My First Summer in the Sierra

Volume Ii

MY FIRST SUMMER IN THE SIERRA

JOHN MUIR

BOSTON AND NEW YORK

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

1917

COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY JOHN MUIR

COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

THE SIERRA CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

FAITHFUL DEFENDER OF THE PEOPLE’S PLAYGROUNDS

CONTENTS

I. THROUGH THE FOOTHILLS WITH A FLOCK OF SHEEP 3

II. IN CAMP ON THE NORTH FORK OF THE MERCED 32

III. A BREAD FAMINE 75

IV. TO THE HIGH MOUNTAINS 86

V. THE YOSEMITE 115

VI. MOUNT HOFFMAN AND LAKE TENAYA 149

VII. A STRANGE EXPERIENCE 178

VIII. THE MONO TRAIL 195

IX. BLOODY CA—ON AND MONO LAKE 214

X. THE TUOLUMNE CAMP 232

XI. BACK TO THE LOWLANDS 254

INDEX 265

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE YOSEMITE FALLS, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Frontispiece

The total height of the three falls is 2600 feet. The upper fall is about 1600 feet, and the lower about 400 feet. Mr. Muir was probably the only man who ever looked down into the heart of the fall from the narrow ledge of rocks near the top.

From a photograph by Charles S. Olcott

SHEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS 8

Since the establishment of the Yosemite National Park the pasturing of sheep has not been allowed within its boundaries, and as a result the grasses and wild flowers have recovered very much of their former luxuriance. The flock of sheep here photographed were feeding near Alger Lake on the slope of Blacktop Mountain, at an altitude of about 10,000 feet and just beyond the eastern boundary of the Park.

From a photograph by Herbert W. Gleason

A SILVER FIR, OR RED FIR (Abies magnifica) 90

This tree was found in an extensive forest of red fir above the Middle Fork of King’s River. It was estimated to be about 250 feet high. Mr. Muir, on being shown the photograph, remarked that it was one of the finest and most mature specimens of the red fir that he had ever seen.

From a photograph by Herbert W. Gleason

THE NORTH AND SOUTH DOMES 122

The great rock on the right is the South Dome, commonly called the Half-Dome, according to Mr. Muir “the most beautiful and most sublime of all the Yosemite rocks.” The one on the left is the North Dome, while in the center is the Washington Column.

From a photograph by Charles S. Olcott

CATHEDRAL PEAK 154

This view was taken from a point on the Sunrise Trail just south of the Peak, on a day when the “cloud mountains” so inspiring to Mr. Muir were much in evidence.

From a photograph by Herbert W. Gleason

THE VERNAL FALLS, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 182

From a photograph by Charles S. Olcott

THE HAPPY ISLES, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 190

This is the main stream of the Merced River after passing over the Nevada and Vernal Falls and receiving the Illilouette tributary.

From a photograph by Charles S. Olcott

THE THREE BROTHERS, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 208

The highest rock, called Eagle Point, is 7900 feet above the sea, and 3900 feet above the floor of the valley.

From a photograph by Charles S. Olcott

MAP OF THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 264

From the United States Geological Survey

FROM SKETCHES MADE BY THE AUTHOR IN 1869

HORSESHOE BEND, MERCED RIVER 14

ON SECOND BENCH. EDGE OF THE MAIN FOREST BELT, ABOVE COULTERVILLE, NEAR GREELEY’S MILL 14

CAMP, NORTH FORK OF THE MERCED 38

MOUNTAIN LIVE OAK (Quercus chrysolepis), EIGHT FEET IN DIAMETER 38

SUGAR PINE 50

DOUGLAS SQUIRREL OBSERVING BROTHER MAN 68

DIVIDE BETWEEN THE TUOLUMNE AND THE MERCED, BELOW HAZEL GREEN 86

TRACK OF SINGING DANCING GRASSHOPPER IN THE AIR OVER NORTH DOME 140

ABIES MAGNIFICA (MOUNT CLARK, TOP OF SOUTH DOME, MOUNT STARR KING) 142

ILLUSTRATING GROWTH OF NEW PINE FROM BRANCH BELOW THE BREAK OF AXIS OF SNOW-CRUSHED TREE 144

APPROACH OF DOME CREEK TO YOSEMITE 150

JUNIPERS IN TENAYA CA—ON 164

VIEW OF TENAYA LAKE SHOWING CATHEDRAL PEAK 196

ONE OF THE TRIBUTARY FOUNTAINS OF THE TUOLUMNE CA—ON WATERS, ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HOFFMAN RANGE 196

