THE MENTOR 1916.10.02, No. 116,
The Yosemite Valley

The Incomparable Yosemite

No temple made with hands can compare with the
Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow
with life. Some lean back in majestic repose; others,
absolutely sheer or nearly so for thousands of feet, advance
beyond their companions in thoughtful attitudes,
giving welcome to storms and calms alike, seemingly
aware, yet heedless, of everything going on about them.

Awful in stern, immovable majesty, how softly
these rocks are adorned, and how fine and reassuring
the company they keep: their feet among beautiful
groves and meadows, their brows in the sky, a thousand
flowers leaning confidingly against their feet, bathed in
floods of water, floods of light, while the snow and waterfalls,
the winds and avalanches and clouds shine and
sing and wreathe about them as the years go by, and
myriads of small winged creatures—birds, bees, butterflies—give
glad animation and help to make all the air
into music.

Down through the middle of the Valley flows the
crystal Merced, River of Mercy, reflecting lilies
and trees and the onlooking rocks; things frail and fleeting
and types of endurance meeting here and blending
in countless forms, as if into this one mountain mansion
Nature had gathered her choicest treasures to draw her
lovers into close and confiding communion with her.

JOHN MUIR.

FROM A WATER COLOR PAINTING

CATHEDRAL SPIRES, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

ONE

It was once said that “a man has to be an awful
liar to tell the truth about California”; and this
applies especially to the wonderful Yosemite (yo-sem´-it-ee)
Valley. The name Yosemite means
“full grown grizzly bear.” The Valley lies on the west slope of
the Sierra Nevada range, and is washed by the Merced River.

There is no record of the early Spanish
settlers of California ever having known
the Yosemite. It was always a stronghold
for the mountain tribes of Indians, and
descendants of the Yosemite Indians still
live there.

During the gold rush to California, in
1849, a prospector wandering on a trail
up the Merced River was the first white
man to view this beautiful region. Two
years later a band of soldiers came upon
the Valley suddenly while pursuing
marauding Indians. The discovery came
about in this way:

For some time previous to 1851 the
Yosemite Indians, believing themselves
secure in their mountain stronghold, had
given a great deal of trouble to the military
authorities of the United States by
their defiant plundering. Major Savage,
in command of the Mariposa Battalion
of United States forces, at first tried to
treat peaceably with them. The Yosemites,
however, suspicious that Major Savage
was merely attempting to get the
tribe into his power, would not accept his
offers. Then Major Savage went out
after them. This was in the winter, and
they had to break a trail through the
snow. Suddenly they came in sight of a
most wonderful valley. They went into
camp on the bank of the Merced River,
opposite the peak which is now known as
El Capitan.

After the meal, in discussing this glorious
spot which they had discovered, it
was suggested that a name be given it.
One of the party, Dr. Bunnell, proposed
that it be called the “Yosemite Valley,”
to perpetuate the name of the tribe that
had so long made its home there. This
name was unanimously adopted.

The expedition remained one day and
two nights in the Valley, and then were
forced to hurry out at the approach of a
storm. In three days they had made the
round trip through the Valley, exploring
it in a general way, and had named some
of its principal features. The Indians
whom they had gone out to capture, however,
were not seen. Later, in 1851, another
expedition was made to the Valley
in pursuit of the Indians. This was in
charge of Capt. John Boling, and Dr.
Bunnell accompanied the party. Several
Indians were captured, and additional explorations
were made.

Not many visits were made to the Valley
before 1855. The first regular tourists’
visit was made by J. M. Hutchings, who,
having heard of its wonderful scenery,
collected a party and went there. The
following year regular tourist travel began.
The first house built in the Yosemite
Valley was erected in 1855. This was
afterwards known as Black’s Hotel. It
was situated directly opposite the Yosemite
Fall. Years ago the old Sentinel Hotel
was built by the side of the Merced River,
and as patronage increased three cottage
annexes to this simple hostelry were erected—one
immediately adjoining the hotel
building and two across the road. In
time a small village grew up along the
road and camps were established in the
meadows and woods near by. The old
Sentinel has now given way to the large
new hotel across the river near the foot of
the falls. This opens in the beginning of
1917.

The first permanent settler in the Yosemite
Valley was J. C. Lamon, who built
a cabin in the very end of it in 1860 and
planted gardens and orchards. Four
years later an act of Congress granted the
Valley itself and the adjacent territory to
the State of California on the condition
that it be held forever as a public park.
In 1905, however, California gave back
the Valley to the United States, and it
now forms part of the Yosemite National
Park, which was created in 1890.

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 16, SERIAL No. 116
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

FROM A WATER COLOR PAINTING

YOSEMITE FALLS. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

TWO

The finest photograph is inadequate to convey to
the mind a satisfactory impression of the Yosemite
Falls. The Yosemite Creek descends to the valley
floor in three leaps, with a total height of about 2,500
feet. It is the highest known cataract in the world. The
upper fall has a vertical descent of 1,430 feet; the middle fall
consists of a series of cascades, with a
total descent of 626 feet; while the lower
fall is 320 feet high. At the top the Yosemite
Falls is about 35 feet wide. As the
season advances and the volume of water
decreases, the fall dwindles considerably.
At its best, however, it is one of the grandest
features of the Valley. In winter a
splendid ice cone, 500 feet high, forms at
the foot of the upper fall.

