The San Francisco call., 1896-04-05

/ Squaw Valley was great wide depression
in the mountains intensely somber from
| thick and dark-colored woods.
One blessed feature of the scenery west
| and south of and far above the lake was
| that the accursed ak had not laid single
| tree low that here still was the forest
| plimeval. The valley into which we were
| about to descend was one OF the most at
| tractive features of a scene that was really
indescribable in its pure and to human
| eyes unusual beauty. Grand 1t was be-
yond description, but more beautiful than
grand, and that is saying very much.
| But, indeed, both elements were
so mingled that they blended,
rather than contended for supremacy.
Emerson said that one needed to
| be new born and rebaptized with a
higher than earthly baptism, to be worthy
to walk in his winter hills. How much
| more true this is in those high mountains
and in their far ampler ether and higher
| and vastly purer and therefore diviner air.
And over all of this amphitheatric scenery
was the glorious sun, rejecting light no.
where in the world more clear, pure and
intense; yet all of these features were not
| so acceptable as the intensity of the still
ness, Tor 1t was calm morning. This still
ness have frequently noted in my annual
brief snowshoe trips. 1t is delightful, bet
In some respects it is painful-so much
SiOly Will 50 muCn Silence, SUCH WIN
grandeur anG such widespread beauty with
| neither fuss nor noise.
We skirted the base of Andersons Peak
and gradually worked down into the can
yon of the north fork of the American
River, to the Summit Soda Springs, where
we were received by a fine fellow in charge
OF the springs, whose name | have forgot
ten. He was alone, and yet not alone, for
he had as companion large noble shep-
herd dog whose owner last winter in going
on snowshoes from the springs to Truckee
broke his leg and died there. But for the
dog his corpse would not have been found.
He barked as we approached but his bark
was really one of welcome.
We reached the springs, crossing the
range on the way at P. NJ after nine and
half hours snowshoeing over stee
elevations and descents, travelling in from
six to eight feet of snow only, which is not
nearly enough to level depressions or cover
up all young trees and shrubs. The deeper
the snow the safer and better the snow
shoeing.
The night at the springs was one of deep
rest and enjoyment in log cabin. The
moon was quarter grown, the sky sparkled
with the most clearly burning stars; the
snow alone would have lightened the dark
ness, while the sOmber forest formed deep
contrast with the prevalent sky and snow
light. The springs are by the north fork
of the American River. Falls of about
fifteen feet occur in the river there There
not being even a breath of wind nothing
disturbed the peace profound but these
falls. They created music to the physical
ear, but to the mental sense the fall of the
water was at once music, lullaby and ben
ediction.
The next morning was one Of the finest
have ever seen in the SIerras. There are
few more beautiful spots in the range
than the Summit Soda Springs. The
wa or r,scIo rod brc
1t had frozen during the night and these
slopes were consequently glazed with ice.
They glittered as they ran upward in the
clear sunlight. The morning was so calm
that the conifera seemed to be immov-
able pillars. The chorus of singing water
falls and birds was continuous The far
of eastern summiIs, towering away above
and beyond where We were, capped and
crowned the picture.
How many such elevated mountain
gardens of Goa we have in the Sierra
Nevada and how few ever visit them in
their winter towering time-howering
time, not in the botanical, but meteorolo-
gical sense! Each crystal of snow-their
mum ber innumerable-is starlike flower
of the most wonderfully varied pattern,
lnvariable as to the number of its petals.
These flowers are not evanescent, either,
until the heat OF early summer and
natures call for other flowers, liquefies the
snow into our mountain streams and
rivers, not surpassed in the world for
purity and beauty-the sun when he shines
upon them, gliding these ''pale streams
with heavenly alchemy" These noun
tain streams descend rapidly and are
broken over rocky channels. They are
thus fully aerated and when aerated are
whitened into cascades composed of water
and affair as it were made visible. When
air and water are thus mingled they are so
greatly beautifed as to be almost spiritual
ized, the water vanishing in one sense as
water. that it may be uplifted into air. A
day at the Summit Soda Springs, In the full
glory of winter is worth a month in
summer, with full, remembrance of how
glorious the verdure, the mountain flowers
and the forest then are in the latter season.
| We set out the next day for Summit
station, climbing on the trip to an eleva-
| ton Of about 2600 feet above the springs.
| although the altitude of the springs is
only 1000 feet less than that of the railroad
crossing over the summit. But in going
| from the first to the last mentioned place
it was necessary to climb over the back
bone of the range, where the streams
divide, some running eastward to the
Truckee River and the State of Nevada
and the rest westward to the branches of
the American River, and finally to their
salt sovereign, the Pacific. On the back
bone named, always wind swept, and,
therefore, naked as to trees or shrubs, we
encountered very strong wind. In a