MADELIN PASS. 
63 
explored across tlie Sierra Nevada, to which I have given the name of Madelin Pass, ascends 
the eastern slope of the mountains from Mud lake through the valley of Smoky creek. In 
leaving the lake valley, the pass leads for three miles through a narrow gorge in an outlying 
range of the Sierra Nevada. The sides of this gorge are formed of coarse, crumbling meta- 
morphic rocks, much broken by side ravines. They rise very abruptly to the height of from 
50 to 200 feet above the stream on the south side, and to a much greater elevation on the north 
side, swelling up two miles hack into the high mountain ridge. The course of the gorge is 
direct, and varies in width from 100 to 150 yards, and can he followed without difficulty by a 
railroad. Above the gorge the valley of the creek expands to the width of half a mile at first, 
and afterwards of a mile; hut again becomes narrowed to a ravine seven miles from the gorge. 
This valley is enclosed on the south side, except at a single point broken by a creek fol¬ 
lowed by Noble’s road, by a precipitous rocky wall, rising at once to the level of the terrace 
above, which extends hack to the foot of a high peak standing immediately at the summit of 
the pass. On the north side the valley is enclosed for seven miles by retreating mountain spurs, 
upon which a road can easily ascend to the terrace, which, in its eastern portion, is hut a mile 
in width, with sloping ridges rising above it. Above this, however, it expands to the width of 
ten or twelve miles, hut again becomes narrow as it approaches the summit of the mountain, 
where the grassy ascent is hut 200 yards wide, with rocky hills rising gently two or three hun¬ 
dred feet above it. The soil of the pass is light, and the surface thickly covered with stones. 
Its width, and the character of the hills gradually rising above it in all parts, afford the means 
of ascending it by a very uniform grade. The length of the ascent is 22.89 miles by the direct 
line which we followed, and the difference of elevation of the extreme points 1,172 feet—the 
altitude of the summit being 5,667 feet above the sea. The latitude of our camp at the western 
base of the high peak was 40° 48' 46". The pass leads around this elevated peak, and 
by a gentle descent for five miles enters upon the broad, level plain of the summit of the 
mountains, extending for forty miles to the west; its width, north and south, varying from 
ten miles to mere open passages of a few hundred yards. No water is discharged from this 
plain, which receives the waters of a few small streams and springs forming grassy ponds. 
The irregular spurs, ridges, and isolated buttes rise hut a few hundred feet above it, and are 
sparsely covered with a growth of cedar to the east, hut with heavy pine forests to the west. 
In leaving this plain to cross the low ridge enclosing it to the west, the line enters a ravine 
valley a quarter of a mile wide, smooth and gradually ascending for a mile. It then expands 
to the width of a mile, and is grassy and smooth, and still ascends gently; hut it again becomes 
narrowed to a quarter of a mile, and rises more considerably for the last half mile to the sum¬ 
mit. The ridges rise gently on either side of the ascent, and are finely rounded and grassy, 
and it will he easy, by winding on these spurs, to increase the length of the approach some¬ 
what, and to equalize the ascent; and the summit can readily be cut so as to diminish the alti¬ 
tude to he overcome 100 or 120 feet. The elevation of this point is 500 feet above that of the 
preceding plain, and 5,736 feet above the sea, and is the highest point in the pass, from which 
the descent is directly upon the waters of the Sacramento river. This descent is at first rapid 
and the ravine narrow; hut it soon widens, and a creek descends from it with a free current. 
Spurs of the mountains, separated by ravines, project into the valley of this creek, leaving a 
direct and free passage, however, of fifty or sixty yards in width in the narrowest parts, and 
frequently expanding to half a mile. The descent is grassy and heavily timbered. For some 
miles from the summit, it will he easy to carry a road on the hillsides, descending at pleasure; 
hut lower down it will become more difficult on account of the curves required for passing the 
side ravines, but it is still practicable. For this purpose the northeast side is the most favor¬ 
able; for, although it contains the largest number of ravines, it is free from canones, while 
the opposite side is obstructed by a formidable one five miles below the summit, and a second 
three miles below this. The length of the descent to the broad open plain of Bound valley, to 