Near Cathedral Spires, the Bridal Veil
Fall pours down. People love it for its
delicate, spirit-like beauty. It has a
clear vertical fall of about 630 feet, with
a width of 50 to 70 feet. The name is derived
from the effect on it of the wind,
which makes it flutter like a white veil.

The Bridal Veil shoots from the upper
ledge of the cliff by the velocity the
stream has acquired in descending a long
slope above the head of the fall. Usually
the fall strikes on flat topped slabs, which
form a kind of ledge about two-thirds of
the way down. Between four and five
o’clock in the afternoon beautiful rainbows
may be seen in this fall.

The Nevada Falls, 594 feet high, is generally
ranked next to the Yosemite in interest.
It is a heavy, turbulent cataract.
Before reaching the bottom of its plunge
the fall is broken and scattered by a sloping
portion of the cliff about half-way
down. It is the stormiest and whitest of
all the falls in the Valley.

The Vernal Falls has a vertical descent
of 317 feet and varies in width from 70
to 80 feet. This fall is an orderly, graceful,
easy-going one. It may be more
closely approached than any other. Just
above it is the beautiful Emerald Pool.

The Illilouette Falls has a total height
of about 370 feet. It is not so impressive
as the upper Yosemite, nor so symmetrical
as the Vernal, nor so graceful as Bridal
Veil, nor so stormy a gush as Nevada;
but, as John Muir says, “In the exquisite
fineness and richness of texture of its
flowing folds, it surpasses them all.”

There are many other small falls and
cascades in the Yosemite Valley, among
them being the Yosemite Gorge Fall and
Cascades, the Royal Arch Falls, the Two
Sentinel Cascades, and the falls of Cascade
and Tamarack Creeks. The Royal
Arch Fall in time of high water is beautiful;
and the Two Sentinel Cascades,
3,000 feet high, are also wonderful spectacles.
By the middle of summer, however,
these have diminished so greatly that
they are hardly noticeable.

The volume of water in the falls of the
Valley varies greatly at different times—and
so do the accounts of the altitude of
the cataracts. You may have Illilouette
Falls anywhere from 370 to 600 feet high,
and the Upper Yosemite Falls anywhere
from 1,400 to 1,600 feet high—just according
to whom you ask. There is a like
variation in the statements of the altitude
of summits, and the size and age of
the giant trees. Our figures are taken
from the documents issued by the Department
of the Interior of the United States
Government.

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 16, SERIAL No. 116
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

FROM A WATER COLOR PAINTING

EL CAPITAN, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

THREE

First in impressiveness and second only to the waterfalls
in beauty, are the summits of the Yosemite
Valley. Of all these summits El Capitan stands
preëminent, although it is not the highest; that
honor belonging to Cloud’s Rest.

El Capitan, probably the largest mass of single rock in the
world, stands on the north wall of the
valley. It rises almost vertically 3,600 feet
above the plain, and it is nearly rectangular
in shape. Its two vast faces measure
about 160 acres each in area. You
can judge of its size by singling out what
appears to be a green bush which took
root and is growing in a shallow niche
far up on the face of the rock. That
green bush is called “The Lone Pine,” and
it is 150 feet high. El Capitan stands like
a grand old veteran, and it is one of
the most imposing monuments that
nature has left to show the terrific forces
which at one time worked their will with
this planet. Its summit may be reached
by a long and arduous journey, which is
seldom undertaken.

Half Dome, or South Dome, as it is
sometimes called, rises at the head of the
Yosemite Valley to the height of 4,892
feet above the valley floor. It forms the
eastern terminus of the Valley. It is one
of the wonders of the natural world, and
is a unique thing in mountain scenery.
Sweeping up 3,000 feet, its walls bear
only a few pine trees. Above this it ascends
perpendicularly nearly 2,000 feet
straight into the sky, while its rounded
summit falls steeply curved on the opposite
side. It has been described as “incomparably
the most wonderful, striking
and impressive feature of the region. In
strangeness of shape this hemispherical
mountain of solid granite is singular
among the world’s geological marvels, and
its sublime height and firm soaring outline
impose it upon the imagination more
than would be possible to bulk alone.
From every part of the upper half of the
Valley the eye is compelled, as if by force
of physical attraction, to return to this
extraordinary mountain, which one can
never tire of contemplating. One looks
upon it as one would gaze at some majestic
fragment of statuary.”

Half Dome was first ascended in 1875
by George Anderson. He practically
pulled himself to the summit by means of
a rope attached to iron pegs driven in the
rock. He inserted his bolts five or six
feet apart, and made his rope fast to each
in succession, resting his feet on the last
bolt while he drilled a hole for the next
above. He accomplished his ascent in a
few days; and he hoped to complete a
stairway, so that tourists might ascend
the Dome. But while he was preparing
timber for his stairway he was taken sick,
and died all alone in his little cabin.

To the east of El Capitan are the peaks
named the Three Brothers, the highest of
which, known also as Eagle Peak, is a
favorite viewpoint. Glacier Point is another
frequently visited peak. It is in
many respects the finest point of vantage
from which to view the Valley. Opposite
is Washington Column, and immediately
to the westward of this are the Royal
Arches, formed of curious curved layers
of rock, firmly recessed, where gigantic
displacements have produced a strange
vaulted effect. Over these towers North
Dome, polished and gray, rises in a perfect
curve 3,571 feet above the Valley. It
is the best exhibition of the round head
rock formation that is so marked a feature
of this region.

