme on the floor of Yosemite. Taller than the live oaks, with vast crowns of bright deciduous foliage, they form here the noblest oak groves I have ever seen ; and I advise my readers who love beautiful trees to see these great oaks, and walk among them, and bathe in the cool Tuolumne beneath their spread- ing shade, before It Is too late. Overhanging Rock at Bleanor Canon, This little known cliff rises two thousand feet or more above one of the most beautiful lakes In the National Park. I- =2 X >> si:;: 2 U := o ~ 5 * s ^ i ? 3 i :i iS t t- Si r z i -w . -c ^ -" - S C 41 u — — w I' T Z > «■• — t* f — ^ s J- 'S ^ Si Cm m ( onleiiiitoiitr.v of Aoali. 1 lie l:»iii«)u.>, "(jrlaizly Glaut," palriuroli »>1 tlie Mariposa Grove, hUM ivatclied the career of man upon the earth for at leawt forty eenturies. It is one of a few very ancient trees found in the several groves, and believed to be survivors of a former Keneratlon of Sequoias. — doubtless the oldest of all living things. This venerable Big Tree is thirty feet in diameter; its largest limb is six feet thlclc Its height, 204 feet, however, is less than that of many younger trees, the storms having destroyed much of Its crown. It shows few signs of senility, and may live many cen- turies more. Cavalrymen at the Cabin in ^lariposa Grove. For many years tlie Xutioual I'arii lias been policed by a detail of United State^4 cavalry, anvona Uleado^vs and the South Meroeil Valley, seen from \VaT»-ona Point, near the Mariposa Grove. red fir, Jeffrey and mountain pines are found, to the nine thousand foot level and beyond, where the graceful mountain hemlocks dwell, and the tamarack or lodgepole pine {Piniis contort a murrayana) takes up its task of covering the thinnest soils with gaunt forests that seem to belong to the stern, new landscapes. On the highest ridges, outposts of stunted white- bark pine {Pintis albicaulis) march with the hardiest alpine flowers to the very snow-line. But it is the Sequoia which, in interest and importance, rises immeasurably above the Park's other forest wealth, peerless among all growing creatures of the soil in age and size, and equally preeminent in beauty and distinction. THE KING OF THE FOREST 139 Would you 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. Then 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, loving him but knowing the twist, put him gently by as a negligible "back number." But when a test came Red Fir (Abie.s inngnlf- that tried the lea), on Rnnelieria 1 r Mountain. SOUl 01 OUr tOWn, AInI>:iin:i," in the 3InripONn (.roxo. ItM tji»i«'al lei»i>*». ou Wawona Road. This familiar tree, also Icnown as "Canon Live Oals," "Gold-Cup Oak," etc., is common on hillsides and canon walls In the lower half of the Park, and covers the talus and rock ledges of Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy with low-spreading evergreen foliage. THE KING OF THE FOREST 141 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 office to be beautiful. It Is a king's right to wear a crown. So now the surviving 'King of the Forest," a mere Nliell, eft by lire, of ^vlijit ^vas onee the nionaroli of tlie Tiioliiiiine Grove; now niulvin}; an heroir effort to re- build it.s crown, and set a ne>v .start in life. Tlie tliree Itv^iireN at its bane nIiow that ItM tlianieter Ava.s altout thirty feet. The line tree in