56 
THE SACRAMENTO IMBEDDED IN MOUNTAINS. 
we again turned up the river, and crossed two or three small streams, gaining a position from 
which we overlooked it for several miles, both above and below, hut we could discover no im¬ 
provement in its character: our course, however, changed to nearly due north, parallel with 
the river, and hut a short distance from it. The summit of the mountain was broad and level, 
and the timber unusually heavy, and a fine growth of raspberries reminded us of our boyish 
days. At the end of this direct course, we again descended to the river, and found it a foaming 
rapid for several miles above its change of course. Its fall here is twice as great as in its 
general descent. Just above its change of course there is a small boiling spring, the stream 
from which immediately falls into the river. Above this spring there is a rocky valley, half 
a mile wide, timbered with oak, in which we encamped after a march of 23.50 miles. The 
mountains passed to-day were more elevated than those crossed yesterday, hut were not so diffi¬ 
cult to traverse. 
July 20.—We followed the rough hank of the river, this morning, for 1.50 miles. On the 
side of the trail there was something like a valley, uneven and rocky, hut it soon became rough 
and broken; and the mountains, eventually shutting in close to the stream, were too steep, 
and too much obstructed by fallen timber and dense thickets of hushes, to admit of further 
progress along its shores. The opposite bank was, at the same time, more than usually steep 
and rocky, and at some points almost vertical. There was no alternative, therefore, for us hut 
to re-ascend the mountains ; for, with our force, we could not have progressed three miles a 
day by cutting a road along the mountain base. The ascent was very steep and difficult, and 
we were occupied four hours and a half in effecting it. And when we had gained the summit, 
which we followed for some miles high above the stream, which could be traced by its foaming 
current, not only where we were passing to-day, hut at the foot of the long line of the heavily 
timbered summit followed yesterday, we encountered such a dense growth of mansanita and 
laurel hushes that it was only by the most persevering efforts that we could effect a passage 
through them. Steep ravines extend from the river quite to the summit of the mountains, and 
we were always forced to pass around them. Coming eventually, however, to an open woods, 
we pushed rapidly forward, and at sundown came upon an open, grassy prairie, abundantly 
supplied with water. This was the first grass we had seen during the day’s march of 18.50 
miles, and was a most welcome sight. 
July 21.—We passed directly over the crest of the mountains towards the river, to points 
where we could overlook it immediately at our feet. For several miles below us its banks 
were as high and rocky as at any point below ; but immediately in front of us, and for a short 
distance above, with one exception, the projecting ridges or angles were low, and for short 
distances one could ride comfortably along the base of the mountains. The river was, however, 
still shut in by mountains, and its current was as rapid as ever. But the mountains were 
so broken by ravines that we could not pass along them, and were obliged to recross the sum¬ 
mit, where we at once came upon a more level country, but very rocky and dry. The mountains 
on the river also began immediately to fall off, and we easily returned to it a short distance below 
the mouth of Canoe creek, where there is a small valley extending for five miles along, the 
river. This valley is a mile wide only, but the mountains above are low and retreating. Canoe 
creek is sixty feet wide at its mouth, with a current as rapid as that of the Sacramento. The 
Indians have large fish-traps arranged in it, hut the salmon season has not yet arrived. Cross¬ 
ing the creek we ascended to the head of this valley, passing several holes dug by parties 
searching for gold; and at the head of the valley reached the foot of the canon, before described 
as the second canon of the Sacramento, immediately below the mouth of Fall river. The walls 
at the lower end are higher, hut much less vertical than at the upper end of this canon; and 
the accumulated mass of fallen rocks extends from the water nearly to the top. It is much 
wider also at the lower than at the upper end; and the peaks rising on the terrace above, sloping 
gently back, are less elevated. It is, however, a formidable canon, cut deep through strata of 
trachytic rocks; and in descending the Sacramento with a railway, as before stated, it will be 