Guarding the Bridal Veil Falls are the
Three Graces. These look across the
Valley to their counterparts, the Three
Brothers. Near them are Cathedral
Rock and Cathedral Spires. Cathedral
Rock is not so high nor so massive as El
Capitan, nor are its sides quite so nearly
vertical. Its summit is 2,660 feet above
the Valley. The graceful pinnacles of
rock called Cathedral Spires are isolated
columns of granite. From one point of
view these spires rise above the edge of
the cliff exactly like two towers of a
Gothic cathedral. They are said to have
been given their name because of a fancied
resemblance to the Duomo at Florence,
in Italy.

Sentinel Rock is the most conspicuous
rock on the south face of the Valley. It
stands about in the middle of the Valley,
and resembles a ruined tower 3,100 feet
in height. Beneath Sentinel Rock is Yosemite,
the little village of the Valley.
Right across the river opposite is the
Yosemite Falls.

Cloud’s Rest commands a splendid
view of the High Sierra. Cloud’s Rest is
a long, bare, steep and extremely high
granite ridge. It is higher than Half
Dome, being nearly 10,000 feet above sea
level.

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 16, SERIAL No. 116
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

FROM A WATER COLOR PAINTING

HALF DOME, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

FOUR

The supreme enjoyment of the Yosemite Valley is
to be found by pursuing its trails. There are many
of these, some offering more points of interest and
beauty than others.

The climb to Glacier Point is of all the most popular.
There are three methods of making the ascent—on foot, on
horseback, and by auto-car. A great many
prefer the horse or mule and the bridle
path. This trail leads from the valley floor
along the banks of the Merced River and
past and above Vernal Falls and on to
Nevada Falls. Then it follows the picturesque
Illilouette Creek to its fall. Then
the trail ascends the steep face of the
cliff in zig zags. When the last height is
won and Glacier Point is reached, the
view is worth all the struggle. From
Glacier Point may be seen the Tenaya
Canyon, the Vernal and Nevada Falls,
the Cap of Liberty, Half Dome, the High
Sierra, and most of the Yosemite Valley.
There is a comfortable little hotel and a
camp at Glacier Point. Many stay over
night, and use the spot as a point of departure
on various trails—for Sentinel
Dome, Taft Point, Dewey Point, and the
long trail tramp to Wawona.

The top of Sentinel Dome may be
reached from Glacier Point by a short
journey, and the trail is in good condition.
If possible, the view from here exceeds in
grandeur that from Glacier Point.

After reaching Glacier Point most visitors
return by the short trail. This zig
zags down abruptly, making its descent
in four and a half miles. It is full of
thrills. For those who are nervous there
is just one rule to remember: “Fix your
faith on your mule—and hold tight.” The
trail passes Agassiz’s Column, a giant obelisk
that rises 85 feet in the air from the
top of the cliff, leads by Sentinel Falls, and
emerges on the plain below at the foot of
Sentinel Rock.

The ledge trail is the most difficult. It
goes almost straight up from Camp Curry
at the base of Glacier Point. This ascent
has been made in a little over an hour. It
is a trail that only strong climbers should
attempt.

Another wonderful climb is that to
Eagle Peak and Yosemite Point. A steep
but well-made bridle path crosses the
bridge over the creek descending from
Yosemite Falls. The trail goes to the
right shortly after, and, ascending some
distance, finally reaches a spot near the
foot of the Upper Yosemite Fall. Then
the trail leads to the top of the Yosemite
Fall and from there a path goes to Lake
Tenaya. The view from Eagle Peak extends
further to the west than that of
Glacier Point.

The trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls
leads past Happy Isles and is full of beauty
and interest. It winds along the side of
the rushing Merced River. The trail
leads over a bridge commanding one of
the best views of Vernal Falls, and shortly
after passing Register Rock, it leads to
Vernal Falls. Behind this fall rises the
picturesque Cap of Liberty. This may
be ascended by experts, but it is a difficult
climb. The top of Vernal Falls may be
reached by an easy path protected by an
iron chain.

From Register Rock the trail, which
now becomes narrower and steeper, makes
a wide sweep to the right before reaching
the top of Vernal Falls, where the flat rock
permits an approach to the edge of the
water. Just above is the beautiful Emerald
Pool. The trail recrosses the river
about half-way between the top of Vernal
Falls and the bottom of Nevada Falls.
Above the bridge is the Diamond Cascade,
and below it is the Silver Apron,
both beautiful waterfalls. From here
may be obtained a fine view of the superb
Nevada Falls. A steep and zig-zag trail
leads to its top.

To reach Cloud’s Rest visitors follow
the Vernal Falls Trail, diverging from it
before reaching the bridge above the falls.
The trip to Cloud’s Rest takes one day,
and is a favorite among energetic tourists.
From the Cloud’s Rest trail climbers can
turn east and ascend the round summit of
Half Dome. The extraordinary formation
of this mountain attracts climbers, who
are curious to see what the top of it is
like. They find it to be just what they
expect—a curved, smooth surface.

For anyone who has two or three days
to spare for a single expedition, the trip to
Merced Lake is a choice one. The lake is
reached in one day by the trail that leads
to Vernal and Nevada Falls. After the
falls have been left behind the trail is a
rough, wild path, disclosing scenes of
great beauty on every hand. There is a
comfortable lodge at the Lake, and in its
waters are more fish than you can catch—yes,
you and all your friends—in many a
day.

