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Show . ' [ 243] 62 our noon halt on file lwaclt, tuH1N thr. had<' of somr larg-e llcllllocks. \Vc 1esumed our jottnlt'Y after a halt of about an llo11r, lllllki11g our \\ it}' up the rid(rc on the wc:stcrn ~ide of 1 lte Jak e. J n search of Slllootll<'r g-round, we 10d: a little jnluml; and, passing I !trough gr<H· •s of aspen ·oon fou11d ourse lves again amoug lhe pir1 es. En1ergiug- from tltc::;e, we ~truck tl1e summit of 1 he riu1rc a bore the u ppcr end of the lake. \Ve hatl reached a very cJe,·ated point, and in tl1e valley beiO\v, and among the hills were a nuruber of lakes at ditl'erent levels; ~Otlw, two or three hundre( l fee~ nbo\'e other::;, with which tlwy conlllltllticaled by fonnlitlg lorr ·nt ·. Even to our <rrent hein·ht the roar of the cataract:5 earn up, and we rould sec them leapin<r 0 down i~ litH's of st1owy foatn . From thi ' scene of bu·y waters, We turned abruptly into the ~tillncss of a for st, where \\'~' roue .tU~1011g the open bolls of tlte pi11e O\'er a la\\·11 of \' rdant gras::;, ltn\'IIW stnkrtwly the air of cultinlled nrounds. Tlti:5 led u· after a littl ·, unwng 111as·e~ of rock whid1 had no \'~f('tnbll' enrll1 but in hollows und creric ", though still the pine forest co1H i lllll'd. Toward e\·en ing, we reached a defile, or rat Iter a hoi in the mountains, ntirely sh 11t in by dark piue-coverc·d rock..;. A snmll stream, will1 a ::;care •ly pen:c ptiule current, flowed throll!~· h .a lerel Lottom of perl1aps ei<rhty ymd ·width, wller the gm!3s wa · salurated wtth water. Into this the mule· were tur11cd, and were ueithrr hobbled nor picketed duritw the night, as tl1e line pa ·t urage took away all temptation t~ stray; and we made our bivouac in the pines. The ·urrounding llHlS::>es were all of granite. \Vhile supper wa ' l>~ing prerarcd, l set out on an excursion in the neighborhood, accompanied by OtiC of my lllCil. \V e wandered about among the crags and ru\·ines until <.lark, richly r<'paid for our walk by a fine collection of plants, many of thctn iu full bloom. A canuing a pt>a.k to find the place of our camp, we saw that the little defile in which we 1ny cornmunicuteu with tllC long green valley of some strearu, which, here locked up in lhe mountains, far away to the somh found it , way in a dense forest to the plains. Looking along its upwnrd course, it seemed to conduct by a smooth gradual slope directly toward tllC pruk, wlticll, frolll long consultation as we appronch ~d the mountain, we ha<.l de cided to be the highe ·t of the range. Pleased \\'ith the di'covery of so fi11e a ron<.l for the next day, we ha. lencd d?wn to the camp, \rhere we nrri\'eJ ju ·tin time for upper. Our table ~crVIce was rather scant, and we held the meat in our hand8; and clean rocks Jllllde good plates, on which we spread our nwcaroni. Atnong all the trnnge places on which we had occasion to enctullp durino- our lon(r ionrney, none hnve lefl so vivid an imprc :ion on my mind us tl~e carnp ~(this evening. rrhe disorder of the rnas~e~ wbiclt surrounded u · the little hole throtwh . ' w whrclt .we sa\~ the star~ overhcau ; the dark pines where we slept; and the rod·s lit up With the glow of our fires, made a night-picture of very wild bea11ty. August 1.3.-The morning was bright and pleasant, just cool enough to make cxeret e agreeable, and we soon ent red the defile I had seen the pr.eceding day. It wa!) smooth I y carpeted with a soft grass, and £cattercd over 'Yllh groups of flowers, of which yellow was the predornina11t color. Sometimes we were forced by an occa ional dillicult pass to pick our way on a Har.row ledge along the side of tl1e defile, and the mules were frequent I y on thCir knees;, but ~hese ~bstructious were rare, anLl we journeyed on in the sweet mormng atr, deh<Thtcd at our CTOod fortune in havino- found ~ncb a b ·c l ::::> b b ~ eaut1 u entrance to the mountains. 'rhis road continued for about three • \ • ,. |