tlie foreground below i.s a Mix-foot i{ed ir (AI>ieH niagrnlHea). branchlets are cheerily turning upward, — also after the habit of the species when, crushed by lightning or storm, it quickly 142 YOSEMITE AND ITS HIGH SIERRA rebuilds its top; and one of them has already taken shape there, far aloft, as a symmetrical young tree, undaunted by adversity, and fighting for its share of air and sunshine. Thus would the living skeleton hide its shame by grace of new foliage. Here's wishing it luck ! Royal endurance merits homage. Long may so kingly a forest "character" play a part in the tree world ! An eminent expert, famous for his knowledge of mankind, once Three Veterans. — the "Haverford" anil "Ohio" trees in the Mariposa Grove, and Galen Clarlt at tlie age of !)."». Tliis is said to be the last picture of tlie celebrated "Guar- dian of Yosemite," who died a year later, in 1910. The "Haverford." named for the college in Pennsylvania, illustrates the Indian practice of using Big Trees as back- logs for fires. Although its core v»as burnt away, leaving a cavern that is reputed to have sheltered seventeen horses and their riders, its remaining roots have reached out the more stoutly for nourislinient, and are supplying ample sap to stalk an«l crown. 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. NOTES Transportation, Hotels, Camps, Guides, etc. — Yosemite Valley is about 150 miles due east of San Francisco. It is reached by either the Southern Pacific or the Santa Fe Rail- way to Merced, 145 miles by rail from San Francisco and 330 from Los Angeles; by the Yosemite Valley Railroad from Merced, 78 miles, to El Portal, just outside the National Park boundary, and by automobile stages from El Portal to Yosemite village, 12 miles. Round-trip tickets from San Francisco to Yosemite, $22.35; from Los Angeles, $31.20. Sleeping-car berths, $2.50 each way. Del Portal, the Yosemite Valley Railroad's hotel at El Portal, is more than a stop- ping place on the way to Yosemite, as it offers excellent accommodations for sportsmen hunting or fishing in the near-by mountains, or tourists visiting the Merced and Tuolumne Sequoia Groves. Hotel Rates, $4.00 per day, or $22.50 per week, upwards. Automobile round trip to the Big Trees, made in one day, $7.50. Tourist accommodations in Yosemite are provided at present by the Sentinel Hotel and three large permanent camps. While a larger and modern hotel is promised by the Park administration for the season of 1915, the Sentinel Hotel, opposite Yosemite Falls, W. M. Sell, Jr., manager, gives good service at the prices charged, $3.50 to $5.00 a day, or $23 to $30 a week; for two persons in a room, $3.00 to $4.00 a day, or $20 to $25 a week. Camp Ahwahnee is situated at the foot of Sentinel Rock. It is well managed by W. M. Sell, and offers an excellent table with clean, roomy floored tents at $3.00 to $3.75 a day, or $17.50 to $22.75 a week. Camp Lost Arrow, near the foot of Yosemite Falls, W. M. Sell, Jr., manager, is a popular resort at $2.50 a day or $15 a week. Camp Curry, D. A. Curry, proprietor, at the upper end of the valley, is the largest and best known of the camps. Its structures include oflfices, dining rooms, steam laundry, bakery, bath house, swimming pool, etc. Comfortable tents are provided for 1,000 guests. Rates, $2.50 a day, or $15 weekly. At Glacier