Some of these trails lead on into the
larger spaces of Yosemite National Park.
The great majority of visitors confine
themselves to the territory included in
the Valley.

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 16, SERIAL No. 116
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

FROM A WATER COLOR PAINTING

THE THREE BROTHERS, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

FIVE

The Valley is a camper’s paradise. Years ago travelers
discovered its many advantages. The combination
of deep shaded woods and open meadows,
with a fine water supply close at hand, made its
appeal to all lovers of nature, and long ago the Valley became
a favorite resort for campers. Out of single parties, there
soon developed an organized camping
system in the Valley. As a result,
there are now a number of little tent
and bungalow communities, with populations
varying from two or three hundred
up to nearly two thousand. At one time,
during 1915, the population of Camp
Curry exceeded two thousand. To the
lover of out-door life who wants to rest
close to the earth, there is nothing more
delightful than tent and bungalow life.
The United States Government and the
Park Service Company offer every convenience
to campers, so that no one need
bring material nor any supplies into the
Valley. The camper may determine the
conditions under which he will live. He
may bring his own tent, if he cares to.
Then, after securing a permit, he may
pick out his own spot and raise his simple
roof tree. Aside from the established
camps there are spaces of land set
apart and numbered, and these are for
the use of those utterly care-free pilgrims
who prefer to settle on a spot of
their own choosing and lead the simple life.
Upon arriving, the prospective camper
can get a full equipment on reasonable
terms. A list will be supplied to him,
from which he can select every necessary
thing for camp life—from a can-opener
and tin pan to tents and tables. He can
purchase these articles, or he can rent
them by the week. If a vagrant life is
desired, the camper may secure a pack-mule,
pull up stakes from time to time,
and move about as he chooses.

This is camp life in its most elementary
aspect. From that the conditions of
tent and bungalow life in the Valley
range up to the finely equipped and
organized camps, where the visitor may
enjoy all the advantages and luxuries
of comfortable hotel life, while at the
same time living close to the ground.
The established camps at present are
Awahnee, El Capitan, Yosemite Camp,
Lost Arrow and Camp Curry. The
affairs of each camp are managed from
its own central office, a building where
mail is received and the interests of the
campers are looked after. The daily life
of these communities is full of incident.
Each camp has its entertainments and
its gala performances. One has a fine,
large bathing pavilion and plunge; another,
a festival hall. Moving pictures
are exhibited in the evenings; there
are lectures and concerts; and a large,
well equipped dancing pavilion makes
the hours fly fast for young people.
Communication between the camps is
easy, for there are auto-buses, “jitneys,”
as well as ponies and burros, and
things are stirring actively among the
camps most of the time. No one need
lack for entertainment. Between the
single tent in a remote part of the Valley
and the populous camp community there
is a wide range for choice, and variety of
conditions enough to make everyone
happy.

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 16, SERIAL No. 116
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

FROM A WATER COLOR PAINTING

VIEW FROM GLACIER POINT TRAIL, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

SIX

A most interesting feature of the Yosemite region
is the Big Trees. There are three groves of giant
trees near the valley—the Tuolumne, Merced, and
Mariposa. The first two named are small groves.
The important grove is the Mariposa. This grove is so
called from its situation in Mariposa (Butterfly) County. It
occupies a tract of land about four square
miles in area, and consists of two definite
groups of trees. Its elevation above the
sea level varies from 5,000 to 8,000 feet.

The Big Tree, or Sequoia gigantea, is
found only on the west slope of the Sierra
Range. The Redwood, or Sequoia sempervirens,
its twin brother, is strictly a
seaboard tree, being confined to the coast
ranges. The Big Tree, however, is the
giant of all, and it is of this species that
the Mariposa Grove is made up.

The first grove of Big Trees discovered
by white men was the Calaveras Grove of
Big Trees in California. This was in the
spring of 1852, and the discoverer was
A. T. Dowd. Soon the story of the Big
Trees found its way into the newspapers,
and no other plant ever attracted so much
attention or gained such celebrity within
so short a period. The species was named
in honor of Sequoyah, or Sequoia, to give
it the Latin spelling, a Cherokee Indian
of mixed blood, who was also known as
George Guess. He invented an alphabet
and written language for his tribe.

The Big Trees are the oldest living
things in the world. It is impossible to
appreciate their huge size from a mere
description. They must be seen; and
even then a sense of futility strikes the
beholder. The Big Trees grow in groves,
never forming groups by themselves, but
always scattered among a much larger
number of trees of other kinds.

Says John Muir, the famous naturalist:
“The whole tree for the first century
or two, or until it is a hundred or one
hundred and fifty feet high, is arrowhead
in form, and, compared with the solemn
rigidity of age, seems as sensitive to the
wind as a squirrel’s tail. As it grows
older, the lower branches are gradually
dropped and the upper ones thinned out,
until comparatively few are left. The
immensely strong, stately shafts are free
of limbs for one hundred and fifty feet or
so. The large limbs reach out with equal
boldness in every direction, showing no
weather side, and no other tree has foliage
so densely massed, so finely molded in
outline, and so perfectly subordinate to an
ideal type. A particularly knotty, angular,
ungovernable-looking branch, from
five to seven or eight feet in diameter,
and perhaps a thousand years old, may
occasionally be seen pushing out from
the trunk as if determined to break across
the bounds of the regular curve, but like
all the others it dissolves in bosses of
branchlets and sprays as soon as the general
outline is approached. Except in picturesque
old age, after being struck by
lightning or broken by thousands of snow-storms,
the regularity of forms is one of
their most distinguishing characteristics.
Another is the simple beauty of the trunk,
and its great thickness as compared with
its height and the width of the branches,
which makes them look more like finely
modeled and sculptured architectural columns
than the stems of trees, while the
great limbs look like rafters, supporting
the magnificent dome-head. But though
so consummately beautiful, the Big Tree
always seems unfamiliar, with peculiar
physiognomy, awfully solemn and earnest;
yet with all its strangeness it impresses us
as being more at home than any of its
neighbors, holding the best right to the
ground as the oldest, strongest inhabitant.”

