The morning call., 1893-05-21
A HALF PER DAY.
How to Make a Cheap
Trip to the Yosemite.
JACKASSES AND PLAIN FOOD.
Many Advantages Over Tourists.
You Can Go Anywhere and Are
Always at Home.

The great register in the Guardians
Office in the Yosemite Valley is noted for
two rather disslmilar character stics-bad
poetry and preponderating proportion of
names of Eastern and European people.
1t is not because of the average Cali
tornian'S alleged Indifference to natural
scenery that comparatively few Calfor-
mans visit the Yosemite Valley. The
fact is that it is an expensive trip, as
usually taken. This objection does not
apply In the case of Eastern and European
visitors. for the reason that wheI tourists
once get to California il makes very little
difference to them. financially speaking,
whether they stop at the Palace, Del
Monte. Coronado, Lake Tahoe or the
Yosemite Besides, they take in the
Yosemite as a matter of course without
regard to the expense.
To the average native the route to the
valley is the route advertised in the rail-
road gaZettes and newspapers for the ben
eft of tourists or such residents as are so
fortunately y situated as to be Indifferent TO
the mater of expense.
1t does not occur to the native that there
is any other way to get TIE ere. Not that he
is afraid of camping. On The contrary he
takes an outing nearly every summer AMI
likes it, but somehow he never associates
the Yosemite Valley with the idea of
camping.
During the past few years, however,
people have walked up. The ranchers OF
the foothills and the farmers of the ada
cent plains began resolutely o brave pub
lie opinion and the 0gle of the English
tourist oy driving into the valley in the
metamorDhosed hay wagons of the early
summer harvest.
Fresno and Tulare on the south and San
Joaquin and Sacramento counties on the
north took the cue. and year after year the
line OF camp wagons extending along the
three roads to the great gorge grew longer
and longer.
Last year during the months of June and
July there were about twice as many
campers as tourists, or people stopping at
the two hotels. The outlook for the pres
ent season is that the proportion will be
even greater.
The fact of he matter is that. free road
or no free road, the people of this State
are going to see the Yosemite Valley be-
cause 1t Is here and belongs TO them, and
they teel that their education Is not quite
complete until they do se- it. And If they
cannot afford to pay fancy prices 20 hotel
Keepers they will bring their own food and
sleep I'D the open air and cook. Washburn
ana Barnard may have the hotels ana
stages, but they purpose to have the val
ley.
Any one who has made evenly a mod
erately successful camping trip to the
Yosemite Valley would never dream of
rev5ltlrg The valley in any other way.
Indeed. the advantages OF this mode of
travel are so numerous that the stylish
tourist may be said to be handicapped il
not actually prevented from enjoying the
full benefits to be derived from the trp.
A too elaborately or extensively niftted
party, however, is likely tn fail Las; June
fIvA Col Erap pnf. h
more money than brains, bought and hire0
several large and EXPENSIVE turnouts,
carted along cots and all sorts Of furniture,
provided themselves with all manner of
costly table luxurles, and took along
Chinese cooks, drivers, hostlRrs. walters
and other handy men galore. They started
out for months trip, aud managed TO
stand their misery just two weeks Their
glorious camping trip cost them exactly
$3.50 apiece.
The farmers make the trip practically
for nothing They have their own teams
and bring food enough TO last them during
the entire trip of from Two weeks 10 two
months. This Is easy enough. They take
two wagons, one containing the human
freight, the other boxes Of provisions and
very often lay and grain enough to last
quite a time. A few dollars In toll, with
perhaps So or $40 more for extra animal
feed, represents the entire cost of the trip
over and above their regular living eX-
penSes at home.
For the male sex the tramping method
is coming into great popularity.
Many San FraDcis3ans have MADE the
trip on foot at a cost Of not more than 81
day while travelling. But in the valley
their condition is precisely the same as
their less muscular friends who have taken
the railroad and stage, for less they are
fortunate enough to fall in with some
acqua int tances among the campers they are
obliged TO go 10 the hotel-sufficient mort-
fTHo fTEn n nlf fiFarr
tTamper.
But for men, and for that matter women,
too, II they had the hardiho0d to under
take it. there is better and cheaper way
still.
Pack your grub and change of under
clothing on donkey and start off. That's
all there is to it,
II has been tried by the university boys
and others and 1t works every time. Its
advantages are not immediately obvious,
but their demonstration is not difficnlt.
ANY number of young men and even
girls can visit the Y0semite at maximum
average OF fifty cents a day counting every
possible expeuse) and enjoy advantages
such as no mere tourist who pays $3.50 for
his TWO months trip could hope 10 have.
1t has several times been done and those
who hare made the trip now marvel at the
stupidity OF people who blow themselves"
on Yosemite trip made in the usual way.
The ''jackasS methOd"-the word Jack
ass does not by any means refer to the peo-
pie who employ it's, of course, especially
advantageous to city people Country
people who have their own teams can
make the trip on much less than fifty cents.
In the first place you must start out
from San Francisco on a miserable, foggy
morning, which is always favorable
augury for The success OF your trip.
Go TO Stockton by boat. take the train
to Milton or Oakdale, and if you can't buy
or rent j ckass in the vicinity of the lit
tie towns go on to Angels or Chineae
Camp and you certainly can.
Ii you want TO go by the southern
route take the train from the city to Ray
mond, in Fresno County. Strike IF in any
direction and get your jack. Crookes, dis
tant nine teen miles from Raymond, raises
numbers of these frisky but useful little
animals.
Ii your party is numerous one you WILL
of course, send man in advance to pro-
cure the little jacks. They sell for from
81 to $50. You can always sell them for
half price anyhow or rent them there for
as much or less than that. Almost any
jack will pack, and they take naturally 10
the mountain roads and trails.
Before you start from home 60 to any of
the large harness establishments and buy
pack-saddles for your jacks. They cost
about rs cents each.
Buy Or make two oblong canvas bags.
faaff r.n f.f.A. ~,