348 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



bridge in the location of the present named "Smith's 

 Bridge." How long will it be before that glorious can- 

 yon named after the great Chief Tenaya will be called 

 "Brown's Fork?" 





^"•^■^1 





^'-fy^-i^ 







.i--^^>>*\^'Ov^, 



f.", ^ '^'^i^^. 



Photograph by Mark Daniels. 



AWE INSPIRING IF NOT BEAUTIFUL 



Isberg Pass presents a cold and sinister front. It is pervaded with an 

 atmosphere of desolation that fills the traveler with trepidation, dis- 

 courages small talk and stifles any budding inclination to levity. 



Until recently a more or less iinhapi))- state 

 of affairs has existed in tlie Yosemite National 

 Park. There has been a superabundance of 

 that class of competition which ruins service. 

 In their efforts to satisfy the demands of their 

 constituents, those with authority have granted 

 permits with a lavish hand, excusing their ac- 

 tions with the statement that this was compe- 

 tition. As a result, there has been little or no 

 service until recent years, and as to getting out 

 into the Park and climbing to the high levels, 

 such a thing was only for the man whose wealth 

 placed the necessary pack train, horse wrangler, 

 cook, etc., at his disposal. As to service stations 

 in the Park outside the limits of the Yosemite 

 Valley, that cherished competition which broke 

 down all possibilities of a living profit made 

 such a thing entirely out of the question. Yet 

 there are in this vast park five hundred and 

 ninety miles of trails and circuit after circuit 

 of the most beautiful scenery that can be had in 

 these United States. It is of course almost 



identical with the scenery of the Whitney country, the 

 ditterence being a more plentiful supply of snow and 

 water and a little less impressive height. 



The trails are so arranged and constructed as to make 

 certain circuit trips quite practical. The visitor may 

 choose a one, two, three or four-day trip and so on up 

 to twenty days. There is the trip to the Hetch Hetchy 

 Valley going over by the Y^osemite Falls trail and return- 

 ing by the road. There is the circuit that runs out from 

 the Valley along the Tuolumne Canyon and back by 

 Tenaya Lake and there are a dozen others, but the one 

 that is most interesting to me is the circuit that takes 

 you out of the southeast corner of the Park and back 

 l)y Merced and Washburn Lake. It cannot be said that 

 this is more beautiful than many of the other circuits, 

 Ijut there is a wonderful diversity of scenery along the 

 trails interspersed with occasional stretches of soft and 

 C(:)mparatively level trail through the meadows and great 

 forests. 



The circuit begins with the trail up to Glacier Point, 

 from whence one of the finest views of the Valley may 

 be had, providing the observer is so fortunate as not 

 to be in the rear of several dust-kicking horses. Even 

 if such a misfortune might close one's eyes temporarily, 

 there is plenty of snow water which, added to sooth- 

 ing lotions that may be purchased at the little store on 

 the top of the point, will adequately serve to restore 

 clear vision. From Glacier Point the trail follows along 

 Illilouette Creek to its junction with Buena Vista Creek. 

 From this jioiiit a new trail has been built along Buena 

 \'ista Creek past unnamed lakes, over the summit of 

 Buena \'ista Crest to join the old Moraine Meadow 

 Trail. The entire trip on this new trail is a succession 

 of wonderful views, beautiful lakes and cool forest 

 shade. 



PJwtograph by Mark Daniels. 



HOW THE TOURISTS TRAVEL 



Approaching Fernando Pass is like playing hide and seek with a phantom, 

 turn shows the pass apparently as far away as it seemed to be from 

 The pass is at an elevation of 10,175 feet above the sea. 



for each 



the last. 



