RELATION OF LAKES TO CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. 67 



too gentle mountain winds touch their surfaces : in eacli instance the 

 scene is fresh and unniarrt'd. and has the eliarm of remoteness so welcome 

 to many who are weary with the wa3's of men. 



At Tahoe the views are wide and far-reacliing. The shaggy moun- 

 tains are picturesquely grouped about the central plain of Avaters and the 

 scene is open and, for a mountain stronghold, mild and pleasing. 



At Lake Chelan the scenery is Avild and rugged. The narrow stream- 

 like sheet of water, with gently curving shores, extends far into the 

 mountains and cannot be comprehended at a glance. Each view, as one 

 ascends the lake, gives suggestions of something still more grand be3'ond. 

 Each turn reveals hidden beauties that entice one on and on. The 

 bordering mountains become more and more rugged, as we venture 

 farther into their embrace. Each newly discovered peak is higher and 

 more imposing than its predecessor ; until at the head of the lake, the 

 most lofty sunnnits of the range, usually white with snow, can be seen far 

 up the gorge beyond where boats can go. The narrow valley bottom 

 beyond the lake is filled with majestic trees and a rich profusion of lower 

 vegetation of almost tropical density ; the dark vine-entangled forest 

 seems striving to conceal some mysterious shrine farther within the 

 heart of the mountains. A clear, swift stream fioAvs silentlv beneath the 

 deep shade of the broad-leaved sj^camores; and from far within the hidden 

 recesses of the valle}', the echoes of unseen cataracts come faintly to the 

 ear. AVhat wonders exist in the upper portion of the valley are not 

 known, as they have been seen by only a fcAV white men and have never 

 been described. 



All of the surroundings of this wonderful lake are so fresh and speak 

 so strongly of the untamed beauties of Nature in her wildest moods, that 

 a visit to the region has the zest and fascination of entering an undis- 

 covered country, where each step takes one farther and farther into the 

 unknown. 



The vegetation of the Cascade mountains is far more luxuriant and 

 varied than the flora of the Sierra Nevada. In every nook and corner one 

 is surprised and charmed witli the rank luxuriance of the gracefuUv 

 bending ferns, or the profusion and 1)iilliancy of the flowers. On the 

 higher slopes, l)etween the forests and the bare summits of the cloud- 

 ca})ped peaks, the angles of the rock are softened by luxuriant mosses and 

 lichens, and the gray of the cold granite is brightened by Alpine blossoms. 



Tent life on the shore of I'itlicr Lake Tahoe or Lake ("liclaii is dcHght- 

 ful. Each lake has its own peculiar cliaiins, l)ut their iiilhu-nces on the 



