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Sierra Club Bulletin. 



brushing through the dewy branches of the underwood, 

 until, emerging in a little open place, we caused consid- 

 erable perturbation among a large colony of whistling 

 m.armots who had been disporting themselves among the 

 rocks of a great talus slope along its eastern margin. At 

 our approach they shambled into retirement as speedily 

 as possible — all except a few portly members of the com- 

 munity, whose dignity, or possibly whose curiosity, for- 

 bade flight. They sat mildly regarding us as we crept 

 closer, their occasional half-hearted impulses to escape 

 being checked each time by a sharp whistle from a mem- 

 ber of our party, which invariably excited enough interest 

 to cause them to forget their project. After paying our 

 respects to the patriarch long enough to take his picture, 

 we proceeded on our way. 



We crossed the wooded hill and descended its farther 

 side to a lake that lay at the base of the Tatoosh Range. 

 Everywhere flowers were spread, along the little watei- 

 courses, bending down close to the lake shore, and grow- 

 ing tall and rank in the path of an old fire, — patches of 

 valerian and columbine and crimson paintbrush, and the 

 tall, white, spearlike blossoms of the squaw-grass trying 

 to cover the unsightly blackened logs that crisscrossed 

 the ground for miles. 



There is a prodigal touch to nature that puts our 

 prudent foresight to scorn. The trees that don their 

 bravest apparel to meet the winter frosts, the skies that 

 spread such a wealth of color to greet the oncoming 

 night, the flowers that bloom most riotously where the 

 snow lies longest and make the very brevity of the sum- 

 mer an excuse for their lavish profusion, — how these 

 shame that spirit of little faith which would make us nig- 

 gards of our joy, afraid to give of what happiness we 

 have lest the morrow find us bankrupt ! But something 

 of Nature's spendthrift humor enters into every day spent 

 in seeking the high places. A cheerful recklessness as- 

 sumes control of our usually prudent minds. We take no 

 thought for to-morrow's aching bones ; we only know 



