The Tuolumne Canon. 2g^ 



new shock of the rushing waters. The writer must con- 

 fess to a great curiosity to see the river at such points 

 in early spring, when it carries a double volume of water. 

 The spectacle must be awe-inspiring in the extreme. 



To those of us who thought the canon more or less 

 devoid of vegetation the experiences of these days brought 

 much enlightenment. While in many places it is a deep 

 boulder-choked gorge of bare granite, we found small 

 forested areas throughout its course. Wherever erosion, 

 glacial or post-glacial, has widened the floor of the 

 canon and permitted the accumulation of alluvium 

 colonies of trees have established themselves. Many of 

 these miniature forests are wondrously beautiful in their 

 setting of lofty cliffs and snowy cascades. Most of 

 them have remained untouched by fire. Straight tapering 

 boles of mighty sugar and yellow pines reach far up 

 into the noonday twilight that reigns under their feathery 

 arches. In the upper reaches of the canon the make-up 

 of the tree societies is about the same as in Yosemite. 

 The sugar pine, yellow" pine, spruce, and incense cedar 

 are the social magnates. Long stretches of the river's ' 

 margin were found lined with dense hedges of azalea 

 {Azalea occidentalis), whose magnificent bouquets of 

 creamy, fragrant blossoms are a delight to the wayfarer 

 and at least a partial compensation for the difficulties 

 encountered in penetrating the thickets. The densest 

 chaparral we encountered was a succession of azalea 

 thickets in a part of the caiion known as Pate Valley. This 

 is a very considerable expansion of the river gorge where 

 Piute Creek enters from the north. In order to reach 

 the river it was at times necessary to crawl through the 

 thickets on hands and feet. The floor of the valley is 



