RECREA TION. 



37i 



THE METHOW COUNTRY. 

 Guy Waring. 



THE accompanying photograph 

 shows, as well as one view can, 

 the type of the Methow valley, where I 

 spent two years recently. This valley, 

 lying about half way between the Okan- 

 ogan river and lake Chelan, reaches 

 from the Columbia river almost to British 

 Columbia. The point of view is 40 

 miles from the mouth of the river, near 

 the confluence of the North Fork, or 

 Chewuch, with the main stream of the 

 Methow. Neither of these streams shows 

 in the picture, although "The Forks" 

 are only two miles away, behind the 

 hill on the left. The lake, named after 

 the settler whose ranch is on the delta 

 extending into it, is called Pearrygin's, 

 although known to the Indians as Che- 

 wil-o-kap. It is a most picturesque 

 little body of water, abounding in trout, 

 about 18 inches long and of very deli- 

 cate flavor. Pearrygin is, in many re- 

 spects, a fortunate man, as he has the 

 advantage of ample irrigation from a 

 little creek that comes out of a ravine 

 at the head of his delta. He lives in 

 great comfort, having fruit trees, garden 

 and hay land near his cabin, and wood 

 and water in plenty. All about is the 

 nutritious bunch grass for his cows and 

 ponies to graze on in summer. 



What will most interest your readers, 

 however, are the supplies of game that 

 he lays in every fall — deer and grouse — 

 which hang about the eaves of his 

 buildings, frozen up all winter, and best 

 of all, smoked trout from the lake. 

 I have shot four species of grouse near 

 here, known by the following names, 

 which I think are approximately cor- 

 rect : Spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, 

 sharp-tail grouse, and best of all, as 

 well as largest, the blue grouse, which 

 seems to keep fat all the year, although 

 in winter they are the most delicious. 



This valley, although settled in t886 

 by a mere handful of men, has now a 

 population of about 500 souls, living up 

 and down the river for 50 miles ; and 

 this fact, combined with the advent of 

 the irrepressible gold hunter, has made 

 large game more difficult to find. Two 

 years ago one could go out from the 

 river, where most of the ranches are, and 

 count upon returning with a good-sized 

 buck the same day. Now, however, it 



is necessary to take a day's journey 

 back into the lofty mountains to be sure 

 of success. For the true lover of nature 

 this is fortunate, as, if not impelled to 

 the higher land in search of game, he 

 might not only miss the sublimest and 

 most awful scenery, but would fail to 

 breathe that most life-giving air of the 

 rocky and wooded heights. 



I have spoken only of deer, grouse and 

 trout, as these were our staple articles 

 of food. There remain, however, for 

 the sportsman still greater attractions in 

 the presence, on the steep sides of snowy 

 Mt. Gardner, shown in this picture, 

 large bands of the white goat. These 

 animals are really plentiful all through 

 this country to the summit of the Cas- 

 cade Range, scarcely 25 miles from the 

 Forks. Of course they are to be found 

 only in the most inaccessible places. 

 Black and brown bears and silver tips are 

 common,but, as ever, hard to get a sight of. 



The greatest of all attractions, to me, 

 was the hope, which I never had time 

 to realize, of making a trip up the val- 

 ley to the dividing range between us 

 and British Columbia, and into an ex- 

 tensive open plateau that several trap- 

 pers report having seen, but which, 

 from one cause or another, they have 

 not ventured upon. It is undoubtedly 

 a virgin country, and must be the great- 

 est land for mountain sheep that there 

 is left, as I feel sure it is to this point 

 they have retreated from Mt. Chopaca, 

 on the Similkameen river, as well as from 

 the Ashanola country inBritish Columbia. 



It would be a rough and daring trip, 

 and would take time and perseverance 

 to get the pack ponies in there. The 

 reward, however, would be commensu- 

 rate in the innocent adventure of the 

 way, the beauty of the scenery and the 

 abundance of game. Who will try it ? 

 Some of your friends, I hope. If it is 

 done, let one man be armed with a 300- 

 shot camera, if there is such a thing, 

 and let his companion be a chronicler, 

 for they will go into a land that, so far 

 as I know, even no living Indian has 

 everpenetrated. I write enthusiastically 

 about this valley; but not all on account 

 of its opportunities for sport. My 

 tastes are more for a life of indepen- 

 dence, away from the rush of the busy 

 world, and in one of the secluded val- 

 leys of this region I hope, some day, to 

 have my lodge. 