Point, overlooking Yosemite and Little Yosemite, W. M. Sell, Jr., conducts a hotel and camp. Rates, $2.50 to $4.00 a day. Free sites are designated by the Superintendent in different parts of the valley for parties wishing to establish temporary private camps. Cut firewood may be bought from the Superintendent. Tents, camp outfits, groceries and other supplies, as well as outfits Dfl I'orliil, the Yosemite Valley KaiUviiy I'oiiipniiy'M nttrat-tive lititol at I'A l'<>rt:il. 144 NOTES for High Sierra trips, are obtainable from the well-stocked general store of W. D. Thornton in Yosemite. Thornton's store is also the post office. A bakery and confec- tioner's shop, meat market, laundry, telegraph and express office, with several photo- graphic and art studios, will be found in the village. Carriages from the hotel and camps to all parts of the valley, and horses and guides for the trails, are supplied by J. W. Coffman, under regula- tion of the Superintendent, at whose office the authorized rates may be obtained. Ar- rangements and prices should be made in advance through the hotel or camp management. Camp Curry, deliglitfully situ- ated among tlie pines at the foot of Glacier Point one mile from Happy Isles. This is the largest of the tourist camps in Voseniite Valley. The little Douglas squirrels are common throughout the Park. Wawona and the Mariposa Grove. — Transportation from Yosemite to Wawona, 2 6 miles, and thence to the Mariposa Big Tree Grove, is by the automobile stages of the Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company. Rates, Yosemite to Wawona, |6.50, round trip, $13; Yosemite to Mariposa Grove, $7.50, round trip, $15. Transportation, Yosemite to Glacier Point by stage, via Inspiration Point and Chinquapin, $6.50 each way. At Wawona, the Wawona Hotel is one of the best kept mountain inns in America; rates from $3.50 to $4.50 a day. Automobiles. — Automobiles are now admitted to the Park. Good roads from Stock- ton, Modesto and Merced, in the San Joaquin Valley, lead to the west boundary of the Park, connecting with the Coulterville and Big Oak Flat roads. Automobiles are per- mitted to enter the Park over either of these roads, but east of the Merced Grove they are limited to the Coulterville road as far as Big Meadows, whence they may either pro- ceed directly to Yosemite, or take the new road via El Portal. A fee of $5.00 is charged for permit. Garage and automobile-camp sites are provided in the valley. For regula- tions apply to the Superintendent. Literature. — The useful pamphlet, General Information Begarding Tosemite National Pari-, may be had gratis at the office of the Superintendent in Yosemite Village, or by mail from the Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. It contains brief notes on the Park and its administration; altitudes, distances, trails, etc.; size of Big Trees in Mariposa Grove; rules and authorized rates of transportation; hotels, camps, and camp- NOTES ^4S ing outfits; automobile regulations; and a bibliography of books and important magazine articles. Two other government pamphlets are for sale at the Superintendent's office: Sketch of Yosemite National Park, a popular account of Yosemite geology by F. E. Matthes, of the U. S. Geological Survey, price 10 cents; and The Secret of the Big Trees, by Ells- vi'orth Huntington, price 5 cents. Foley's Yosemite Souvenir, a handy pocket guide, may be purchased at J. D. Foley's studio in the village. 