The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-20

which hovered rainbows innumerable, bend
ing over the fall, and mingling with the deep
green of the pines below. At o'clock in the
evening, as weary, and jaded, and hungry as
any party that enters the valley, we reached
the hospitable hostelry Of Mr.. Hutchings. |
do not suppose that our experience differs
from that of every other mountain tourist,
but never, while memory lasts and treason
holds her seat, >" ETC., etc. (see Hamlet), will
any one of our party forget the measureles5
content that possessed our souls as we were
received into the Hutchings' hospice, and ap-
propriated its blessings of fragrant coffee, real
cream, and other Gates, generous fireplace
and roariI G fire, clean sweet beds, and hearty
cheer. Rest, TepOse, and refreshments are
here-behlnd are the picturesque perils of the
wilderness. We have left the tickle appetite
and insincere kickshaws of fancy cookery in
the city tar away; here mountain trout, as well
as good digestion, wait on appetite, and health
on both.
IN THE VALLEY.
The scenery OF Yosemite is savage rather
than sylvan, sublime rather than pleasing.
The emotions which one experiences are chiefly
those of awe. There is almost nothing dulcet,
pastoral or soothing about the sights or sounds
OF the Valley. The awful roar of the cataracts
the furious rush of the torrents, the fearsOme
heights of the precipices, and the bold awful
fronts of the mountain peaks-all these inspire
the mind with sensations of sublimity rather
than OF beauty. There are some exceptions
to this general statement, as, for instance, the
placid beauty OF Mirror Lake, surrounded by
a fringe of pOplars and willows, is pleasing
picture, though the savage grandeur Of the
mountains, reflected in the deep bosom of the
lake. is obtruded upon the spectator. This
sight, however, we missed; on two separate
occasions the lake resolutely refused to show
its famous mirror to us, but was ruffled and
tumbled with an aggravating breeze. Then
there are many glimpses of river scenery on
the Merced which are rural and simple enough
for any taste; but for the most part the main
characteristics of the "show places' are
grandly sublime.
At this present writing the falls are finer
than at any other season of the year. The
mountain SHOWS are melting and the streams
are bank-full, so that the volume of the cata-
raots is very great. The famous Yosemite
Fall, which is opposite Mr. Hutchngs' house,
is the great thing in the waterfall way, and its
ceaseless roar strikes on the ear by night and
day until one is almost weary fits persistent
monotone. The Bridal Veil, with its delicate
sheen of water, falling $40 feet perpendicu-
larly is the most beautiful OF all the cataracts,
but this savage Yosemite, plunging madly in
wild foam of snowy, arrowy, downward
falling sky-rockets, sixteen hundred feet at
one leap, is terrible thing to look at. The
second or middle stage of the fall is almost un-
seen, except from certain points, but the
lower fall of the cataract COO feet high, is grand
and fascinating. Around its base, among the
lofty pines which shut it in, are now huge
banks of snow twenty or thirty feet deep,
under which the water runs in rapid torrents,
seen at the bases of the circular pits, which
are melted around the great trees which grow
up through the snow. One never weareS oil
gazing upon the giant force of the great fall OF
the Yosemite. Suddenly plunging over the
dizzy cliff 1t seems to fall from out the sky,
and, in the vast volume, or detached in
down-fying rockets, it preoipitates itself upon
the rocks and snow beneath with a sullen
roar. By devious path we climbed over the
face of the precipice, and stood at the bottom
of this great upper fall. The summer air wa;
Tudely agitated by a rushing, mighty wind
which swept out from the falling torrent, and
was drenched with binding showers of spray
which filled the whole vast recess down which
the water leaped. To pass into this haunt Of
winds and waters was to pass from balmy
summer into the cheerless rains of winter.
Another pilgrimage to the Nevada and Yer
nal Falls was amply rewarded by sublime anC
solemn sights. Climbing a mountain trail W,
donned gum coats, and, turning sharp angl,
in the mountain wall, came upon the Verna
Fall, which is $50 feet high, and tumbles ovel
a level ledge of rocks. The spray from thi!
| cataract is like heavy rain, and is driver
sharply over the slippery and grassy slope OF
the right, over which we pass to the ladder
leading to the ledge above. Once on the rock.
precipice that forms vaulting place for tn
! falls, we find ourselves in new world. 1t i
! a succession of wonders. The stream which
foams near the Vernal Fall is traced along it
rocky and noisy way back to the base of tn
/ Nevada FALL about half mile back or abov
! the VeTnal Here we can look back at tn
green curve of the top of one cataract and for
wards to the snowy terrors of another, botl
being united by the fOaming torrent whicl
pluDges through its rocky walls, white witt
foamy falls.
Overlooking all these rises the magnifoen
rocky dome of "the Cap of Liberty" 1900 fee
above the valley. This peak, like man
others, has had sundry titles, its last befor
the present being "Bellows Butte" | ca
testify to its being windy place, but there
no reason why the name of the eminen
divine, Mr.. Bellows, should be put there
From the apex, which we reached after
long and laboIious climb, we could see gle
rious panorama of mountain, streams, an
valley. We could look down upon the Ne
vada Fall, which, far below us, az the base {
the rocky peak on which we stood, took ii
final plunge of seven hundred feet, frette
with foam and sending up its hollow roal
Turning our backs upon the valley, we cOul
see the snowy range OF the SierTas fror
whence are drawn so many mountain streams
and whence comes the torrents which dash i
wild forceful grandeur into the Yosemit
Valley, or, ribbon-like, slide over smoot
precipices for a space and then sullenly tax
their quiet leap into the mountainous masst
of pines below. The Domes are mob
objects in the landscape, but the labor
climbing them is very great.