The Mariposa Grove—which was discovered
in 1857 by Galen Clark—lies in a
little valley occupying a depression on the
back of a ridge. The Lower Grove contains
240 fine Big Trees. The Grizzly
Giant is the largest of all. It has a circumference
of ninety-three feet and a
diameter of thirty and six-tenths feet.
Its main limb is six and one-half feet
in diameter. This tree is very much
injured, and its size has been decreased
by burning. It has long since passed
its prime, and has a battered and worn
appearance.

In ascending to the Upper Grove the
road goes through a tunnel cut through
the heart of the “Wawona,” a living Sequoia.
This tunnel is ten feet high and
nine and one-half feet wide at the bottom.

The Upper Grove contains 360 Big
Trees, averaging in age about 2,500 years.
About ten of the trees exceed 250 feet in
height. Three of these have a circumference
of over ninety feet.

The bark of the largest trees is from
one to two feet thick. Toward the end of
winter the trees bloom, while the snow is
still eight or ten feet deep. The flowers
are pale green and pale yellow. The seeds
are small and light. The cones remain on
the tree for many years.

The Big Trees might live forever. There
is no absolute limit to their existence.
Death is due only to an accident. The
leaves alone die of old age, and these are
renewed.

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 16, SERIAL No. 116
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

THE MENTOR · DEPARTMENT OF TRAVEL · OCT. 2, 1916

Photograph by J. T. Boysen

EL PORTAL

The terminal of the railroad. From here a run of 10 miles is made up Merced Canyon to Yosemite Valley

THE YOSEMITE VALLEY

By DWIGHT L. ELMENDORF

Lecturer and Traveler

Entered as second-class matter March 10, 1913, at the postoffice at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Copyright, 1916,
by The Mentor Association, Inc.

Rest here for a time by the side of the Merced River while
I tell you something of this peaceful, lovely valley. Look
over to that further cliff and watch the silver stream of the
Yosemite descend in three gleaming white steps from the
summit of rock 2,600 feet above us to the meadow level
where we stand. In its first flight of 1,430 feet it falls a third
of that distance in a snowy column, then turns to wreathing smoke, through
which many glistening darts shoot down to the rocky basin below. Here the
misty elements are resolved again into water, and the stream tumbles frothing
through rocks to its second flight, then on to the lower fall of 320 feet,
when it dashes on a bed of boulders and hurries to join the Merced River.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

THE GATE TO
THE VALLEY

Bridal Veil Falls
at right of picture

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

VIEW FROM
INSPIRATION
POINT

Bridal Veil Falls
in the distance at
right of picture

It is an ever present sight in the heart of the Valley, and our eyes turn to
it frequently during the hours of daylight. And, all through the night, we
hear the hushing sound of its falling waters as it whispers to us of the many
beautiful things that Nature has given us in this valley of enchantment.

So you see Yosemite in midsummer. Then its fall is almost as
fairy-like as that of Bridal Veil. But in April and May, when it pours
down the accumulation of the winter snows, it is a foaming torrent,
and its tone is deep and strong.

The Yosemite has been gradually disclosing its features to us since
early morning. The first impression that we experience as we leave
the town of Merced is one of steady ascent into a narrow gorge, through
which a busy, turbulent stream—the Merced River—pursues its course.
The train labors sturdily up until it reaches El Portal, where there is a
pause at the hotel for lunch. Then the trip is resumed in auto buses
that take us on up through a valley, winding and narrowing into a notch
that seems at times as if it would end in sheer walls of rock. But, in
the course of an hour or more the way broadens, and we find wider
stretches, wooded with tall pines and stately sequoias.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

MERCED CANYON

The approach to the Valley

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

MIRROR LAKE

As seen in the early morning

Then we catch a glimpse of Elephant Rock, of Cathedral Spires, of
the delicate lacery of Bridal Veil
Falls, and, opposite, the massive bulk
of El Capitan. Soon the slender,
swanlike neck of Yosemite Falls
appears, and we roll through Camp
Awahnee and out into the wide,
level vale where Yosemite Village
rests. Here we draw a long breath,
and a sense of peace and contentment
takes possession of us—a feeling of
complete isolation from the world of
care and trouble. There is something
so intimate and friendly—so
“homey”—about the wide, green
meadow that stretches before us
from the banks of the fast flowing
Merced to the wood at the foot of Yosemite Falls. Around this level
mead the camps cluster; Yosemite, El Capitan, and Lost Arrow camps
close to the base of the falls, quiet Camp Awahnee by the roadside
across the river, and busy Camp Curry a mile east of the village and
just below Glacier Point.

