Northward Over the John Muir Trail 



37 



tention to the animals' shoes, for the way ahead is rough and 

 rugged. 



The Copper Creek Trail starts a short distance west of the 

 store, and a sharp grade begins almost immediately. Five thou- 

 sand feet above the canon floor a ridge is crossed and the trail 

 passes into Granite Basin — a vast concourse of bare rock, wa- 

 ter, snow, and bunch-grass, strewn about like miscellaneous 

 raw material. Almost at the head of the basin, a little clump 

 of tamaracks affords the only shelter for camp. The trail con- 

 tinues rough and very trying to the animals' hoofs over Granite 

 Pass (11,333 feet) and for quite a distance down on the north 

 slope. At Dougherty Meadows, about half-way down, we first 

 encountered sheep and beheld the desolation they create. For 

 a considerable distance the trail was obliterated by their tracks, 

 the soil far and wide was pulverized, and all vegetation was 

 clipped to a uniform height of some twenty inches from the 

 ground. A fine dust hung in the air bearing with it a rank, 

 obnoxious stench. May the traveler of future years be spared 

 this irritating experience! This section is one of the famous 

 beauty-spots of the Sierra. There is a fine stand of forest, and 

 the views across the Middle Fork to Mount Woodworth and 

 up the canon to the Palisades are on the grand scale distinctive 

 of Yosemite-Hke country. One can just see Tehipite Dome 

 rising above the deep gorge to the westward. 



Simpson Meadow is a delightful camping-spot, and it is 

 worth while to "lay over" at this point for a day or so if time 

 permits. The trip to Tehipite can be made from here, going 

 down one day and returning the next. There are other choice 

 spots ahead, however, and in any schedule of stop-overs Simp- 

 son Meadow should not be given preference. 



There is now an excellent trail between Simpson Meadow 

 and Grouse Valley. The canon was formerly impassable from 

 the mouth of Cartridge Creek to that of Palisade Creek, but in 

 the summer of 1914 a considerable amount of work was done 

 on this section through funds furnished jointly by the Forest 

 Service, Fresno County, and the Sierra Club. The work was 

 completed in the summer of 1916 with the aid of part of the 

 money from the John Muir Trail fund. It is only a half-day's 

 journey to Grouse Valley, and one may arrive in plenty of time 



