The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 24, 1902, Page 14

14 THE SUNDAY CALL. Experiences OF the Sierra QIUb on Their Annual Trip {E Sierra Club outing this year ue. Certainly there never s rip before, and possi- : will be again. It matter to take & e where: but two or three % pounds of nyon ngs River Ca Sierra Club ws trip on r kland June Pullman cars, At 2 line its 30 a. m. the stage the party on It was vel experience, rolling along in the of stages with n adolescent noc 2 feebly identity of one’s w passengers and the unfamil- To those who about Fresno nt growths rd in the a surprise. The was sufficient to show a heavy of trees and a number of charm- about Sanger. asantly warm at Just before ain the morning comes Not only is the air t and shadow are aus- The change from morning ght is rapid 1g of the sun the wisdom of the el was evident to every one as summer staging in Califc implies heat, mno comment nec ry The road itself is among the best of California stage roads By € o'clock in the evening the whole ded in Millwood, the While some party was safely terminus of the stage line of the club members slept at the hotel, by far the gre to try for the ater number were anxious time of the season the favorite bed, a sleeping nd. To about a third xperience of outdoor st was entirely new. Fortunately it proved to be ely satisfactory. In fact, when the true mountaineer reaches home ng trip he grumbles & mattresses are too soft end because he can never get air enough into his room. becau: spri An early start nmext mornjng brought the party into General Grant National Park. Several hours were spent, among the mi trees. To many of the party columns of the warm n with the feathery foliage, crowning the trunks was a new sight. Throughout the greater part of the day’'s trip the party encountered groups of these masterpieces of the tree creation. The forest is sufficiently dense to prevent a view of the sequola until one is almost st its foot. Then the impression received by the sudden vision of an object so sglorious in color and form is one which rarely fails to compel a fresh wonder axd admiration. The day with the Big Trees ended with the first actual Sierra camp, at Bearskin Meadows. By § o’cloc party n the afternoon the whole arrived in camp. The three Chinamen were dimly perceptible through ke of the campfire, as they lifted red the huge pots and kettles. The oon unloaded the horses and s and drove the tired pa down into the meadow to feed. The banks of Bear- skiu Creek were lined with pilgrims with €cap and towels. The woods were liter- ally full of people seeking level ground had and other conveniences for the night's rest. Altogether it was a scene never witnessed before in so remote a spot. An uneventful trip the next day brcught the party to Horse Corral Mecadows, where the second night's camp was pitched. A more desirable spot for camping can not be imagined. Miles of meadows, with the unfailing Slerra stream flowing through; a margin of dry granite soil; fir trees and a bewildering i of flowers endear the spot to mountaineer. Heavy frost in the morning serves, with the altitude, fo stir the blood and freshen the brain; though it renders rising at 4 o'clock in the morn- ing an experience which it is impossible to forget. The third and last day's. trip included a side excursion to Lookout Point. Though a rough scramble over bowlders and up a steep grade is involved, the view amply repays one who makes the effort, including as it does the most com- prebensive survey it is possible to make of the south fork of the Kings River. At Cedar Grove, the party for the first time met upon the banks of the Kings Rives The peculiar beauty of the river and its surroundings at Cedar Grove readily explains why the attempt was once made to establish a hotel there. From Cedar Grove to the junction of Copper Creek with the Kings River is a short and comparatively easy walk, and early in'the afternoon walkers and riders had all arrived at Camp Colby. The Sier- ra Ciub found the main tents already pitched, serving tables made, and all the conveniences possible to & camp so remote from civilization already established. This was due to the work of Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Le Conte, whose stay of some weeks at the destined site of the Slerra Club camp had prepared the way for the club. The pack and saddle train, which ccoveyed the riders and the dunnage of the main party into the Kings River Can- yon, is the largest on record for a pleas- vre outing. It comprised 105 animals— pack and saddle—and required the serv- ices of sixteen packers. The provisions and general equipment were not taken in at the time the club went Into the canyon, but required innumerable separate trips. As a centrally located headquarters from which side trips may be taken Kings River Canyon is exceedingly popu- lar among mountaineers. For five con- e = MEETING OF UNIVERSITY GRADUATES secutive years J. N. Le Conte has camped in this region and from this center hai made his famous