Mexico Missouri message., 1912-06-13

XT WAS a glorious morning The
rains seemed to have turned their
attentions elsewhere for the time
III being. All the mountains stood
clear-cut against the blue, with
tops whitened by snow; the foothills
and the whole valley were wearing the
new green mantle of spring.
We had taken the early car for
Sierra Madre, a car always filed on
days on with merry collection OF
city folk who love the Wild and who
yearn the week through for the higher
places. the rocky canyons and the
dashing streams, and for the racing
blood. red cheeks and renewed en-
ergy that such retreats give to those
who seek them, writes II. c. Hurst, in
the Los Angeles Times.
Our objective point was the Big San
Ia Anita. Neither Henry nor
had ever been in this canyon We
had seen its little sister many time
as we climbed up the Mt. Wilson trail,
but there is always an added zest
in the unknown, in not knowing what
is ahead around the next corner in
a new town, around the next bend in
the trail, or what the next week, or
month or year holds for us in that
larger journey called Life. We ques-
toned our nearest fellow-passenger. a
young fellow in complete corduroy
suit and mountain boots, who looked
as though he had always climbed
| mountains. Yes, he had been clear
through the Big Santa Anita, and
there were some ticklish places in it,
but we could make it all right. He
himself was bound for the west fork
of the San Gabriel by way of Mt.
Nilsson.
1t seemed no time at all before we
were stepping from the car I'm beau
tiful Sierra Madre, and before the train
crew would have time to turn their
trolley pole the whole crowd was
streaming up the road toward the foot
OF the everlasting hills" Most of
these bearers OF lunches and kodaks
kept on to where the burros in their
corrals watched with big, brown eyes
at the foot of the Mt. Wilson trail.
We turned to our right and followed
a roadway which led down hill, across
a silver creek, and up a long grade
through groves of orange and lemon,
with now and then a bungalow show.
ing about the green leaves. The trees
were loaded with fruit, and a man who
| did not look in the least like a crouch
was carrying a large armful of sign,
| boards and planting them at frequent
| intervals along the edge OF his golden
acres, said boards threatening dire
| things to the person who dared to
more than look at the yellow tempta
! tons on his trees
Start Up Canyon.
We cut through an orange grove and
! came out on high mesa overlooking
! the wash and heard the roaring OF
! the stream as 1t dashed over the large
boulders as though deadly eager tc
meet with the San Gabriel river out
there in the valley and compare notes
on their respective trips through the
| mountains.
A largo party of boys and girls were
scrambling down the bank when We
arrived, and as they stopped to TAX,
a picture of the group we passed then
and started up the canyon. We real
lied at once that 1t was a time of higt
water and that travel up through those
narrow passes would be n vastly DIFF
ferent affair than in midsummer wher
the streams are low. Indeed we KEEP
dry from the start only by making al
most impossible leaps from boulder tc
boulder, or by working our way
along the walls OF the cliff by precari
Gus handholds.
Finding some better going, we press
ed on and came at last to a scene OF
wonderful beauty, but one which
seemed to block all farther progress
up the canyon. Walls OF solid rock
| lowered high in the air on every side
| save that from which we had ap-
preached. At their base a vast pool
was spread like a lake, probably so
feet across, and of great depth, and
| into this leaped from a cleft in the
cliff the whole river, beautiful water.
fall some rs feet In height. Two
mixers had preceded us, and we sat
down and watched them cross the
shallowest part of the pool and climb
up the very crude ladder which lean.
ed against the cliff and led to the top
of the falls. II seemed to take them
a long while TO cross the stream at the
top OF the ladder, and when we fol.
lowed them we did not wonder, as we
found ourselves standing on a shelf