STEEP TRAILS 



But in the very heart of this thorny wilder- 

 ness, down in the dells, you may find gardens 

 filled with the fairest flowers, that any child 

 would love, and unapproachable hnns lined 

 with Ulies and ferns, where the ousel builds its 

 mossy hut and sings in chorus with the white 

 falling water. Bears, also, and panthers, wolves, 

 wildcats, wood rats, squirrels, foxes, snakes, 

 and innumerable birds, all find grateful homes 

 here, adding wildness to wildness in glorious 

 profusion and variety. 



Where the coast ranges and the Sierra 

 Nevada come together we find a very compli- 

 cated system of short ranges, the geology and 

 topography of which is yet hidden, and many 

 years of laborious study must be given for 

 anything like a complete interpretation of 

 them. The San Gabriel is one or more of these 

 ranges, forty or fifty miles long, and half as 

 broad, extending from the Cajon Pass on the 

 east, to the Santa Monica and Santa Susanna 

 ranges on the west. San Antonio, the domi- 

 nating peak, rises towards the eastern extrem- 

 ity of the range to a height of about six thou- 

 sand feet, forming a sure landmark throughout 

 the valley and all the way down to the coast, 

 without, however, possessing much striking 

 individuality. The whole range, seen from the 

 plain, with the hot sun beating upon its south- 



146 



