276 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



It is with regret that you turn away 

 and wind up the "zigzags" at the left 

 hut there are still wonders beyond, i Lore 

 the Little Yosemite commences and 

 Cloud's Rest is but six miles off. For 

 a short distance you still follow the A I cr- 

 eed and then turn to the north and make 

 vour last, long, steep climb and Cloud's 

 Rest is reached. The atmosphere is 

 keener and colder: below you and around 

 you is melting snow. To the 3ast Mount 

 Lyell stands boldly with his snow-white 

 glacier clinging to his dark, steep side. 

 [fere the newborn Merced finds its 

 si turce as a trickling glacier stream 

 which widens and grows and then out of 

 treeless slopes, hidden canons and broken 

 rocks emerges a sharply cut, surging 

 mountain river. To the west is the San 

 [oaquin Valley with its dim yellow pat- 

 ches of heat, beyond the scarcely visible, 

 blue outline of the Coast Range Moun- 

 tains and nearer, below you, are stretches 

 of emerald green meadows, life-giving 

 spots in this wonderful snow-tipped 



mountain wilderness. Here, too, in the 

 sparkling air the birds sharply cut their 

 black outlines against the sky and at 

 your feet in crevices of rocks blooms the 

 delicate pink Sierra primrose in its set- 

 ting of green. 



Mere, ten thousand feet above the sea, 

 even Half Dome and Glacier Point seem 

 far below you. From this high altitude 

 \ 1 >u get an inspiration to explore all 

 your eyes fall upon and you delay your 

 return. To all the charms of mountain 

 climbing you add the delight and satis- 

 faction of taking time to see some of Na- 

 ture's grandest handiwork Small won- 

 der that you linger long after your com- 

 panions have gone! You follow spring 

 up to the highest Alpine meadows and 

 journey leisurely back to the floor of the 

 valley along some hidden trail to fall un- 

 der the charm of Indian summer which 

 will hold you in its spell until winteron.ee 

 more comes with its host of followers 

 and holds sway over his mighty Yosem- 

 ite stronghold. 



EVERY CURVE IX THE ROAD IS AN INTERROGATION POINT TO THE NATURA- 

 LIST. 

 Photographed by J. R. Campbell. 



