High Places of the South 



55 



we began to climb; and the farther we went, the more we 

 climbed. Then it struck a swampy meadow, just for the sake 

 of losing itself, which it promptly did, after the fashion of 

 high mountain trails, and succeeded in leading most of us 

 astray and scattering us over a large area of soft, boggy land 

 that stood half-way on edge along the main ridge which finally 

 culminates in the highest point of San Jacinto. But all things 

 come to an end sometime, even boggy trails, and at length we 

 found ourselves gathered into the night's camp, only an hour 

 or so below the peak. 



The peak was climbed early the next morning — by many in 

 time to see the sunrise over the desert. The return trip from 

 the base-camp was by way of Round Valley, which is a moun- 

 tain-meadow opening in the lodgepole-pine forest ; then on past 

 Hidden Lake, stopping there long enough to make the short 

 side-trip to the Lookout, where the wall of the mountain rises 

 sheer from sea-level in the Colorado Desert, over eight thou- 

 sand feet below. No other lookout ledge, save only at the 

 Grand Canon of the Colorado, has ever so impressed me. 



The last night's camp was still high up on the mountain, near 

 Tahquitz Creek, not far from where it begins its long plunge 

 for the desert. And the last day's tramp was down this same 

 eastern flank, carrying us in a few short hours from the cool, 

 temperate conditions of the high mountain parks to the tropical 

 climate of the sea-level desert. 



Southern California has no national park. There is need of 

 one. True, she has an interest in the parks farther up the 

 State, but she needs one within her own borders and for her 

 very own. And she has spots a-plenty still within the Govern- 

 ment domain that possess the right conditions for great na- 

 tional playgrounds. Some of these have been put forward at 

 various times for the honor; but to my way of thinking, the 

 most ideal one of them all has never been mentioned in this 

 connection. This one is the San Jacinto Mountains, and I here- 

 by nominate this group, along with a goodly portion of the ad- 

 joining desert, for dedication by our Government as a national 

 park. 



