Forestry Notes 



257 



all passes, and all creeks and lakes should be signed up with their proper 

 names. Signs should be placed at county boundaries and at national 

 forest boundaries. Signs should be placed at the points where the trail 

 enters and leaves meadows. Where the trail crosses open country on 

 the summit it must be indicated by ducks. It is suggested that a distinc- 

 tive duck be developed, consisting, possibly, of three rocks about eight 

 inches in diameter as a base and one rock about six inches in diameter 

 on top. This will distinguish the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail from the in- 

 numerable trails through the high country. 



I have a strong idea that such trails as the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail and 

 John Muir Trail are going to be very popular in the future. Already 

 every possible camping- and recreation-ground that can be reached with 

 a Ford is getting overcrowded. The tendency is to get away from the 

 crowd and take either a knapsack-trip or a pack-trip into the high coun- 

 try. 



The project will not end with merely building a trail and putting 

 proper signs along it. Properly fenced meadows must be supplied at 

 very frequent intervals. I should say that horse-feed sufficient for at 

 least ten horses for three nights should be available on the average for 

 every three miles of trail. It is impossible to foresee where travelers 

 will want to camp, and one camp-ground being occupied there should be 

 another so close to it that the travelers will have no difficulty in going 

 on to the next one. The ultimate development of the trail will include 

 rest-houses and locators at the high points, similar to those installed on 

 Mount Tamalpais. 



The policy will be to work out this project gradually, concentrating 

 the annual expenditures on the worst places and bringing each stretch 

 worked upon up to the standard specifications as stated herein. Later on, 

 the stretches which are now fairly good will be worked up to standard. 

 There is no intention whatever of rushing this through to completion or 

 making large expenditures on it immediately; but it is a job which the 

 Service has undertaken, and which it is hoped very much will be carried 

 through to satisfactory completion in a few years. 



During the field season of 1916 an expenditure of $4990 was made on 

 the Lake Tahoe section, where the trail was completed up Meeks Creek 

 past the Talent Lakes to Velma Lakes. About four miles remains to be 

 built to close the gap from Velma over Dick's Lake summit to Susie 

 Lake. The trail is completed from Susie Lake to Desolation Valley with 

 the exception of a very short stretch, and even this is passable for horses. 



On the Stanislaus section $2020 was expended and the trail was com- 

 pleted from the head of Disaster Cafion to the east end of Iceberg, ap- 

 proximately six miles. 



