190 WILD LIFE AND THE CAMERA 



history, and the grandeur of the country surround- 

 ing its mountain home, are excuses enough for any 

 one who wishes an excuse for undertaking an 

 interesting trip into these grand mountains of the 

 far West. For those accustomed to camping in 

 our Eastern States, the trip in itself through the 

 Sierras, as we have already seen, is one great 

 succession of surprises and delights, and the con- 

 tinuous clear weather of the summer months reduces 

 camping to absolute simplicity. 



Volcano Creek, the home of the golden trout, is 

 one of the many streams that flow from Mount 

 Whitney, the highest mountain in the United States. 

 We followed the course of the Kern River along its 

 gravelly stretches, where the water sparkled in the 

 clear light, working our way around the rougher 

 places where the river, turbulent and grand, fought 

 its way among stubborn boulders, swung round 

 the sharp bends, and through the deep, dark 

 gorges, beautiful always, but particularly beautiful 

 to the fisherman who, as though fascinated, would 

 regard each likely place where he knew a fish 

 must be hiding. In the near distance we hear a 

 deafening roar, and soon we come upon the famous 

 Volcano Creek dashing down the mountain side 

 over the bed of lava and rock as though anxious 

 to join the Kern River. With difficulty we 

 climbed the face of the cliff, and then we found 

 the creek in an entirely different mood. No longer 

 boisterous and grand, but a small stream flowing 

 peacefully through a meadow-like valley. The 

 dense fringe of overhanging bushes made the 

 prospect of casting by no means alluring ; short 



