198 
FOREST AND S T R E A M 
ALONG GOLDEN TROUT CREEK 
YOU CAN SPEND GLORIOUS DAYS IN CALIFORNIA’S 
SIERRA. AND BE YOUR OWN GUIDE AS WELL AS NOT 
By CLARENCE CULLIMORE 
C LOSE to T;he base of the highest 
moutain in the United States, out¬ 
side of Alaska—Mount Whitney, 
whose elevation is 14,502 feet above the 
level of the sea—is the source of a stream 
that is unique. For it holds the distinc¬ 
tion of being the only stream in the world 
where golden trout are native. 
The United States Geological Survey’s 
map calls this stream Golden Trout creek. 
Old-timers have 
known it as Vol¬ 
cano creek or Whit¬ 
ney creek. A vast 
extent of virgin 
forest, covering a 
rugged and inac¬ 
cessible region, has 
preserved this cen¬ 
tral section of Cali¬ 
fornia’s Sierra from 
the globe - trotting 
public. Compara¬ 
tively few fisher¬ 
men have, as yet, 
cast their flies on 
the riffles and pools 
of the secluded 
stream. 
With a meager 
ten days at your 
disposal, you must 
look elsewhere for 
your angling. From 
the last vestige of 
civilization in the 
foot-hills —- Kern- 
ville, which may be 
reached by auto 
stage from Caliente, 
on the main line of 
the Southern Pa¬ 
cific or Santa Fe 
railroads —• the trip 
consumes five days 
of arduous trail 
travel. And no fish¬ 
erman will be con¬ 
tent to leave this 
paradise short of a 
week’s enjoyment. 
T is unnecessary 
to procure a pro¬ 
fessional guide. 
If you possess a 
moderate sense of 
direction, a limited 
skill in handling 
mules and a healthy 
desire to rough it, 
you can, with the 
aid of the topo¬ 
graphical map — 
Olancha — manipu¬ 
late any of the 
traveled trails. You 
may do this with 
an independence and 
exhilarated sense 
of freedom that 
will place you in a 
class distinct from those wayfarers who 
depend on the whims of guides and packers. 
Just a word about packing. The saw- 
buck saddle must fit the animal that is to 
wear it. There should be an abundance 
of saddle blankets. Collar pads, glued 
under the saddle, are an excellent help. 
Always use a double girth saddle. Both 
girths should be cinched as tightly as the 
law will allow. After the kiaxes have 
been equally balanced and when you 
have strapped them in their proper posi¬ 
tions on the saddle, you may place your 
sleeping bag on top and proceed to throw 
the hitch. The squaw hitch will serve 
your purpose if you are traveling with 
horses or mules. One person can easily 
throw a squaw about the pack, so tighten¬ 
ing it as to lift the kiaxes away from the 
sides of the animal. By placing one foot 
against the animal’s 
side you can brace 
yourself for the 
final pull on the rope 
that will insure the 
stability of the pack. 
A poorly packed 
animal will, even¬ 
tually, suffer from 
a sore back, caused 
by the shifting of 
the saddle. Such 
an affliction may 
render a good 
horse useless for 
the remainder of 
the trip. It is un¬ 
necessary to study 
a handbook of in¬ 
structions on hitch¬ 
es, for almost any 
one of the residents 
of the village, from 
which you are to 
pack in, will be 
eager to show them 
to you. A very few 
minutes of such 
persona] instruction 
will suffice. 
On the Pack Trail to Golden Trout Creek Through the Hills Near Kernville 
C ONTRARY to 
the popular 
notion, in this 
section burros are 
unsatisfactory pack 
animals. To be 
sure, they are cheap 
and easily cared 
for. They will eat 
anything from a 
gunny sack to your 
shaving soap, but 
this is scarcely in 
their favor in a re¬ 
gion where there 
are abundant moun¬ 
tain meadows, knee 
deep with rich 
grasses. And I have 
worked four hours 
trying to persuade 
a burro to cross a 
doubtful bridge or 
a trickling stream, 
and ended by sum¬ 
moning aid to carry 
him bodily across. 
Why put up with 
such annoyances on 
a pleasure trip? But 
if you are firm in 