Yosemite National Park

We are now in the very center of Yosemite Valley—though not of
Yosemite National Park. Do not mistake the part for the whole. The
Yosemite National Park—created a park October 1, 1890—is a huge tract
of land, 1,124 square miles in area. It contains many valleys, mountains,
streams, lakes, and waterfalls. Its vast territory has been explored by
countless travelers, and it is the
favorite playground of the Sierra
Club—a body of hardy and adventurous
men and women trampers,
campers, and mountain climbers.

The particular gem of the Yosemite
National Park is our dearly treasured
Yosemite Valley, seven miles in length—and
that is what we have come to
visit. When we arrive there we reach
a high elevation. The floor of the Valley
is 4,000 feet above sea level, and on
all sides the mountains rise to heights
varying from 3,000 to 6,000 feet more.
The highest point in the Valley is the
summit of Cloud’s Rest, which is
nearly 10,000 feet above sea level.

Photograph by J. T. Boysen

FORMER DAYS

Four-horse stage in front of the old Sentinel Hotel. Yosemite Falls in the background

Photograph by J. T. Boysen

THE PRESENT DAY

Automobiles everywhere. There is even a “jitney” service in the Valley

And, now that we are here, you ask: “What
is this valley, and how did it come to be?” There
are several geological explanations of it, varying
in character. Prof. J. D. Whitney, the first scientist
to study the Sierra, thought that the Yosemite
was “the result of the sinking of a local block
of the earth’s crust having the exact outlines of
the Valley,” and he denied that glacial action had
anything to do with it. But the generally accepted
explanation is that the Valley was once a tortuous
river canyon cut by the Merced River, and
that the cutting work of this stream was done so
fast that the “tributary valleys soon remained
hanging high on either side.” Then the canyon
became the bed of great glaciers which, in
moving, “scooped” the Valley into its present
form. This, of course, was a matter of hundreds of thousands of years.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

EVENING PRIMROSES

Half Dome at the back

Accepting that explanation as correct, many of the natural conditions
that we find in the Valley are easy to understand—such as the
smooth polished surfaces of El Capitan and Half Dome.

And now you ask: “What is there to do and see?” It is a valley of
varied diversions. There are many things to do and many beautiful spots
to visit, and you may choose according to your tastes and your physical
ability. Are you a sturdy tramper? You may
take your pack and staff and assail the mountain
citadels that challenge you on every side. Do you
love the saddle? You can find bridle paths that
will lead you through the cool, dense woods, by
lakesides, to the foot of waterfalls, and up to the
summits. Are you unequal to the exertion of
tramping or riding? The joys of the Yosemite are
yours none the less, for high powered auto cars
will carry you in comfort to the points of greatest
interest in the Valley, out to the groves of giant
trees, and even up to the supreme commanding
spot of all—Glacier Point.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

WINTER SCENE

Half Dome in white

You may take in the Yosemite as a visiting
tourist, in which five or six days may suffice you for
sightseeing, or you may settle down as a camper or
hotel guest, in which case days and weeks slip
by, and you soon lose all sense of time in the sweet repose of the Valley.
For the greater number a touring visit is all that is possible. You tell
me that you are here for a few days. How may you best occupy them?
It is not necessary for me to answer your question in detail, for the affairs
of the Valley have been systematized in a most businesslike fashion, and
all such information is ready to hand. You can obtain schedules of trips
for two, three, four, and on up to nine and ten days. The United States
Government has done and is doing a good work in developing this great
natural recreation park, and all the Government asks of us is that we
will take advantage of it. The attitude of Uncle Sam is expressed in the
legends posted on trees throughout the Valley, all of which mean in
substance: “This beautiful park is yours. Help us to preserve it and
make it attractive.”

Evening in the Valley

We have come up from Merced in the morning, and we have arrived
in the Valley at three o’clock. Let us make the most of the remainder of
this fair summer afternoon. We walk out across the green meadow for
a closer view of Yosemite Falls. The shadows of El Capitan and the
Three Brothers are already creeping over the valley, and the air has a
touch of evening cool as we enter the woods. The walk is longer than
we thought. The tall, sheer cliffs make the falls seem nearer than they
are. At length, after pursuing the path for some distance through the
woods, we come upon an open spot from which we can gaze up and
drink in the beauty of the three white leaps of water. This is the favorite
spot—the choice viewpoint of artists and photographers. A short
climb brings us to the foot of the lower falls, and there we rest and watch
the seething basin while the soft mist plays upon our faces. The woods
about us are in deep shadow and odorous of pine. Above us goes the
trail that leads up through a narrow
gorge to a point at the summit of
the falls. We are seated in the very
sanctuary of the Yosemite. It is an
hour to remember.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

THE ZIG ZAG

On the Glacier Point Trail

On returning, we pause a moment
by the roadside on the meadow at the
concrete bench placed there in memory
of Galen Clark, a lover and student
of the Yosemite, and discoverer
of the giant trees of the Mariposa
Grove. Galen Clark apparently drew
vitality from his aged tree friends,
for he lived to be 96 years old. He
is buried in the Valley, and the concrete
bench is placed on the spot
where he frequently sat to gaze on
the falls. Though it is now evening
and the sun has disappeared, the
Valley is suffused with soft reflected
light from the huge flat, mirror-like
face of Half Dome. In the course of
an hour the golden glow on that great
oval surface of rock far above us turns to
shimmering silver, and then to a ghostly
gray that finally gives way to night.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

GLACIER POINT HOTEL AND CAMP

3,254 feet above the Valley and 7,250 feet above sea level

Mirror Lake and Happy Isles

In the early morning let us go to Mirror
Lake. This beautiful little sheet of water
lies not far from the village and in a natural
bowl at the foot of Half Dome and
Mount Watkins. The mirror effects are best
seen in the early hours shortly after sunrise.

