IN THE SIERRA NEVADA 



407 



The surrounding country is very 

 rugged, abounding in mountain peaks 

 of great height and numerous precipit- 

 ous canons. Tioga Lake occupies a de- 

 pression scooped out by glaciers which 

 came down from the tops of Mt. Gibbs 

 and Mt. Dana. The moraine of these 

 glaciers is distinctly traceable through 

 the little Lee Vining Valley and down 

 almost to the border of Mono Lake, 20 

 miles away. 



Having become surfeited with fish at 

 the end of three days, and being seized 

 with a desire to get into a wilder and 

 more inaccessible country, we broke 

 camp one morning and struck south 

 around the base of Mt. Gibbs, up on to 

 the main ridge. There were no trails 

 here and traveling was very difficult. 

 Late in the afternoon we found our way 

 barred by a rocky canon. A short in- 

 vestigation showed that its sides were 

 too precipitous for the horses. We de- 

 termined to follow on up its north bank 

 and around it. This was one of the hard- 

 est trips we had ever attempted, but the 

 grandeur of the scenery was ample re- 

 ward for our efforts. We camped at a 

 little stream that night, and the next 

 morning we explored the canon on foot, 

 floundering through snow many feet 

 deep in places. On the way back to 

 camp we killed a deer which promised 

 a welcome change from salt meat and 

 fish. 



For three days we traveled southward 

 along the backbone of the continent, the 

 country presenting a magnificent pano- 

 rama of snow-clad peaks, glaciers, lakes 

 and canons. From some of the high 

 points we could look far over into Ne- 

 vada, and away to the northwest was a 

 little depression which we knew from 

 the dim outline of Half Dome to be 

 Yosemite Valley. During these three 

 days we had many opportunities to kill 

 deer, but the going was so bad that we 

 feared to burden our pack animals with 

 any extra load. Bear signs were fre- 

 quent, but we did not succeed in getting 

 a shot. 



At Mt. Lyell we doubled back toward 

 the north, striking the Sunset Trail at 



Tuolumne meadows. This we followed 

 down into the Yosemite Valley and 

 thence home. 



During the ten days spent between 

 Tioga Lake and Mt. Lyell we had fished 

 streams which probably had never been 

 fished before, and we had explored 

 canons down which probably no white 

 man had ever previously climbed. 



In the high mountains the thermome- 

 ter dropped so low at night that every 

 little rivulet of water coming out from 

 under the snow banks was frozen solid, 

 and on these nights it was necessary 

 for us to keep a fire going until day- 

 light. 



Coming down from the High Sierra 

 into the Yosemite Valley one passes 

 from almost Arctic cold to the warmth 

 of late spring, and the difference in tem- 

 perature is easily traceable by the char- 

 acter of the foliage. On the nigh peaks 

 no green thing flourishes. Gradually 

 stunted pines and tamaracks appear, 

 and still lower the maple and laurel are 

 just beginning to unfold their leaves, 

 and then in a half a day's journey the 

 wild flowers come. Hundreds and hun- 

 dreds of them of all shapes and colors 

 are found here, and as you approach the 

 rim of the wonderful Yosemite, the air 

 is heavy-laden with the scent of the 

 azaleas, and the trail is lined with wild 

 lilac, wild cherry and dogwood — a per- 

 fect riot of flowering shrubbery. 



Owing to the size and strength of the 

 fish caught in the lakes of the high 

 Sierra, one should be well outfitted in 

 the way of tackle. It is well to have at 

 least a dozen good, strong leaders, and 

 at least ten dozen flies. The first bug 

 abroad in the high altitudes is black in 

 color, and those of us who did not havt 

 black flies met with indifferent success, 

 whereas those who did have flies of the 

 color were amply rewarded. The flies 

 which should be carried are brown, gray 

 and black hackle, royal coachman, pro- 

 fessor, and the Reuben Wood. A half 

 dozen spinners should be taken along, 

 as these will often succeed where the 

 fly fails. The size of the hooks should 

 be 8 and 10. 



