The Father of Trout Streams 301 



the marauding hand of man. Its general posi- 

 tion in the State still further emphasizes this 

 precaution. On one side is the great plain of 

 the San Joaquin and the ocean ; on the other the 

 most desolate place on the face of the earth, 

 the Death's Valley country, the Pantamint 

 Mountains that environ it, and beyond, a fierce 

 and hopeless desert suggestive in summer of 

 death and despair. 



Every tree in this splendid forest has a pecu- 

 liar interest. Several are used as camps or huts, 

 the home being literally in the heart of the tree. 

 One of the most striking of the Mariposa giants 

 stands by the cabin and is a splendid example of 

 the enormous growth and size of these trees. 

 The bark appears to be in long ridges and has 

 a soft rich brown color, restful to the eye. Huge 

 buttresses seem to reach out from its base, de- 

 scending into the mass, presenting an imposing 

 spectacle. 



The vast size of the roots and their extraor- 

 dinary length is illustrated in one uprooted mon- 

 arch. How many thousand years ago this tree 

 sprang into life it would be difficult to tell, but 

 its vast roots, that have perhaps weathered the 

 winters and summers of ten centuries, still 

 stand, reaching up like countless arms, an ex- 

 traordinary spectacle. So big is this prone tree 

 that an entire company of cavalry can ride up 

 onto it and then not cover it. 



