THE SEQUOIA 285 



pollen over all the forest and the snow-covered 

 ground — a most glorious view of Nature's im- 

 mortal virility and flower-love. 



One of my own best excursions among the 

 Sequoias was made in the autumn of 1875, when 

 I explored the then unknown or little known 

 Sequoia region south of the Mariposa Grove for 

 comprehensive views of the belt, and to learn 

 what I could of the peculiar distribution of the 

 species and its history in general. In particular 

 I was anxious to try to find out whether it had 

 ever been more widely distributed since the gla- 

 cial period ; what conditions favorable or other- 

 wise were affecting it ; what were its relations to 

 climate, topography, soil, and the other trees 

 growing with it, etc. ; and whether, as was gen- 

 erally supposed, the species was nearing extinc- 

 tion. I was already acquainted in a general way 

 with the northern groves, but excepting some 

 passing glimpses gained on excursions into the 

 high Sierra about the head-waters of Kings and 

 Kern rivers I had seen nothing of the south end 

 of the belt. 



Nearly all my mountaineering has been done 

 on foot, carrying as little as possible, depending 

 on camp-fires for warmth, that so I might be light 

 and free to go wherever my studies might lead. 

 On this Sequoia trip, which promised to be 

 long, I was persuaded to take a small wild mule 

 with me to carry provisions and a pair of blan- 