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 by Boysen. In the Heart of the Sierras, by J. M. Hutchings, 188 6, is a history of the valley by one of its earliest residents. Prof. J. D. Whitney's The Yosemite Guide-Book, 18 71, 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, who was Whitney's associate in the geological survey of Cali- fornia, is one of the best books inspired by the mountains of the West. Three booklets, Indians of Yosemite Valley, 1904; The Big Trees of California, 1907; and The Yosemite Valley, 1910, by Galen Clark, discoverer of the Mariposa Grove and long the guardian of Yosemite under the state regime, contain much first-hand informa- tion. The fullest and most valuable description of the Park, with its glaciers, past and present; its forests, flowers, birds and animals, is of course, John Muir's Yosemite^ 1912. Muir's other books. My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911; The Mountains of California, en- larged ed., 1913; and Our National Parks, 1909, are also full of Yosemite. Naturalist and geologist as he is, Mr. Muir, rather than Joaquin Miller, has been the real poet of the Sierra, though he writes in prose. His books are after all not so much treatises on its natural history as delightful interpretations 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 illus- trated, 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 capitally illustrated. It is not to be confused with his monumental and technical Silva of California, published by the University of California. Supple- menting 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 nine volumes of the Sierra Club Bulletin con- tain a store of papers by experts, 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 LeConte Memorial Lodge, near Camp Curry. In the general periodicals of this country and Europe, Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy Valleys have received more attention than any other American scenic district, and many note- „. . . , ., ^ . , „. worthy articles may be found through the periodical WntchlUK , (i!) Chase, J. Smeaton. 63, 14 5 Chilnualna Falls, 02 Cirques, 79. 109, 110, 4.">, 100, 114 Clark, Galen. 145, .10, 74, 142 Clark, Mt., 82, 7, 22, 31, 68, S3, 03, 1)5, JM>, US Clouds Rest, 94, 7, 42, OS, S5 Colby :Mtn., .^5 Cold Canon Meadows. 12 4, 40 Colorado Canon. 25, 92 Conncss, John, 56 Conness, Mt.. 10«, 101 Eagle Peak. 27, OS Echo Peak, 104 El Capitan, 36, 00. 92. 23, 47, 07, OS; Moraine, 66-72 Eleanor Canon. 12.S, 134 Eleanor Lake, 131 Electra Peak, 102 Fairview Dome, 106. 116. 107, 110 "Fallen Monarch," SO Firs. White, 138, 3S; Red, 126, 138, 13!>. 141 Fissures. The. 92 Five-Finger Falls, 131 Florence. Mt.. 31, 3S Forests. 29, 32, 34, 131, 134, 137, 142, 01; see Sequoias Gannett. Dr. Ilenrv. quoted, 110 Geikie, Sir Archibald, 110 Gibl.s. Mt., 117, 33, Ifl.l Glaciers, 26-32. 67-92, 100, 104 Glacier Landscape. 22 Glacier National Park. 25 Glacier Point, 91, 93, J», 31, ."57, 7r>, 76, SS Glen .\ulin. 117 "Governor Tod" Group. 32 "Grizzly Giant," 46, 136 Guides. 143 Half Dome, 92. 0, 2S, 42. 40, 51, 60, 61. , 127, 12S. 131, 132, 1.13. IH5 Hoffman. Mt., 79, 88, 93, 17, 45, 1)0, 104 Illilouctte Fall, 82, 7S Illilouette Watershed, 82, 22 Indians, Vosemite, 36, 38, 49, 52. 