explorations of the sur- rounding high Sierra. The region is in- exhaustible.. Range after range of Snow- clad granite hold in their protecting grasp valley and meadow and lake coun- try—scenes that range through all the scale from chill austerity to the most en- dearing gentleness. ‘While those persons who climbed out of the valley and saw the scenes hidden from camp by the sheer walls undoubt- edly experienced enjoyment greater in kind than that possible to those who re- mained at the permanent camp, the stay- at-homes were not lacking in resources, for simply to have fished up and down stream in the immediate vicinity of camp was an employment which brought a prompt reward by way of heavy strings of shining trout. The Grand Sentinel, just over the river, was always towering in its 3500 feet of majesty, and the river curved and swirled with swift running eddies, where the lover of beauty might always behold it in its infinite variety of color and-its alluring grace of motion. Of short walks requiring papt of the day, or at most a long day, without speclal exer- tion one might have his choice of sev- eral. Roaring River, Granite Creek, the copper mine, Mist Falls—all these were easlly within the walking powers of near- ly every member of the Party. In the evening the time passed quickly around the great campfire, where the party gathered 200 strong for the hearing of “important announcefnents” and for the evening’s programme of entertainment. Dr. Spencer was master of ceremonies, and while the members of the Slerra Club were occasionally edified by an “in- structive”” talk, the greater part of each evening was glven up to entertainment more in keeping with the universal spirit of gayety. Vaudeville performances of various and highly original character and concerts by an impromptu glee club, which perversely insisted upon the title “Glue Club,” were most popular. A gram- ophone discoursed strains, sometimes sweet and sometimes heartrending, to an always delighted audlence. Most popular was a dramatization of “The Young Lochinvar,” in which the bride's vell was of mosquito netting and in which the steed—a pack mule—bucked the* young Lochinvar off in the middle of the last act. What the members of the Sierra Club will recall with no little profit are the talks of Mr. Warren Olney, Mr. Newhall and Mr. Le Conte. Mr. Olney recounted Roxrine- RiveRr Farrg Zh the story of the founding of the club, of the aims of the founders, the work al- ready accomplished in the preservation of forests, and indicated much that remains to be done in the adjustment of the claims of the sheep men. The reception of this speech by the club showed plainly that the organization has not become “‘a soclety for the giving of picnics,” as some have feared; but that it represents an earnest devotion to that purpose ex- pressed by the founders of the Slerra Club in the following terms: “To enlist the support and co-opefation of the peo- ple and the Government in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.” Mr. Newhall, superintendent of the for- est, talked on the work of the depart- ment of forestry and found much enthu- siasm among his hearers. Mr. Le Conte talkéd upon the Slerra Nevada range, with particular attention to the Kings RiYer reglon. Among other speakers who gave pleas- ure to the Sierra Club were Mr. and Mrs. Lemmon, W. K. Vickery, Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Henry Gannett and Charles Keeler. Thefe is at Camp Colby a great rock, semicircled on one side by trees and on the other by the Kings River. Early in the days of the camp it was the habita- tion of five of the club members; later its natural advantages as an auditorium became apparent and, as a consequence, all the later campfire meetings of the club were held on the rock. Here Mrs. Martha Foote Crowe, dean of the North- western University, called & meeting of the heavy representatives of the Asso- ciation of Colleglate Alumnae. Here on Sundays a most impressive vesper service was held in which the lay reader was once Mr. TracxXKelly and once Mr. W. K. Vickery. There will never be found a more beautiful and appropriate gathering place’ for the Sierra Club, nor did John Muir ever speak of his love for the moun- tains in a more fitting auditorium. The most important side trip' was the Mount Brewer and Kearsarge Pass ex- pedition. This was exclusively for walk- ers and was the supreme test of the mountaineering powers of the party. The amount of baggage fof each person was limited to fifteen pounds. As the trail was exceedingly dangerous ‘for horses and mules. it was desirable to limit the num- ber of pack animals by elfminating in every way possible all but the barest ne- cessities from the baggage. Those who undertook the trip did so with the full understanding that supplies might fail them so that limited rations would be the order for several meals; that the light weight of bedding taken might eas- ily prove insufficient for comfort; that in case of fatigue nothing could be done save to walk to the nearest