STEEP TRAILS 



hunting, and in the two fine falls on the river. 

 Formerly the trip from Seattle was a hard one, 

 over corduroy roads; now it is reached in a 

 few hours by rail along the shores of Lake 

 Washington and Lake Squak, through a fine 

 sample section of the forest and past the brow 

 of the main Snoqualmie Fall. From the hotel 

 at the ranch village the road to the fall leads 

 down the right bank of the river through the 

 magnificent maple woods I have mentioned 

 elsewhere, and fine views of the fall may be 

 had on that side, both from above and below. 

 It is situated on the mam river, where it 

 plunges over a sheer precipice, about two 

 hundred and forty feet high, in leaving the 

 level meadows of the ancient lake-basin. In 

 a general way it resembles the well-known 

 Nevada Fall in Yosemite, having the same 

 twisted appearance at the top and the free 

 plunge in numberless comet-shaped masses 

 into a deep pool seventy-five or eighty yards 

 in diameter. The pool is of considerable depth, 

 as is shown by the radiating well-beaten foam 

 and mist, which is of a beautiful rose color at 

 times, of exquisite fineness of tone, and by the 

 heavy waves that lash the rocks in front of it. 

 Though to a Calif ornian the height of this 

 fall would not seem great, the volume of water 

 is heavy, and all the surroundings are delight- 



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