The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-08-06

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9 y = terrible thing 10 look Il The q
! ond Or middle stage ot,the fall i. almo
. unseen, except from certain points, 5,
5 the lower fall Of the cataract, six hu,,
T dred feet high, is grand and fascin.
ing, Around its base, amosg the loft
} pines which shut i 10, are now hua
banks Of snow twenty Or thirty fet
!. deep, nader which the water runs j
rapid torrents, seen At the bases Of Ii
circular pits, which are melted aroun
the great trees which grow up throug
the sDow. One never wearics Of gazin
upon the giant force Of the great fa
of the Yosemite. Sud aenly plungin
] oyer the dizzy cliff itseems to fall frou
tho sky, and, in the vast volume, Or Dc
taohed 10 down, flying rockets, it preoip
itates itself upon the rocks and sno,
beneath with a sullen roar. BY dc
vious path We climbed over the face 0
the preclpice and stood at the bottom
Eof this great upper fall. The summe1
air was rudely agitated by . rushing
mighty wind, which swept out from th,
falling torrent and was drenched viii
= pl1uu1ugg 1''11 3 suowers OF spray, which filled
the whole vastrecess down which th.
water leaped. To pass into tho haunt.
Of winds and waters, was to pass from
balmy summer into tho checrless rain.
Of winter. .z'fs' 81 u. s.s55>>1 s2a
Another pilgrimage to the Nsvad.
and vernal F.lh was amply rewarded
by sublime and solemn sights. Climb.
ing Dountain trail, We doDned gum
coats, and. turning sharp angle in the
mountain wall, came apons the vernal
Fall, which is $50 feet high, and tum-
bles over a level ledge Of rocks. The
spray from this cataract is like : be.vv
rain, and is driven sharply over the
slippery and greasy slope on the right,
after which We pass to the ladders lead
ing to the leege above. 0uce on the
rocky precipioe that forus a vaulting
place for the falls, We find ourselves in
q new world. 1t is = succession of
wonders. The stream which foams
near the Vernal Fall is traced along
its rocky and noisy way back to the
base of the Nevada Fall, about half
milo back or above the Vernal. Here
We can lcok back at the green curve of
the top Of one cataract and forward to
the snowy terror Of another, both be-
ing united by the foaming torrent
WHICH plunges through its rocky walls,
white with foamy tails. - 2:,-
s Overlooking all these rises the mag
ni6cent rocky dome of "The CAP of
:Liberty," 2. 1900 feet above the valley.
This peak, like many others, has had
supdry titles, its last before the present
being Bellows Butte 7. can test;fv
to its being q windy place, but there is
no reason Why the name Of the emi-
aert~ divine, Mr.. Bellows, ! ! should be
put there: From the apex. which ve
reached aftor=a long and lsborious
climb, We could see = glorious panoram.
Of mountain, streams and valley. We
could look down upon the Nevada Fall,
which, far below Us, at the base Of the
rock y peak on which we stood, took it's
final plunge Of 700 feet, frstted with
foam and sending up its hollow roar.
Turning our backs upon the valley, We
see the snowy range Of the Sierras, from
whence are drawn SO many mountain
streams, and whence come the torrents
which dash in wild, forcefal grandeur
into the Yosemite Valley, or, ribbon
like, slide over smooth precipices
for space, and then sullenly take their
quiet leap into the mountainous masses
Of pines below. The domes are noble
objects in the landscape, but the labor
of climbing them is very great.