The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 1, 1901, Page 7

THE SUNDAY CALL. RAGING, bolling volcano of silver and dlamonds. Such are the Ne- vada Falls this year, and the rest e does not suffer by contrast. It has been truly a T in the valley, for the snow has on the high Slerras and the full in consequence, which has given us magnificent falls and abundant vegetation. To & person ef means visiting Yosemite Valley is & very simple matter. It con- #ists of buying & round-trip ticket, pack- Ing & valise and taking the proper tran and stage. Arriving in the valley one can Flay &t the hetel or find accommedations &t ene of the perm nt camps. But to a person of limited means a visit to the EPeat park is ne such simple matter, and &3y suggestions to this ciass I belleve are siways acceptable Bome poople meke a mistake in visiting the valiey at all. If you are going to cal- cdlate the amount of buflding material in Bl Cepiten, if you sre going to sigh over the emount of power in Bridal Vell going o wasts, or compare the view before you with that seen from Mount Lowe or St. in favor ef the last two, you would m‘w stay «vey. You will certainly S your eovn time end annoy yeur sélghbers with vour remarks. There are five methods of visiting the velley~by staga by wegon, by horse, on = Glayole and on foot. While the last may bave serious @isadvertages to some, after ell many peepie believe it to be the only true way of getting the most owt of the trlp. Ae has been my favorite methed, I offer a few suggestions to thegs who may wish to make the at- U & purty of thres or more can be ar- Tanged it 49 very desirable to have & pack L WUt &8 this invoives complication in the shape of sxpenss, care of the ani- mal, the sslection of & proper one, etc., I will net venture te say any more on this poibt If it is dscided to carry the lug. gage from fifteer to eightesn pounds must be calculated. Six to seven pounds will be allowed for blankets, and the re- Ger for pesonal articles, cooking slls an@® provisions. for the bes beavy method of carrying a say that there are as thods as there are peo- vack. However, the style an on different » Tindrical as possible and shoulder to the opposite ; On the inside of this eirap, at the shoulder, have a broader. piece of leather sewed to protect the shoulder from la: Right here let vice that, if fo ility to chafe. me offer a word ef ad- owed, will relieve the travelers of =ome unnecessary trouble while on the march, When packing up in the morning so arrange matters that at lunchtime there will be no unpacking to be done; and, moreover, If it is necessary to stop and cook dinner before making camp for the night theres will be little re- packing. Tramping through an almest uninhabit- ed country and among lonely mountains one would naturally suppose that when it comes time to make camp eil that 1s necessary i to stop wherever you are. Unless you dispel this fllusion you are quite likely to regret having harbored such an idea. Bear in mind that a de- is to roll my package A T CAMP NS e SREENWOOD sirable camp requires the following: A flat dry place, with“semething to make your resting place easy, if possible; plenty of good water; plenty of fuel, but with freedom from danger of setting the coun- try on fire; protection from wind, as an exposed place might make sleeping un- comfortable. How to find all these necessary quali- tles in a camp is difficult; therefore, I say that if you reach such a place between 4 and 5 in the afternoon with a good day's work behind you make a camp by all means, especially if you are uncertain of the road ahead. If you put it off an hour or two you may find the sun going down and your party half way up some grade with no camping place within five miles. Moreover do not choose a settlement for a camp if It can be avoided; excent to purchase supplies this is a disadvantage rather than otherwise. Now let us consider what is necessary on & camping expedition to the individ- ual and to the perty. Let us figure on a party of three. First on the list is a coffee pot. The size of this should be in pro- portion of one pint (two cups) to each person. A two-quart camping pot can be obtained for 35 cents. Be sure to boil it out thoroughly with soap and then with fresh water. Frying pan—for three this should be of good size; for five T would edd a small ene. This can fit inside the larger. Bauce pans: Get a granite “‘dou- ble bofler”; this will answer about all the purposes of an exacting camp cook in this respect. Rope: Even if there is no ani- mal with the party I contend that a coil of clothes line, twenty-five or thirty feet, is desirable for emergencies. Dish towels, three or four. Brown soap. Two galvan- ized table spoons. Small butcher knife, if no belt knife is carried in the party. Can opener and matches. I regard a compass as indispensable on such a journey, for the safety of the party. Be provided with a cloth covered canteen. This can be obtained for 35 cents upwerd at gun shops. When necessary fill with water and soak the felt. Evapo- ration keeps the water cool. Good maps are a great convenience and sometimes a necessity. Address the Director, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C., enclose 10 cents (not in stamps), and he will send you two magnificent maps that are worth ten times the money, Ask for Yosemite and Sonora squares. For the benefit of the party, and te avoid two persons carrying the same things, 1 would suggest the following: A small variety of