26. 43, .•".2, .-4 Inspiration Point, 63 lack Main Canon, 10 Jepson, Prof. W. L.. 14 5 Jeffcry Pine, 138, ,S.3, !l(l. 01 "Jointing," 72, 90,. 9 2, 72 Johnson, Willard, 110 Johnson Peak, 04 King. Clarence, 145 "King of the Forest," 139-14 2, 141 Kolana Rock, 115, 126, 12S Kuna Crest, 35, 3S, 44, OS, 00, 114 Lakes, glacial, 29, 33. 70-72, 100 Lambert Dome, 33, 108, 116, lO.S, 116 Le Conte Memorial Lodge, SO Leopard Lily, 72 Liberty Cap, 86, 31, 6.S, S3 Little Hetch Hetchy, 126 Little Yosemite, 85, 7, 20. 31, 6S, S3, S5 Long Mtn., 34 Lookout Point, 52 Lost Arrow, 92, 70; Trail, 61 Lyell Fork of Tuolumne, .3S. OS Lyell Glacier, 104 Lvell. Mt.. 116. 120, 7, 25. 3S. 06, 100, 101, 103, 113 Lvman. Prof. W. I)., 30 Madera, Cal., 4 8 Mammoth Mtn.. 33 Mariposa Battalion. 4 8 Mariposa Grove, 57, 137, 32, 37, .56, 136, 137 Marijiosa Lilv, 140 Matterhorn Canon, 120. 124, 109 ^latthes, Francois E.. 88, 110, 145 McClure. Mt., 14. 25, .SS Merced Canon, 87. 7. 31, 76. .SO Merced Lake, 85, 98, 103. .SO Merced River, 25, 64-66. 70, 100, 52. 61, 64, 6,S, 69, 79, 138 Mirror Lake, 87, .5.3, 145 Mono Craters, 105; Lake. 117,44 Mono Pass, 43, 44. 45, 00 :\!uir Gorge, 3.5, 124, 125 Muir, John, 36, 58, 93, 113, 145, 46, .5S Nevada Fall, 82-4, 31, 6S, .S2 North Dome. 2S, 34, 42, 51, 67, 6S, 90, 126 Oaks, black. 134. 70. Maul, 140 Parsons Peak. 38. 98 Parsons Memorial Lodge, 117 Passes, 109, 04, 95, 99. 102. 110 Phlox, .S7 Pine. Sugar, 138, 40; Tamarack. 138; Yellow, 137-8. 134 Piute Canon. 126; :Mtn.. 114 Pleasant Valley. 126 Poliono. see Bridal \'eil Fall Polcmonium. 43 Portal, El. G4-5, 143 Potter Point. 3S, OS Primrose, Evening, 73 Rancheria :Mtn. 124. 126. 127 Ranier National Park, 2 5, 29 Ritter, Mt.. 112 Roads. 98-9 Rodgers Lake. 126. 17, 123 Rodgers Peak, 102 Roosevelt, Theodore, 58, 46 Roval .\rches, 92, 128, S, 51, 5.5, OS Sardine Lake, 45 Savage, Maj. James D., 43, 48-52 Seavey Pass, 1 14 Sentinel Dome, 00, 91 Sentinel Hotel, 143 Sentinel Rock, 92. 21, 47 Sequoias. 3 4. 138, 113 Mariposa Grove, 137, 37, 56, SO, 136, 137, 139, 141, 142 Merced Grove, 65, 2 Tuolumne Grove, 65, 139, 129 Sierra Club. 98, 109, 113-16, 145 7, II, 14, SO, 122, 123 Smedberg Lake, 124 Smith Peak, 11.5, 127, 131 -Snow Creek l'\ills, 2(t Snow Plant, 110 Soda Springs, 98. 106. 1 13 Spermophiles, 117 Tenava Canon. 87, 88, 2S, 42, 49, 51, .53, 59, 68 Tenaya Glacier, 88 Tenaya, Indian Chief, 43, 45, 48, 49, 52-6 Tenaya Lake, 55, 87, 30, 4,8, 50, 108 Tenaya Peak, 4S Three Brothers. 54, 92, 27, 67 Tilden Lake, 29 Tioga Lake, 39 Tioga Road, 79. 98, 106, 115, 116. 4.5, 10.S, 110 Triple Divide Peak. 93 Trout, 102, 104, 1.37 Trails. 93, 100, 106. 109, 144, SS Transportation. 143 Tueeulala Falls. 128 Tuolumne Canon. 113. 121. 122, 125, 126. 22, .3.5, 110, 124 Tuolumne Falls, 122. US Tuolumne Glacier, 87, 106 Tuolumne Meadows. 105. 115-120, 11, 107. 1(18. 114, 116 Tuolumne Pass, 04 Tuolumne River, 25, 2.5, 127, 131, 1.35 Twin Lake. 29 Tnicorn Peak. 104, 107 I'nion Point. 90. 47 \ernal Fall, 82-3, 31, 6.S, 77, SI, 82 \irginia Canon. 122 \'ogelsang Pass. 95, OS Walker, Capt. Tos. R., 40, 4 6 Walker Lake. 44 ^^'apama Falls, 12S Washburn Lake, 86, 103, .34, 94 Washington Column, 92, 42, 51 Waterfalls. 29. 33. 76. 79 Waterwheel Falls. 122. 120, 121 Watkins. Mt., 87, .53, 68 Wawona, 61, 62. 143, 62. 63. 138. 