Reports of Committees. 



49 



their wonderful characteristics, but most of them being marked with 

 broad stripes of brilliant red instead of the golden or orange red color 

 of their native stream. After spending a day here we descended 7000 

 feet the following day to the mouth of Cottonwood Creek and camped 

 at the railroad crossing. It was a remarkable transition from high 

 mountain pines and temperature below zero, when we left that morning, 

 to the desert with its sage brush for a camp at night. 



Our Pullman train stopped at our camp site the next morning, and 

 boarding it we traveled along the shore of Owens Lake for some dis- 

 tance and paralleled the wonderful Los Angeles aqueduct for many 

 miles on our way to Mojave. This means of leaving the mountains 

 proved the easiest and most comfortable we have ever experienced. 



There were 185 regular members in the party, and with assistants, 

 cooks and packers the total number approximated 220. The number 

 was limited and many who applied late could not be accommodated. 



A new plan for improving the trails was inaugurated this year. The 

 Outing employed and paid for two trail builders; the Forest Service, 

 two ; and the Boards of Trade of Visalia, Lindsay, Exeter and Tulare 

 together provided two, making six men in all who traveled a day or 

 two in advance of the party, repairing and improving the main trails. 

 The plan proved a great success and when we left the Kern region the 

 trails were in better condition than they have been for years. The men 

 also had time to brush out and mark a trail leading into the Kern- 

 Kaweah River basin from Junction Meadows. An old trail used to 

 lead into this remarkable basin, abounding as it does in feed for animals, 

 and fine scenery. In recent years, however, it has been practically 

 impossible to get into this region with animals, and in the short time 

 the trail men had to work on this trail, they accomplished wonderful 

 results, so that a member of our party was able to ride over the brushed- 

 out trail and lead a pack animal with loaded fish cans into the very 

 head of the Kern-Kaweah region, hitherto fishless. When one con- 

 siders the general lack of feed in the Kern River region, one can appre- 

 ciate the desirability of having this Kern-Kaweah country opened up 

 for tourists, since it will add a large amount of feed at a point where 

 it is very much needed. 



We were so pleased with the experience of crossing the Sierra and 

 leaving the mountains on the east that we have planned to visit the 

 Kings River Caiion and Tehipite Valley this coming summer and to 

 enter this region via Kearsarge Pass from Independence. The Middle 

 Fork of the Kings River is one of the wildest and most attractive 

 canons in the whole range and the 1913 Outing promises to be one of 

 the best the Club has ever taken. A preliminary announcement of this 

 trip has already been issued. 



Respectfully submitted, Wm. E. Colby, 

 J. N. Le Conte, 

 E. T. Parsons, 

 Outing Committee. 