Photograph by J. T. Boysen

A FOREST FRIEND

He prefers sweets, but he will accept eagerly
any form of nourishment—and he does not
scorn tobacco

On the way back stop for a half hour
at Happy Isles. That brief visit will not
suffice you, for you will find time, even in
a short stay in the Yosemite, to slip away
for several half hours to the quiet shades and laughing waters of Happy
Isles. The Merced has woven a necklace of sparkling waves about these
little wooded islands, and made of them an ideal retreat for a sunny afternoon.
If you rest there late in the day look for the dainty little water
bird that John Muir calls the “water-ouzel.” I watched one for an hour
on the lower island. He has his nest close to the surface of the stream,
and he plays joyously, half in and half out of the water, part time
flitting over the spray, and part time dipping under, until his sleek
gray-black coat shines like satin.

There are trails and roads in all directions. What will you choose?
Since you have now seen Happy Isles, go on to the foot of Vernal Falls.
You have simply to follow the path past Happy
Isles, and go on up the Merced River. It will
repay you, for Vernal Falls is a beautiful down-pour
of water, 317 feet in height. And, while you
are following this trail, go on still further till you
reach Nevada Falls, the most impressive of all the
cataracts in the Park. Its height is 594 feet, and
the volume of water that it pours exceeds that of
any of the others. If you would get an adequate
impression of its power, climb to the top of Nevada
Falls and look down. You will not forget the sight.

If you love fishing, you would do well to take
your rod on such a trip, for trout can be found
in the pools of the Merced. If fishing is your main
object, follow the trail on up to Merced Lake, where
you may be assured of finding a full day’s sport.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

“WINKEY” AT GLACIER POINT

If, however, tramping and climbing are your
choice, you can continue from Nevada Falls and
go on one or the other of two splendidly adventurous
trails—either turning
up to the left to climb
the summit of Cloud’s Rest
or Half Dome, or winding
to the right to reach far-famed
Glacier Point. If
you take the latter trail
you will catch a fine view
of Illilouette Falls, a beautiful
cataract 370 feet in
height, seen only by hardy
climbers.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

CAMP CURRY

Glacier Point

You may not be equal
to such a climb. If so, save Glacier Point for a special trip—on muleback
if you can stand it; if not, then go up the road in an auto car. There
are a number of ways of scaling Glacier Point. I have mentioned one
trail. The bridle trail goes up the long way and comes down the short—all
done in one day if one chooses. This trail offers many scenic beauties
and some real thrills for those unaccustomed to dizzy heights. The
shortest way of all is what is called the “ledge trail,” which starts near
Camp Curry, directly underneath Glacier Point, and goes pretty nearly
straight up. This calls for the sturdiest kind of climbing—and some nerve.

“All very well,” exclaims the timorous, “but for me, the auto car.”
And, indeed, the auto car trip offers many advantages besides comfort
and ease. The road for part of the way is the one that you take to
Wawona and the big trees. You pass Artists’ Point
and Inspiration Point, both of them affording
lovely views. Then you turn off and pursue a
course along the mountain ridge for miles. There,
7,000 feet in altitude, you wind through magnificent
woods of pine and sequoia that line out
majestic cathedral naves before you. The somber
shadows that envelop you are shot through with
golden beams of light. Occasionally you come
upon rich green, natural open meadows, where
wild flowers abound. A black or brown bear may
cross your path. He is a well-behaved citizen,
and he will accept appreciatively any nourishment
that you offer him.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

WINTER AT GLACIER POINT

You may go to Glacier Point and back by auto
car in one day, but I advise staying over night.
By all means see the sunset and sunrise from
Glacier Point—and then you will feel that you
really know the Valley. It lies there like a map
below you. Opposite you
rise the great heights of
El Capitan, Three Brothers,
Yosemite Point, North
Dome, Basket Dome, and
Watkins. The Tenaya
Canyon stretches off to the
northeast. To your right
rise the peak of Cloud’s
Rest and the bald head of
Half Dome, and below
them, still further to the
right, is the Little Yosemite
Valley, down which
pour the torrents of Nevada
and Vernal Falls. Both cataracts are in sight from where you stand, and
you can plainly hear the sound of their waters. And beyond all these,
and stretching far away to the horizon, are the snow-capped summits of
the High Sierra. Beneath you, 3,200 feet down, lies the floor of the
Valley. And, as the shadows of night gather, the lights of the village and
the camps twinkle there like reflected stars.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

SKATING ON THE MERCED

The Giant Trees

There are three groves of giant sequoias in the Yosemite region—the
Tuolomne, the Merced, and the Mariposa—and they are visited by
almost everyone who goes to the Yosemite Valley. The Tuolomne and
Merced groves may be seen in a single day’s trip, for they are not
far apart and neither of them is large. The
Merced Grove contains forty giants, the Tuolomne
twenty, the chief of which is the Dead
Giant. Cars drive through this monster just
as they do through the Wawona tree in the
Mariposa Grove. The ride to the Tuolomne
Grove is very picturesque and thrilling, offering
one special point of advantage—New Inspiration
Point, from which, in the afternoon,
Bridal Veil Falls may be seen playing through
constantly shifting rainbows.

