Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1871-12-06
MISCELLANY.
A Trip 10 The Big Trees and The
Yosemite.

evni oi alniO-t any Of the parallel ranges
on the western sloIe. When at distance
u about six miles f-um Tumarack Fiat
We pass through the TuolumHe grove
ct big Irves Of the same variety as the
Calayerus grpve.
There are IN this grove some fifty Of these
trees, many of which are very near the
road, 50 that from the coach enc gets a
very satisfactory view of them. What
saw in this give have not the space To
detail, but sLtlice tito say, il contains
sperimens OF these tIevs that will entirely
saiisiy these whU do not wish TO make a
driour to the Caiayeras grove, the trees
Vi which suIpuss these Of the Tuolumne
grove only in number.
AT 1umarack Fat We fud the saddle
train ia readiness lor US, aud are soUu
prepared TO descend iuio the valley, which
is Ien miles distant and nearly eve lhous-
aud ieeI below this point. While equip
ping ourselves ior this new experience,
We learned from our guides rather anus
lug incident which occurred on the occa-
sluu Of recent visit to Susan B. Anthony
to tho valley, aud which the guides took
great delight in relating to all travellers.
1t seems that the worthy lady, on arriv-
ing at this point, was seized with lauda-
be desire To give some tangible proof OF
the fitness OF her claims TO he called
sIrUng-miuded, and resolved to ride into
the valley on that modification Of saddle
which the uSagcs OF all nations have de-
creed 10 the SteIner sex. But this design
was more readily conceived than execu.
ted as after she had vainly tried to adj
Just her person 10 some ten or u dozen
saddles, various III their cUnst .uction, she
uuly at last 50 indiilereulIy succeeded that
after trial of few miles she abandoned
the effort aitugethei-thus indicating II
degree OF iemInnty that must have heen
discouragjng in the extreme to one whose
chief ambition is TO prove the unlimited
masculine capabilities Of her sex.
We have now to make descent of al
most 3, 600 icet in order 10 reach the
valley, which is itself 1000 feet above
the sea. The distance into the valley is
about ten miles. counting the sinuosities
Of the trail, but perhaps rot half so far III
Il direct ine. After Il steep descent of
an hour OF more through dense under
growth of brush-wood, quite shutting Out
all distant views, cur guld. suddenly dis
mounted and secured his beast to Il con.
veuicnt bush We following his example
Here the unsusIecting traveller is cheered
with the nCmentary hope that the end Of
his journey is nigh at hand but, as ! was
soou to learn, the real problem Of descent
into the valley remained 10 be solved.
Following our guide II short distance, we
suddenly emerged from the brushwood
upon bold projecting rock, known as
Prospect Point. The scene Of unuvaled
grandeur thus suddenly disclosed can nev-
er be described. Never shall forget
the feelings Of mingled awe and wonder
awakened by the scene, and 10 the latest
hour Of my lite will remain Impressed up
on my memory vivid picture Of the i'll
etiable gIories | there beheld
There are SCIENCES of distance and mag
nitude that ouuun the powers ot thought /;
so there are II eciacleS Of bowldering
beauty and subimity that transcend I'M
aginariou. | could only gaze in silence
W on the awe inspiring grandeur of the
vast and solemn mmensity stretching out
before but far beneath us. Three thou
sand feet below rushed the siivery waters
of the Merced River Of Mercy whose
thun6ers are lost i'll thousand ever weak
enlng echoes among the stony bait t'ements
that lnprison it, 80 that a profound still.
ness relgns, us if to deepen the impres.
siveuess Of the scene. When we say
1900 feet. few can realize so great II
hight. Let Us aid the imagination. Many
OF my readers, dosbtlesS. have gazed down
upon the seething waters Of Niagara from
liable Rock. If an elevation twelve times
as great can be Imagined, some idea of
the height ofwhicb lspcak nay be realized.
With 10 small effort we turn from this
eulracing scene to resume our descent.
The guide now carefully examines our
saddles to ieassure himself Of their sc
curity-a precauticn we'll taken, as we
soon see, for with all our experience with
steep grades we have encountered none
like these which arc before US. The trail
which we follow is narrow, crooked and
in many places treacherous and Is, IN
fact, merely small groove made by
separating the mass Of broken granite and
1 l,,,, th.1
aud which BY long and coutlual use has
been worn to considerable depth. About
halt way down, the trail makes sharp
turn around projecting point and passes
but a few teet from the verge Of IA fearful
precpice, so near that one fatal mlsstep
Of the sure-iootcd beast would have plung-
ed rider aud all in one frightful descent
into an abyss of over one thousand feet
without 80 much as Il twig to stay their
fall. We finally reach the Merced river
along the banks of which we follow for a
mile or more and then enter the valley.
We at once seek the hotel, which is kept
by that very pleasant gentleman. Mr.
Hutchins Ito whom the world is mainly
indebted for knowledge of the Yosem-
ite) who is unsparing in his efforts to make
all around him agreeable and cheerful
and seldom does one see efforts more ef-
tectual.
Since we arc in the valley, let us gaze
about us and study some flor the possible
tiles of the case limit us to only tewl OF