Galen Clark. 



217 



enough, proved too much, and he informed us that he 

 could go no further. I gathered some wood at the upper 

 throat of the gorge, made a fire for him and advised him 

 to feel at home and make himself comfortable, and hoped 

 he would enjoy the songs of the water-ousels which 

 haunted the gorge, assuring him that we would return 

 some time that night, though it might be late, as we wished 

 to go on through the entire canon if possible. We 

 pushed our way through the dense chaparral and over 

 the earthquake taluses with such speed that we reached 

 the foot of the upper cataract while we had still an hour 

 or so of daylight for the return trip. It was long after 

 dark when we reached our adventurous but nerve-shaken 

 companion, who, of course, was anxious and lonely, not 

 being accustomed to complete solitude. Not attempting 

 either to return down the gorge in the dark or to climb 

 around it_, we concluded to spend the night where we 

 were, without blankets or provisions, which we had left 

 in the morning hung up on trees at the foot of the gorge. 

 I remember j\Ir. Clark remarking that if he had his 

 choice that night between provisions and blankets he 

 would choose his blankets. We had a good fire and suf- 

 fered nothing worth mention, although we were hungry. 



The next morning in about an hour we had crossed 

 over the ridge through which the gorge is cut, reached 

 our provisions, made tea and had a good breakfast, and 

 finished the preliminary exploration of about three-fourths 

 of the canon. As soon as we had returned to Yosemite 

 I obtained fresh provisions, pushed off alone up to the 

 head of Yosemite Creek basin, entered the canon by a 

 side cafion, and completed the exploration up to the 

 Tuolumne Meadows. 



It was on this first trip from Hetch Hetchy to the 

 upper cataracts that I had such convincing proofs of Mr. 

 Clark's daring and skill as a mountaineer, particularly 

 in fording torrents and in forcing his way through thick 

 chaparral. I found it somewhat difficult to keep tip with 

 him in dense tangled brush, though in jumping on 



