The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-11-19

are not all gone elther--Ior mere III
the Lodges of the rocks and on
grassy knolls are blooming the red
honeysucklc, the blue star flower,
and the yellow daisy with borders
of beautiful mountain ferns and
fine and silky grasses, and around
are the autumn tinted leaves of the
mountain maple, much larger and
more deeply indented than the
maple of the East. We look up the
long range of ladders and think it a
rather dangerous ascent, particu-
larly as tangible signs of their in
stability present themselves in the
fact that two steps are broken away
in the second ladder. However, the
ascent is to be made only by them,
and though n third step gives way
as we commence the climb, we
safely reach the top, after little
increase in the rapidity of our
pulses, and rest midway where an
iron bar has been driven into the
solid rock to try and steady the
shaky ladders. A curious account
is given of man who lost his life
on those ladders a year ago, when
they were more secure than now.
1t seems he was a visitor from
Fresno City on the plains, who had
looked on the red wine of Cali
fornia too long that morning, and
being obsequiously polite had halted
midway on the third ladder to salute
two passing visitors, when he lost
his balance, and fell headlong over
the precipice to the rocky depths
below, being instantly killed.
The visitor, on reaching the table
rock above Vernal Falls is well re-
paid for the perilous ascent by the
magnificent view which stretches
away before him and it is the
opinion of many tourists that the
grandest single view of the valley
can be obtained from here, it is
such view as will recall to memory
pretty pictures in future years.
Above and around are the vast
mountains and an awful stiffness,
such as can only be felt in those
| deep mountain Businesses, reigns
supreme-as the misty spray rises
like 'dust of diamonds" and swept
by mountain zephyr, like the bios
SONS of the fairy bell. Here is the
water in a radiant pool just before
it makes the great plunge-as clear
as crystal, as cold as ice, and as
| pure as snow-fresh from the snowy
peaks of the still further distant
Sierras. Looking down the great
canon and along the sides of the
rocky precipices over three thou
sand feet high, all tirclad at their
base, one is struck with the sublime
majesty of the view and the gran
deur and beauty of the mountain
scenery lends it a peculiar and
heightening charm that softens its
ruggedness and gives the finer lines
and colorings to picture that no
brush has ever yet been able to
even feebly portray. To the right
is Clouds Rest in the distance-the
highest elevation of the surrounding
mountains of the valley. Shelly in
his beautiful poem on the cloud
gives good description in the
following lines of Clouds Rest:
n
| sift the snow on the mountains below,
And their great pines groan aghast,
And all the night, it's my pillow white,
While sleep in the arms of the blast.
Many terrible clouds bursts have
occurred on this mountain peak, and
along the sides of this and the other
precipices surrounding the valley
are seen here and there tracks and
courses where vast rocks have made
their way from the heights above,
tearing away large pine trees in
their frightful and destructive des-
cent. To the left can be seen the
trail like fine line winding round
the precipices to Glacier Point, and
on the top of that elevation there
can still be family distinguished a
remnant of the white flag we had
first seen in the distance from Mirror
Lake. In the background-and
what a noble background to the un-
rivalled picture-is Yo-wl-ye-"Casa
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Falls-75O feet
high, and towering above its
"meandering" waters, is Liberty
Cap. We can safely make oul
arduous way over the narrow foo
trail, at this season, to the very
base of this charming falls. Th'
body of a coyote lay among th'
rocks where it had been washed
over the falls from the mountains
: beyond, surrounding what is know
as Little Yosemite Valley. We re
sumo our route for Glacier Point
ascending by winding trail to tn
top of Nevada Falls and passin,
round the sides of Mount Star Kin.
and reach another branch of tn
, Merced River, on which is tn
{ pretty Illilouette Fall, still retainin
3 its pristine beauty with larg
5 volume of water, and the charm G
its Indian name. Here new an
/ neat little bridge spans the rushin
mountain torrent, just before
. reaches the ledge of rocks, owe
which it leaps 500 feet to the foe
of the chasm in the great cano
, below. Proceeding along the trai