The Tupelo journal., 1905-10-27
Letter from Miss Geneva Bo98an.

Exeter, Cal, Oct. 10. 1905.
Dear Editor-Ih have been thinl
ing for some time Of writing 70
a letter since | have been in til
West. So will write you abou
my trip to the mountains.
Along about the middle Of Aug
ust, a party of six Of us set on
for a camping trip of ten day
to the Lequoia National Park
This Park consists of an area 8
20, 052 acres, being located in tn,
eastern part Of Tulare county
California in the Sierra Nevad;
Mountains. Although this is !;
National Park belonging to tn.
government, there is still mum.
Der Of acres owned by individ.
uals who have not yet beer
bought out by the government,
Every summer Uncle Sam sends
a regiment of soldiers to this
Park to guard against forest
fires and for the protection OF
the wild animals. All guns are
sealed by a u. S. officer on enter
ing the Park, a penalty being
imposed for the breaking Of seal
except in case Of danger.
We left Exeter about 4 o'clock
in the afternoon and camped our
first night above Lemon Cave in
a lemon grove with no sheltering
save the blue sky overhead. This
was the entering into the foot
hills. The next morning we woke
with the sun shining in all his
glory and splendor over the hills.
All day the scenery from Lemon
Cave to Watern Springs which
lies in the edge of the Park, was
an unsurpassed panorama in
view, the eyes of the tourist nev-
err growing weary of Natures
beauty. Leaving Watern Springs
after our second night out we
travelled in what seemed a diff
ferent country altogether to me,
up in the Kaneah Range which
forms a solid backbone for the
surrounding country. This range
towers to an altitude of about
IA, 600 feet above the sea level,
from which the great San ira
quin valley can be seen SHIN
mering through the mountain
haze like a desert land. We no
tice that the air has become rar-
er, the trees and vegetation take
on a different aspect, the limbs
of the trees growing principally
in a slanting position, also a num-
Der of the trees same as those
growing in the valley are unrec-
ognizable in the mountains, as
blooms and foliage differ so great.
". There were numbers of va
rieties Of flowers in bloom show
ing the difference of season in
the mountains and the valley.
Here it was Spring time, all fresh
and green, while everything. in
the valley at this season is dry
and scared las our fall). The
snow flower we find in great pro
fusion which is quite sight tc
an Fastener. These flowers
come mostly after the snow melt
but are often found raising theil
crimson or terra-cotta heads
(such a peculiar shade) from
amid the snow. In the valley
below, the Kaneah river muir
mers its rolling music over rocks
and hollows in quest of rest ir
the ocean. At noon we reached
the Rangers Cabin, eight miles
from Giant Forest" the GER,
ter Of the Park, where we wee
to pitch camp. We had lunch
and made quite a little visit witt
MI. Walter Fry, one Of the gov
eminent head rangers, who has
charge Of the planning and con
struction OF trails through thu
mountains. He entertained u
admirably with tales of the noun
tains and the many wonderful
things found there. He gave M
some hair fir that grew on q fl
tree. This hair fir is quite a rar
ity, growing nowhere outside Q
the National Lequoia Park, thu
nature Of this fir tree being yer.
peculiar. No solution as to it