354 



Sierra Club Bulletin 



Blue Canon Falls, Silver Spur, the Gorge of Despair, Lost Canon — 

 these were some of the romantic and appropriate titles we found on the 

 Geological Survey map. And, close at hand, opposite Mount Harring- 

 ton and just across Crown Creek Canon, rose mighty Tehipite. We 

 looked down upon its rounded, glistening dome. The Tehipite Dome is 

 a true Yosemite feature. It compares in height and prominence with El 

 Capitan. In fact it stands higher above the valley floor and occupies a 

 similar position at the valley's western gate. It is not so massive as El 

 Capitan and, therefore, not so impressive ; but it is superb. It is better 

 compared with Half Dome, though again not so impressive. But it has 

 its own august personality, as notably so as either of these world- 

 famed rocks; and, if it stood in the Yosemite, would share with them 

 the incomparable valley's highest honors. 



From the floor the whole aspect of the valley changed. Looking up, 

 Tehipite Dome, now outlined against the sky, and the neighboring abrupt 

 castellated walls, towered more hugely than ever. We did not need the 

 map to know that some of these heights exceeded Yosemite's. The sky- 

 line was fantastically carved into spires and domes, a counterpart in 

 gigantic miniature of the Great Sierra of which it was the valley climax. 

 The Yosemite measure of sublimity, perhaps, lacked, but in its place was 

 a more rugged grandeur, a certain suggestion of vastness and power 

 that I have not seen elsewhere. The impression was strengthened by 

 the floor itself, which contains no suggestion whatever of Yosemite's ex- 

 quisiteness. Instead, it offers rugged spaciousness. In place of Yose- 

 mite's peaceful woods and meadows, here were tangled giant-studded 

 thickets and mountainous masses of enormous broken talus. Instead of 

 the quiet, winding Merced, here was a surging, smashing, frothing, cas- 

 cading, roaring torrent, several times its volume, which filled the valley 

 with its turbulence. 



Once step foot on the valley floor and all thought of comparison with 

 Yosemite vanishes forever. This is a different thing altogether, but a 

 thing in its own way no less superlative in its distinction. The keynote 

 of the Tehipite Valley is wild exuberance. It thrills where Yosemite 

 enervates. Yet its temperature is quite as mild. 



The Kings contains more trout than any other stream I have fished. 

 We found them in pools and riffles everywhere ; no water was too white 

 to get a rise. In the long greenish-white borders of fast rapids they 

 floated continually into view. In five minutes watching I could count a 

 dozen or more such appearances within a few feet of water. They ran 

 from 8 to 14 inches. No doubt larger ones lay below. So I got great 

 fun out of picking my particular trout and casting specially for him. 

 Stop your fly's motion and the pursuing fish instantly stops, backs, 

 swims round the lure in a tour of examination and disappears. Start it 

 moving and he instantly reappears from the white depth where no doubt 

 he has been cautiously watching. A pause and a swift start often tempt- 

 ed to a strike. These rainbows of the torrents are hard fighters. And 



