The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-04-25
DISTANT VIEW " of GRNnAcK

- T was a clear, bright morning
when they !. started the Tall
Girl, the Book Girl. the Ordinary
Girl and the Man. The lure of
the mountains was strong upon
them, the ranges beckoned them to
come and see; SO they set their faces
toward old Grayback, and obeyed the
call of the hills.
The four had three humble but USE
full companions in the shape of burros.
Poor old Jerusalem carried the camp
ing outfit, and the Book Girl rode
Fritz. The Ordinary Girls animal
possessed no name at starting, but
after half an hours experience with
him she decided to call him Epami-
nondas, for he didn't have 'the sense
he was born with" The Tall Girl and
the Man scorned burros, and had
chosen to walk, thus leaving them
selves free to make derogatory re-
marks about Fritz. Jerusalem and
Epaminondas.
The road wound through pines and
cedars and oaks between the Yucai-
pa and San Barnardino ranges. The
morning air was cool and fresh, and
the Four regarded with sympathy the
frisking of the big gray squirrels and
the little striped chipmunks.
The Real Climb.
Soon the Vivian Trail was reached,
and then began the real climb. Over
Mill creek the trail led, and then up In
a seemingly endless zigzag against the
side of the mountain. Twisting back
and forth, they went up and around
and then down, until the Four heard
the sound of water, and came out into
beautiful Bluejay canyon. The pines
reared their stately trunks as if trying
to Guido the mountains themselves In
height, while through their midst ran
a clear mountain stream, bordered on
either side by brake and lemon lilies.
The Four rested here, and when the
Man went on to examine the trail, the
girls gathered lilies-lilies with eight
and ten fragrant cups along the stem,
and the stems themselves taller than
the Ordinary Girl.
The Man came back, and led them
around a great fallen tree, and up q
narrow winding trail, past clumps OF
thistle peoples, through ferns and
columbine and pentstemon and lilies.
until they came out into a great
stretch of pines. The trees stood
along the trail in ones and twos and
threes, throwing their shadows on the
gray, rocky ground. Young. strong
pines they were for the most cart.
with only here and there an old vet
eran bare and broken with its fight
against Time, but not bent.
Then the trees gave way to brush,
and the Four pushed ''-eir way through
buckthorn and manzanita that did
their best to hold them back from the
ranges. Once past the brush, the
trail again led upward. again the wa
ter and the lilies, and over all purple
blue sky, like Max1eld Parrish pic
ture, and away in the distance, the
valley, and Old Badly. with its streak
Of white, standing sentinel at the head
Of 1t.
The trees were gradually growing
smaller and more stunted, and pres
emily they came upon some not erect
at all, but bent over and crouching
close to the ground for protection
from the cruel winds. and then they
were at timber line.
Above them was not sign of
tree, nothing but bare, gray rocks.
away up to the summit SO appropriate
II called Grayback.
It was all very beautiful, bu! the
Four were more alive just then 10 the
cali OF hunger than to the call Of the
mountains. A fire was quickly made.
and soon they were enjoying soup
and sandwiches, doughnuts and coffee,
that were as the Man said. Just
bully"
Great Red Ball.
Then once more the mountains
called. and the party climbed q small
knoll and perched themselves in q
nattened tree to watch the sunset
Behind them was the topmost ridge
Of Grayback, with San Jacinto just
across the way and the desert beyond;
to the left was the valley In which
Beaumont and Banning nestled, and
before them the long cut between the
ranges. with Badly plainly visible. and
beyond that, Mt. Wilson. and far on
Il the haxy distance the Pacific. The
sun was q great red ball, slowly drop
Ming down below Badly. Lower and
lower It went, until 1t was only rim
81 red shining on Baldy's patch Of