214 



The National Geographic Magazine 



t3'pe of canyon sculpture, of the regular 

 distribution of the belts of vegetation, 

 and of many characteristic features of 

 the High Sierra scenery. 



The western slope may therefore be 

 considered the main portion of the Sierra 

 Nevada, containing not only 90 per. cent, 

 of its area, but also most of its great 

 forest and mineral wealth, receiving 

 nearly all the annual precipitation and 

 giving rise to all its rivers. 



During the Glacial times the High 

 Sierra was completely covered with ice, 

 and enormous glaciers filled its canyons, 

 reaching in some instances for forty 

 miles down its western flank. This ice 

 mantle has vanished within ver}' recent 

 geological times, and the High Sierra 

 exhibits to a most perfect degree the 

 effects of this recent glaciation. Great 

 areas are everywhere found polished 

 smooth as glass and covered with glacial 

 erratics. The canyons are all of the 

 characteristic U-shape, with walls show- 

 ing polished and scored surfaces. Large 

 streams flow over smooth rock slopes 

 without channels, and indeed the general 

 appearance is as if the glaciers had 

 vanished but yesterday. 



At the present time three large na- 

 tional parks have been created on the 

 western slope of the Sierra, the Yose- 

 mite National Park, which now includes 

 the Yosemite Valley ; the General Grant 

 and Sequoia National Parks, which in- 

 clude some of the finest of the sequoia 

 groves. The whole of the western slope, 

 from the southern portions of the Kern 

 Basin to Lake Tahoe, has been set aside 

 as a national forest reserve. The crea- 

 tion of these parks and reserves has 

 restored the magnificent flora of the 

 Sierra, which previous to 1899 was in 

 danger of total destruction through' sheep 

 grazing and forest fires. 



The eastern crestline contains the two 

 highest points in the state and the highest 

 one in the United States, Mount Whitney, 

 14,499 feet, and Mount Williamson, 

 14,384 feet. As to the height of Mount 

 Whitney, there is no lonafer a doubt, as 



it has been leveled up by the United 

 States Geological Survey from two in- 

 dependent bases. It is of but little in- 

 terest to the mountain-climber, however. 

 Its ascent has always been easy, and 

 within the past year a horse trail has 

 been constructed to the summit. Mount 

 Williamson is by far the more imposing 

 of the two and affords a really interest- 

 ing climb. Mount Tyndall (14,025 feet) 

 and Mount Langley (14,042 feet) are 

 both exceedingly easy of ascent. 



MOTOR SLEDGES IN THE ANT- 

 ARCTIC 



ANEW South Polar Expedition is 

 being organized by Lieutenant 

 E. H. Shackleton, who was a mem- 

 ber of the recent British expedition 

 and also one of the sledging party who 

 reached farthest south, 82° 17'. Mr 

 Shackleton plans to leave England Octo- 

 ber of this year on a steam whaler, and 

 to establish his winter quarters at the sta- 

 tion used by the Discovery near Mount 

 Erebus. His party will be limited to 

 from nine to twelve men. Mr Shackleton 

 introduces two innovations : The use of 

 Siberian ponies, which Fiala found so 

 useful in the north, and a specially de- 

 signed motor car for traveling over the 

 ice barrier. Mr Shackleton in his an- 

 nouncement says : 



"A North China or Siberian pony is 

 capable of dragging 1,800 pounds on a 

 food basis of 10 pounds per day. A dog 

 drags 100 pounds at the outside, and re- 

 quires over 2 pounds of food per day. 

 Therefore one pony drags as much as 

 eighteen dogs, at less than one-third in 

 weight of provision, and can travel com- 

 fortably 20 to 25 miles per day. 



"The motor will be of a special type, 

 taking into consideration the tempera- 

 tures to be encountered and the surface 

 to be traveled over. I would propose to 

 take three or four ponies on the southern 

 journey and the motor car. As long as 

 the car continued to remain satisfactor}^ 

 it alone would be used to drag our equip- 