146 White Cascade. 122, 25 Whitney. Josiah D., 67, 72, 145 Wilmer Lake, 10 Yellowstone National Park. 25 YoseiTiite, name, 48 -Creek. 79, 80 -Falls, 80, 81, l.S. 24, OS. 71. -Lake, 70, 74 -National Park, 58, 96 -Point, 90. 93, Trail. 18. 46. -Vallev. 29. 32. 61, 65, 16, 46, 47, «.S, 75 17. OS 68 26, 56, ftyso nend The following maps, at the prices given, may be obtained from the Director of the U. S. Geological Survey, Washington, D. C, or at the office of the Superintendent of the Park in Yosemite Village: Map of Yosemite National Park, 2834 x 27 inches, scale 2 miles to the inch. Price, 50 cents a copy flat; 55 cent» a copy folded and bound between covers. Map of Yosemite Valley, 35 x 15^ inches, scale 2,000 feet to the inch. Price, 20 cents. Panoramic view of Yosemite National Park, i8j4 x 18 inches, scale 3 miles to the inch. Price, 25 cents. DUAWM BY CUKIS JOKGENSEH COPVUIGIIT, 1914. »» Jo"" *'■ W1U.I, Key to Outline Map of Yosemite Valley and Adjacent Peaks, with Elevations of Principal Landmarks. Note: The elevations given below are from the maps of the United StateUeological Survey. These maps do not always agree one with ^"^^f'^';' ^"^ J"^^" ^^ the same map sHght differences between the legend and bench-mark figures are sfi)metimes found. Such variations, however, are mconsideraDie, "^^^ /"""^ feet. Where they occur, the authority of the latest map, the "Panoramic View/of the Yosemite National Park," has as far as possible been lo'iowe . ^ ■ , „ t^ The figures indicate height above sea-level. For height above the floor c5f Yosemite Valley, deduct 3,960 feet, the elevation of the pier near In the case of waterfalls, the height, or "drop," of each is given, as well as its elefvation above sea-level. 1. Artist Point, 4,701 feet. 2. Inspiration Point, 5,391. 3. Old Inspiration Point, 6,603. 4. Stiintoid Point. 6,659. 5. Crocker Point, 7,090. 6. Dewey Point, 7,316. 7. Bridal Veil Fall, top, 4,787; drop, 620. S. Cathedral Rocks, 6,638. 9. Cathedral Spires, 6,114. 10. Tatt Point. 7,503. 11. The Fissures. 12. Sentinel Rock, 7,046. 13. Union Point, 6,314. 14. Glacier Point, 7.214. 15. Sentinel Dome. 8,117. 16. Olacler Point Hotel. 17. Vernal Fall, top, 5,049; drop, 317. 18. Panorama Cliff. 6,224. 19. Illllouette Fall, top, 5,816; drop, 370. 20. Nevada Fall, top, 6,910; drop, 594. 21. Mt. Broderick, 6,705. 22. Liberty Cap, 7,072. 28. Little Yosemite, 6.150. 24. Mt. Starr King, 9,181. 25. Mt. Clark, 11,500. 26. Foerster Peak, 12,062. 27. Electra Peak, 12,462. 28. Rodgers Peak, 13,006. 29. Mt. Lyell, 13,090. 30. Mt. McClure. 31. Mt. Florence, 12,507. 32. Half Dome. 8.852. 33. Clouds Rest, 9,924. 34. Parker Peak, 12,850. 35. Glbbs Mountain, 12,700. 36. Tenaya Peak, 10,200. 37. Mt. Watklns, 8,235. 38. Indian Rock. 8.526. 39. Basket Dome, V.602. 40. Leaning Tower. 5,863. 41. North Dome, 7,531. 42. Washington Column, 5,912. 43. Mirror Lake, 4,096. 44. Camp Curry. 46. Kennyville. 46. Royal Arches, 5,500. 47. Indian Camp. 48. Camp Lost Arrow. 49 Camp Yosemite (Military). 50. Yosemite Point, «,936. 51. Yosemite Falls: Top of Upper Fa . 6.525; drop, 1.430. Top of Lrfjwer Fall, 4,420; drop, 320. li. ^rle^B^roTher.. 7.773 (Eagl. Peak) 64 EI Capltan: Brow, 7,042; summit, 7,B«4. Se Ribbon Fall, top. 7,008; drop, 1.812 . 66. Sentinel Hotel. Yosemite Village, 8,984. 57. Camp Ahwahnee. 58. Garage. 59. Lake Tenaya, 8.1