needles, black and white thread (not too fine), a few buttons, a small pair of scissors, a cheap thimble, a small bit of wax, a little tape, and three papers of safety pins, small, medium and Jarge. Last but not least, a few bachelor buttons. As the subject of eating is very import- ant we will take that up. My advice s, do not ship provisions into the valley. As the price of groceries at the store is regulated by the commissioners, and as I have found them very reasonable, I believe campers will find it more satis- factory to buy at the store in Yosemite. Prices are 15 to 20 per cent higher than in the city, but one is saved the freight and general nuisance at both ends. This year our box arrived the day before we left. The following list is suggested for a party of three, to last four or five dayst 2 packages rolled oats, 3 pounds pllot bis- cuit, 2 pounds cheese, 2 pounds sugar, i pound coffee, 2 pounds bacon, 2 pounds chocolate; canned goods—2 cans beans, 2 cans fryit, 2 cans condensed milk and 1 can syrup. Concerning the milk, I have always foun@ that the second grade, if well recommended, is as'satisfactory as the fancy article. A small can or bottle of syrup will be ample. Add to this list a square of butter, a little salt, pepper, tea and vinegar, and you should be able to reach the valley with full stomachs. Some people would add to this even a can of corned beef, one of sardines and one of deviled ham. Then the personal kit is a very import- ant matter. Many long tramps have taught me that the following are neces- sary: Soap, two or three towels, tooth brush, pocket knife, comb, four handker- chiefs, candle, shoe laces, four pairs socks, table knife, fork and spoon, tin plate and cup. I belfeve that a large cup ‘with a cover will be found useful besides the small cup. Some may need to carry shaving soap, Tazor and brush. As for head gear 1 found a straw hat and an English cap to answer all purposes. The latter was useful because it was not only inexpensive but could be stowed away in the pocket if desired. A reporter once interviewed General Carr, the celebrated Indian fighter. “What al m‘i ,most important matters in a campaign “The men's stomachs and feet.” L “But what about the fighting?” ‘Oh, that’s a dctail.” 80 in one of these tramps the same es- sential conditions prevail. To tramp well one must be well fed and sleep comfort- ably. But, really, more than these, he must take the greatest care of his feet. To attain this end the traveler should ‘wear a pair of shoes that have been thor- oughly broken in. Provided they are good and strong, the footwear of everyday use will-be sufficient. Be sure, however, that the soles are strong and thick—an oak- tap sole is sald to be the best. It might be an advantage to have a half-moon patch sewed on each side of the foot as a protection against granite chips on the trails. Moreover, one should take along a pair of strong leather slippers, or danc- ing pumps, or light Oxford ties. Should the regular shoes chafe while on the march it is a great benefit to change off and give the sore spots a chance to heal. Moreover, it is of the utmost advantage to put these on in the morning on rising and on making camp at night. The very change from heavy to light footwear in the latter case is wonderful. The feet have enough of the heavier shoes on the march. Save them all you can at other times. As for blankets, the most important de- tail in this regard is a rubber blanket, or plece of canvas, to lay on the ground to prevent the dampness of the ground from crawling into your bones. Then I have found that two thicknesses of good blank- et under me and six over was sufficlent. This may seem a great deal to some, but I did not find It any too much, even with all my clothes on, during two or three nights. At one camping place the top slanket was about soaked with cold moisture when I rose. As to the arrangement of the blankets, if there are two sleeping together one ruh- ber blanket will do, and three double blankets, as the mutual warmth is con- siderable. This would give two thick- nesses below and four above. But my experience on three long tramps has been that” more is required if sleeping alone. To accomplish this I doubled two blankets separately and laid one on top of the other. Then taking a heavy needle znd some strong thread, doubled, I sewed up the bottom and one side and half way up the other. This made a bag in which I could crawl, its great advantage of design being. I found, that I could have any thickness of cover I desired. Many a night I have fallen asleep comfortably under two thicknesses, only to wake in the middle of the night and crawl under two more. : I found myself considerably bothered with the cold down my back and shoulders because the blankets would not fit com- fortably around my neck. This was easily remedied by continuing the stitches at the top of the bag, three or four inches from the back seam. This device caused the bag to fit snugly behind. On retiring I would remove the socks used during the day’s tramp and, if con- venient, wash the feet. I would then draw on the socks to be used the next day, and over these In cool weather a heavy, large pair. This method gives freedom to the feet and keeps them warm. By no meang AFTERNOON SIESTA wear your shoes at night. While on this subject let me say that I am accustomed to cut out two or thres pairs of insoles from extra good quality of cardboard. I would suggest this for the douple purpose of keeping the stockings clean and