Mariposa Grove was discovered in 1857,
and is the largest grove of its kind in the world.
It contains more than five hundred monster
sequoias, the largest of which is the famous
Grizzly Giant, 204 feet in height and about 30
feet in diameter at the base. You may be told
that this is the largest tree in the world. That
is not true. There are several larger sequoias.
The General Grant tree in General Grant Park
is 264 feet in height and nearly 35 feet in diameter. The largest known
tree is the General Sherman in the Sequoia National Park, which measures
280 feet high and is 36 feet and 5 inches in diameter at the base.

You may be told also that these great trees are seven and even eight
thousand years old. Take that statement with consideration. The
sequoias are very hardy vegetables, and are undoubtedly the oldest
things living, but the
scientists tell us that
the veteran trees run
in age from 1,500 to
2,500 years, and that
the oldest tree, of
whose age record
there is no question,
is somewhat over
3,000 years old. John
Muir states that he
has found one tree
for which he claims
an age of 4,000 years.

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

ILLILOUETTE FALLS

370 feet in height

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

VERNAL FALLS

317 feet in height

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

NEVADA FALLS

594 feet in height

But a matter of a
thousand years or so
does not detract from
the dignity of these
majestic forest Sons
of Anak. Their age and size are
enough to command our reverence,
and no one should visit the
Yosemite without going to the
groves to pay respect to these
ancient monarchs.

Photograph by J. T. Boysen

THE WAWONA TREE, MARIPOSA GROVE

In front of the tree stands Galen Clark, who discovered the
Mariposa Grove of Big Trees in 1857

You must visit the Mariposa
Grove at least, and I urge you to
give it a special day. You can
ride over and return to Yosemite
in one day, but I would advise
you, in case your visit is a brief
one, to save the grove for the last
day. Ride to Wawona the afternoon
before and stay at that restful
little spot overnight. Then
visit the grove in the morning, and after that go on to Miami Lodge,
and down through the mountains, and across the rich San Joaquin Valley
to Fresno, where you can end your trip and reach the main railroad lines.

But let me not usher you out of the Valley in this manner. Let me
rather urge you to remain. A taste of camp life will surely convince
you if my words do not. Camp life is one of the most delightful features
of the Yosemite. Camp facilities and conveniences have been arranged
to suit every person and every purse. You may enter one of the regularly
organized camps, or you may obtain a permit and pitch your own
tent in a specially selected spot.

To those who plan to settle for a time in the Park the camps make a
strong appeal. Camp life is a refreshing change from conventional
things, and the heart grows younger under it.

The peculiar charm of the Yosemite is the “nearness and dearness”
of its features, and it is through camp life that we come to feel this charm.
It is not long before El Capitan, the Bridal Veil, the Three Brothers,
the Three Graces and Half Dome become objects of fond affection, and
the whole Valley appears to be a vast playground especially prepared by
Nature to delight the hearts of her children.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

⁂ Information concerning the above books may be had on application to the Editor of The Mentor.

THE OPEN LETTER

Photograph by A. C. Pillsbury

THE LAUGHING WATERS OF HAPPY ISLES

In some scenery there is an element of
awe—a grimness that makes us shudder.
The charm of the Yosemite is that, with
all its scenic splendor it is so serenely
beautiful, so restful in character, and so
endearing. There is no lack of majesty.
Lofty summits surround us—some of
them stern in aspect. El Capitan is a
vast, beetling cliff, the Three Brothers
are grim granite companions, and the
peak of Cloud’s Rest is remote and austere.
But, down in the valley, all is gentle
and lovely.

I have visited the valley more than
once, and I know its spell. Its soothing
influence dulls the edge of decision. However
energetic and purposeful we may be
on arrival, we find, after a few days, that
we have, quite unconsciously, eaten of
the lotus of forgetfulness. Plans for
various strenuous activities are modified;
things that at first seemed urgent are
postponed; and the day of departure
drops into the list of life’s little uncertainties.
Events take their own course; we
yield to the current. Yesterday we followed
the mountain trail, and we were
full of the stir and thrill of it. Today
we find other and quieter joys. So we
let the climbers now call us indolent. We
let them take to the summits while we
hold to the valley. We are content. The
flowers that offer themselves at our feet
are as fair as those that they find on the
heights. The air about us is soft and
fragrant, and “sweet is the whisper of the
pine trees by the river.” Our hearts are
in unison with the pastoral poet, and we
ask for nothing better today than to
rest here and dream in the Happy Isles.

The valley is undergoing changes and
improvements. The conditions there
have always been very simple. Within
recent years the government, realizing
that the Yosemite was a wonderful
natural playground, has done much to
develop it. If a visitor of former years
should go to the Yosemite today, he
would rub his eyes and exclaim at the
changes. He would find the old Sentinel
Hotel and cottages superseded by the
luxurious new hotel, and the village
largely transplanted to the other side of
the Merced. In place of the old-fashioned
stages, he would find the ever-present
auto-car. He would find the Glacier
Point Hotel renewed and enlarged, and
many improvements in the valley camps.
He would find well-equipped lodges and
chalets scattered through the Park for
the comfort of those who take the long,
arduous trails. The Yosemite is now an
all-year-round resort, where winter as well
as summer sport may be enjoyed. Uncle
Sam’s invitation is: “Come to your
pleasure Park, forget your cares for a
while, and rest and
play.”

W. D. Moffat
Editor

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