GLACIER MEADOW, ON THE HEADWATERS OF THE TUOLUMNE, 9500 FEET ABOVE THE SEA 204

MONO LAKE AND VOLCANIC CONES, LOOKING SOUTH 228

HIGHEST MONO VOLCANIC CONES (NEAR VIEW) 228

ONE OF THE HIGHEST MOUNT RITTER FOUNTAINS 240

GLACIER MEADOW STREWN WITH MORAINE BOULDERS, 10,000 FEET ABOVE THE SEA (NEAR MOUNT DANA) 248

FRONT OF CATHEDRAL PEAK 248

VIEW OF UPPER TUOLUMNE VALLEY 252

MY FIRST SUMMER IN THE SIERRA

CHAPTER I. Through the Foothills With a Flock of Sheep

THROUGH THE FOOTHILLS WITH A FLOCK OF SHEEP

In the great Central Valley of California there are only two seasons—spring and summer. The spring begins with the first rainstorm, which usually falls in November. In a few months the wonderful flowery vegetation is in full bloom, and by the end of May it is dead and dry and crisp, as if every plant had been roasted in an oven.

Then the lolling, panting flocks and herds are driven to the high, cool, green pastures of the Sierra. I was longing for the mountains about this time, but money was scarce and I couldn’t see how a bread supply was to be kept up. While I was anxiously brooding on the bread problem, so troublesome to wanderers, and trying to believe that I might learn to live like the wild animals, gleaning nourishment here and there from seeds, berries, etc., sauntering and climbing in joyful independence of money or baggage, Mr. Delaney, a sheep-owner, for whom I had worked a few weeks, called on me, and offered to engage me to go with his shepherd and flock to the headwaters of the Merced and Tuolumne rivers—the very region I had most in mind. I was in the mood to accept work of any kind that would take me into the mountains whose treasures I had tasted last summer in the Yosemite region. The flock, he explained, would be moved gradually higher through the successive forest belts as the snow melted, stopping for a few weeks at the best places we came to. These I thought would be good centers of observation from which I might be able to make many telling excursions within a radius of eight or ten miles of the camps to learn something of the plants, animals, and rocks; for he assured me that I should be left perfectly free to follow my studies. I judged, however, that I was in no way the right man for the place, and freely explained my shortcomings, confessing that I was wholly unacquainted with the topography of the upper mountains, the streams that would have to be crossed, and the wild sheep-eating animals, etc.; in short that, what with bears, coyotes, rivers, cañons, and thorny, bewildering chaparral, I feared that half or more of his flock would be lost. Fortunately these shortcomings seemed insignificant to Mr. Delaney. The main thing, he said, was to have a man about the camp whom he could trust to see that the shepherd did his duty, and he assured me that the difficulties that seemed so formidable at a distance would vanish as we went on; encouraging me further by saying that the shepherd would do all the herding, that I could study plants and rocks and scenery as much as I liked, and that he would himself accompany us to the first main camp and make occasional visits to our higher ones to replenish our store of provisions and see how we prospered. Therefore I concluded to go, though still fearing, when I saw the silly sheep bouncing one by one through the narrow gate of the home corral to be counted, that of the two thousand and fifty many would never return.

I was fortunate in getting a fine St. Bernard dog for a companion. His master, a hunter with whom I was slightly acquainted, came to me as soon as he heard that I was going to spend the summer in the Sierra and begged me to take his favorite dog, Carlo, with me, for he feared that if he were compelled to stay all summer on the plains the fierce heat might be the death of him. “I think I can trust you to be kind to him,” he said, “and I am sure he will be good to you. He knows all about the mountain animals, will guard the camp, assist in managing the sheep, and in every way be found able and faithful.” Carlo knew we were talking about him, watched our faces, and listened so attentively that I fancied he understood us. Calling him by name, I asked him if he was willing to go with me. He looked me in the face with eyes expressing wonderful intelligence, then turned to his master, and after permission was given by a wave of the hand toward me and a farewell patting caress, he quietly followed me as if he perfectly understood all that had been said and had known me always.

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