SCENERY. 143 



three hundred feet. It has two faces, which meet nearly at a 

 right angle, one facing to the south, and the other to the west. 

 It is regarded as one of the grandest features of the Yosemite 

 scenery. The Indian name is Tutucanula. 



The next object of interest as we ascend the valley, is the 

 Three Brothers, or Pomporapasus. The highest of these reaches 

 an elevation of 4,000 feet above the valley, and according to 

 Clarence King, the best general view of the valley can be ob- 

 tained from its summit. 



A mile beyond the Bridal Veil, on the south side of the 

 valley, we come to the Cathedral Rocks, which, as seen from 

 the eastward, suggest the architecture of the medieval cathe- 

 drals. They rise to a height of 3,000 feet, and near them are 

 the Cathedral Spires, each about 700 feet high and 300 feet 

 in diameter. They do not look so large, however, to the 

 spectator, who looks up nearly half a mile from the valley to 

 their base. 



Sentinel Rock, a natural obelisk, about 1,000 feet high and 

 300 feet in diameter at the summit, and 3,043 feet above the 

 valley, is on the south side of the valley, about five miles from 

 the western end. It stands out from the adjacent cliff in such 

 a manner as to be one of the most striking objects in the land- 

 scape from many different points of view. 



Directly opposite to Sentinel Obelisk, are the Yosemite Falls, 

 the upper one 1,700 feet and the lower 400, with a distance of 

 half a mile, and a descent of 626 feet in a series of small cas- 

 cades, which are not visible from the valley between them. 

 The falls are made by Yosemite Creek, which is fed by the 

 melting snows on the southern slope of Mt. Hoffman, two miles 

 distant. The stream is usually thirty feet wide and ten feet 

 deep, with a speed of a mile an hour, about the middle of 

 June, but its size depends entirely on the stock of snow and 

 the heat. A hot day, when the snow is abundant, makes a 

 perceptible difference in the size of the cascade. The best 

 general view of both falls is obtained from the south bank of 



