New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-09-24

Tha. fret full. deliberate gaze up the oPpoi e
hight can ever forget 1t HE vaney "
here scarcely half . mae wide, while It's
northern wall Of mainly naked, perpendicular
granite ia ut least 1900 feet high-Probabiy
more Rut the mcdicum of moonlight that fell
into this awful gorge gave TO that precPce avasue-
ness Of outline, an indefinite vastness, ghostly
and weird spirituality. Had the mountain spoken
10 me in audible voice. or begun to lean over Win
the purpose Of burying me beneath IL crushing
msss, ] should hardly have been surprised. Its
whiteue.s thrown into bold relief BY the patches OF
trees or shrubs which fringed or fecked it where
ever few handfuIls Of its moss, slowly deeomposed
70 earth. could contrive 10 hold on, continually
suggested the presence Of snow, which suggestion,
with difficulty refuted, was at once renewed. And,
looking up the valley, we saw just such mountain
precipices, barely separated BY intervening water
courses (maiply dry at this season. OF inconsider-
able depth and only receding sufficiently 70 make
room for very narrow meadow incloslng the
river. to the furthest limit Of vision.
We discussed the propriety of camping directly
at the foot of the pass but decided against it, be-
cause of the inadequacy Of the grass at this point
for our tired hungry beasts and resolved to push on
to the nearest of the two houses in the valley,
which was said to be four miles diitant- To my
dying day, / shall remember that weary, intermns-
BE ride up the valley. We bad been on foot since
daylight; it was now past midnight; al were
nearly used up, and In torture from over eleven
hours steady riding on the hardest trotting horse
in America. Yet We pressed on, and on, through
clumps Of trees, and bits of forest and patches Of
meadow, and over hillocks Of mountain debris,
mainly granite bOuders Of every size, often nearly
as round as cannon balls, forming all but perpendi-
cular banks TO the caprcious torrent that brought
them hither-those stupendous precipces on
either side glsriDg down upon US all the while.
How many times our heavy eyes-1 mean those OF
| NV San Francisco friend and my own-were Lighted
| I'D by visions Of that intensely desired cabin
visions which seemed distinct and unmistakable but
which, alas nearer view proved to be made up
of moonlight and shadow, rock and tree, into
which they faded one after another. 1t seemed at
lensth that we should never reach the cabin, and
nv wsyering mind recalled elfsh German stories
Of the Wild Huntsman, and Of men who, having &C
cepted invitations to Q midnight chase, found on
their return that said chase had been prolonged tall
all their relatives and friends were dead, and no
one could be induced to recognize or recollect
them Gladly could have thrown myself reck-
lessly from the saddle and lain where ] fell till
morning, but this would never answer, and we
kept steadily on,
thine and the hour out the longest day"
At lenQth the real cabin-one made Of posts and
beams and whipsawed boards instead Of rock, and
shadow and mOOnshine-was reached, and We all
eagerly dismOunted, turning out our weary steeds
into abundant grass, and stirring up the astonished
landlord who had never before received guests at
that unseemingy hour. ct was after l, A. NJ
He made US welcome. however, to his best accom-
modations. which would have found US lenient
critics even had they been worse, and crept into
my rude but clean bed soon ~ possible, while
the rest awaited the preparation of some refresh
ment for the inner man. There was never dainty
that could have tempted me to eat at that hour.
am told that none ever before travelled from Bear
Valley to the Yosemite in one day am confident no
green. horns ever did. The distance can hardly
exceed 80 miles by an air line; but only bird
could traverse that line while by way of Marposas
and the South Fork, it must be fully 90 miles with
| rise and fall of not less than 20, 600 feet.
| The Fall of the Yosemite, SO called, is hum
| bug. 1t is not the MERGED River that makes this
fall, but q mere tributary troutbrook, which
pitches in from the north by barely once broken
descent of 1900 feet, while the MERGED enters the
valley at its eastern extremity, over falls Of GOO
| and $50 feet But river thrice Is large 40 the
| MERGED at this season would be utterly dwsrfed BY
all the other accessories of this prodsious chasm.
Only Mississippi or Niagara could be adequate
| to their exactons / readily concede that hun
| dred times the present amount Of water may roll
down the Yosemite fall in the months of May and
| June when the SHOWS are melting from the central
ranges of the Sierra Nevada which bound this
abyss on the east; but this would not add frao-
the Divine power and majesty. At present, the
| little stream that leaps down the Yosemite and is
all but shattered to mist by the amazing descent,
looks more like tape line let down from the cloud
capped hight to measure the depth of the abyss.
The Yosemite Valiey (or Gorge is the most unique
and majestic of Natures maryels, but the Yosemite
FsQ is Of little account. Were it absent, the val.
ley would not DO pefceptiply less worthy OF Is
iguiDg visit.
We traver,ed the Valley from end to end next
day, but an accumulation of details on such sub
ect only serve to confuse and blunt the observer's
powers of perception and appreciation. Perhaps
the visitor who should be content with long look
into the abyss from the most convenient hight,
without Drawing the toll of descent, would be