to make the feet fit snug in case the shoes prove a trifie too loose, in which case It Is as bad as being too tight. More- over, should the feet swell, as does hap- pen sometimes, the cardboard can be re- moved. On the contrary, if your shoes are snug and, your feet swell you are literally “in a box.” 1f you take the trouble to cut these insoles, make a good job of it, as otherwise they will do you no good. As the head, neck and ears may be cold during the night a handkerchief lald over the head and the four corners drawn to- gether under the chin and fastened with a safety pin will be sufficient for comfort. Now concerning the routes. Of these there are three;:and it is not necessary, nor do T suggest, that the same route be taken bothr ways. Route 1—Take night boat to Stockton. Fare, 50 cents; berth, 50 cents to 3L Rail to Chiness Camp: fare, $3 50. From hers it is sixty-five miles to the guardian's office in the valley. The road is good. The first heavy grade is Priests Hill, about 2200 feet from the river to Bix Oak Flat, or 3200 in all. Groveland is the last place to make purchases. From hers to Crockers (or Sequoia) the country undu- lates. At Hogdon ranch, 4678 feet, begins the last long grade, reaching 7200 at Gin Flat, when the long descent into the val- Jey begins. 1 would suggest right hers that “Oh My Point” be named Exclama- tion Point. One'of the great features of this route is the South Fork of the Tuol- umne Canyon and the beautiful falls, Route 2—Take train to Merced, 34 2. The distance to the valley is eighty miles. The road is fair—as good as any for one who is tramping. First heavy grade is after leaving Coulterville, about 1200 feet. At the latter place the last purchases must be made. There are fine camping places after passing Dudley. From Bow- ers Cave another grade of 2000 feet is en- countered, reaching 5000 feet in altitude. ‘Near Merced Grove 6000 feet is reached. From here into the valley the road rolls gently, only exceeding the altitude named by two or three hundred feet. The great feature of this route is the beauty of the high Sterras unfolding at every important bend in the road—something which is de- nied on other routes. Route 3—Take rail to Raymond, $§. Dis- tance into the valiey sixty-eight miles. A heavy grade is reached on crossing the Chowchilla Mountains, 6000 feet above the sea. At Wawona supplies can be ob-° tained. From here the grade is 2200 feet— then comes the dip into the valley. The reat feature of this route is the Wawona alley, second only to Yosemite. Side * trips of half a day sach will take one te the Mariposa big trees and to Chilunalna Falls. Roads are very good on this reut Concerning expenses other than tran: portation: My bill for provisions two years ago was §1. This year it was $6. These included some meals taken on the boat, at different towns and once in the valley. This year my incidentals amount- ed to $1 50—on my last trip the item was much less. In providing for a trip $1 should be included In the estimate for toll —50 cents each way, It will be seen by these figures that, omitting the item of clothing and personal equipment, blank- ets, etc., a tramping trip to the Yosemits can be undertaken for fiftaen or twenty dolla: according to the route. As for the time of the tramp four days should be allowed on the first and third routes and five on the second. HOWMUCHHEAT CAN AHUMAN BEING STAND? thermometers on Broadway registered 109 degrees. The system of a normal person can endure twice that much. It is quite possible to tone it up to withstand 00 degrees of heat. Nowhere in the world does the solay heat begin to approach man's capacity for resistance. In Death Vulley, Cal., the thermometer has registered 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The ordinary man can aad does adjust himself to the climats in safety. Stokers in big steamships work in an average temperature of from 160 ts 180 degrees. In the boller-room of a dosen bulldingy in the skyscraper district the hc::.:— the boilers is intense enousgh to an egg hard in ten minutes If it is laid on the floor six feet away from the furnace. Firemen work in this atmosphers yeas after year without visible harm. Women walk in the ovens of the La Rochefous cauld bakeries of France when the ovens are heated to 301 degrees. Colored races can endure more heat than white races. The educated freak, Chabert, the F King, used to enter an oven which ranged from 400 to 600 degrees Fahrenhelt. A common modern remedy ior rheuma~ tism is the baking of the body in an asbestos tub heated at 225 degrees. Nobody knows what takes place in the human system under stress of sunstroke. Dr. Sambon, of London, the greatest aue thority upon the question, proncunces sunstroke an infectious disease. He says it is due to micro-organism. True sune stroke, says Dr. Sambon, is unknown in Europe. It does not occur in Central America or in the high table lands of the United States. The limit of what one may endure the way of solar heat is, of course, how« ever, far from that at which normal health is more or less in danger. The doctors declare that anything above % degrees in a temperate climate, such as that which New York is supposed ta enjoy, I:OB!'J!II!E.S a menace. The chief reason for this is, naturally, that the human system in the temperate zones is not acclimatized to so flerce a temperature and has no chance to become 50 owing to the comparatively short duras tion of the heated periods. OW much heat can a human be- ing stand? u;