The Portland daily press., 1871-07-17
the spectator. The glen at this noin, !. :,

the spectator. The glen at this point ia wild
and romantic in the highest degree, the de-
scent by the side of the fall is made by wood
en- ladders and there are many portions of the
meagre foot-trail, which just allows one to
creep along the mountain side, which might
alarm even those not constitutionally timid:
especially if, as in our case, the heavy thun-
der re-echoes over head and the dark clouds
gather gloom and drape all things in shadow.
we took one day an easy, lingeringride up and
down the Valley-all these excursions as well
as entrance to and egress from the Yosemite
are made in the saddle. 1t is as serene In its
quiet hooks as the frowning mountains are
grand in sublimity; indeed, tbey seem to
shelter 1t from all invading forces. as never
was valley protected before The cattle Ia
beneath the trees or drink at the rivers brink:
the small saw mill grows poetical under tbs
romance OF its surroundings, and there ia
enough of human life to relieve the almost
awful sense of greatness and of majesty
which at times oppresses the soul. We made
OF Sunday sweet Gay of rest, needful for
soul and body, spending it on our cottage
piazza where the panorama before us changed
from morning light to evening shade and then
was lit up by the glory of the full moon, and
not until midnight could we give up gazing
and dreaming.
Yosemite Fall grows ever finer the more wa
study 1t; the Bridal Veil, delicate and fanci-
full in the distance, becomes grand as we sit
beneath it; and in fact familiarity here re-
verses in memorable fashion all its usual
rules.
July 9Th we left the valley by the Maripo-
sa trail, by which we obtained the famous
view from Inspiration Point. This, though
wonderful, is dwarfed by the more extensive
views at "Glacier Point" and "Seutipel
Dome," both of which we visited the next
day. They give not only the grandest con-
ceivable views of the Sierras, far and near.
but also of the valley and surrounding can
yons. From the Glacier Point it is possible,
py creeping at full length to the edge of the
projecting crag, to look 5000 feet beneath. nm
impeded by aught but ones own dizziness
The river looks like a green ribbon gracefully
curving about, the trees are tiny bushes, the
grassy meaeows are mere patches of BRIGHT
ness. But one cannot describe such pictures
as these; we wish for all the world to see
them as we ourselves have done. "SeptineJ
Dome" is 1000 feet above the valley and there
lore 5000 above the sea, and if it is imposing
in itself as we have for days looked up to its
bare summit, it is even more so when we
stand upon its naked crown. So bleak and
bare as it has looked, we find that not even
here is gentle beauty driven out, for from the
crevlces OF the granite rocks there spring
many bright and beautiful flowers, living ono
would think upon the sunshine only.
We have climbed up mountains and pluqned
down valleys SO long that we hardly remem-
Der what level road is like; but we are ON
our way out of the Yosemite and after a
night at Peregoy's, 1000 feet above the sea.
but thousand beneath our recent perching-
place on Sentinel Dome; we come on down
to Clark's, making twenty-four miles in the
saddle in one day, having filed our vision
with the grandeur and the beauty, having sa-
tiated our eense with admiration, and de-
lighted ourselves with the charms of the Jour-
ney till even the intense weariness of the
flesh which now asserts itself in way not to
be ignored, is scorned as unworthy when tha
spirit has grown so strong through nearness
to the great sources of beauty.
M. j. MS.