camping place. In short, hardships like those en- dured by John Muir and other enthusi- astic mountaineers were predicted and every one warned against taking the trip. In spite of these warnings, ninety people braved the hardships. For a week they lived without sugar and much of the time their diet consisted of trout, mush and tea. > During this expedition the party visited East Lake, Lake Charlotte, Bryanthus Lake, University Peak, Mount Rixford, Mount Gould and Kearsage Pass. The chief feature of this trip was, of course, the ascent of Mount Brewer. After an early breakfast at Camp Le Conte, the party commenced the ascent of Mount Brewer at 6 in the morning. Owing to the sad accident which had taken place but a week before, when Walter Ray of another camping party was killed during an ascent of Mount Brewer, no precau- tions were spared. Althbugh several of the party were women, no .concessions were made to conventionality and the wearing of skirts during the climb was forbidden. This was necessary because of the danger from loose’ rocks, which were liable to be dislodged upon the slightest disturbance. The only other im- portant regulation consisted in the num- bering and placing in order of the climb- ers. In this order the climb was to be made; no one was permitted to deviate in any way from the route indicated by Mr. Le Conte. In this way an otherwise perilous climb was rendered comparative- ly safe. For a short distance the party climbed through snow in which steps were broken by Mr. Le Conte. Of the fifty who attempted the climb forty-seven reached the top and were recorded in the official Sterra Club register. Of this num- ber, sixteen were women. From the summit of Mount Brewer may ‘be seen one of the most remarkable of Sierra views—remarkable not only for austere beauty. but for comprehensive- ness. Mount Brewer is a comparatively isolated peak, being situated on a spur of the main ridge. From the summit is visible Crag Ericsson, the culmination of a series of pinnacles 14,000 feet high—one of the most remarkable pieces of moun- tain sculpture in the Sierra. A bewilder- ing succession of mountains lies on all sides of Brewer. There is a view of the main crest for nearly a hundred miles in both directions, including Whitney, the Kaweah group, Tyndall, Willlamson, Stanford Peak, University Peak, Mount Jordan, King, Gardner, the Palisades and Mount Goddard. On clear days may be / seen the Mount Lyell group, east of the Yosemite. < One of the delightful features of the return trip from the summit of a snow peak is the fact that one may, for the time being, consider oneself a toboggan end slide down in a minute a slope which required an hour to climb. So many of the forty-seven human toboggans were clad in blue that it is averred that a blue streak on the snow marks the route taken by the Sierra Club on its downward slide. Immediately upon the return of the mountaineering party, departures began to take place from the main camp. So many were the attractions by the way to the homeward bound that few could resist the temptation of spending a few more days in *“‘God’s out-of-doors.” By way of Visalia the Giant Forest proved an Irresistible attraction. People returning by way of Sanger found it hard to leave Millwood without the trip to Converse Basin. In Converse Basin is the segt of the operations of the Sanger Lumber Company, and in soma ways the biggest lumber mill in the world. Certainly no bigger timber is cut in any mill in the world, for here the Sequoia Gigantea, the undisputed monarchs of the forests, are felled and split and sawed into planks of fitting dimensions for interlor finish. The rose pink and white lumber from the sequoia is the rage in the East, we are told. Even the royal personages among trees do not escape from becoming the fad. When it was rumored that by far the largest tree in the world was the property of the Sanger Lumber Company the question was asked one of the man- agement: “Would you actually cut the biggest tree in the world?” and the reply was: ‘At present we haven't any tackle that could begin to handle it."” The sights you see at Converse Basin are sights which may no longer be seen twenty years from now. By that time there will be no more sequolas to cut in the reserve of the Sanger Lumber Company; and let us hope no one may ever have the privilege of at- tacking and devastating another park of these glorious trees. In order to reach Converse Basin from Millwood one takes the train. There are no passenger cars; on the way to the Ba- sin one rides on flat cars; returning, one rides on a load of rose-colored, sweet- scented lumber. For about five miles the engine pulls the train over trestles and around the curves of the little mountain raflway. Then the rest of the trip pro- ceeds by means of “the hoist.” To those who have been on the Mount Lowe Rail- way this method of travel is familiar. Those that have not had that experience may figure to themselves the Chutes suffi- clently magnified to accommodate a train of several cars—or a ‘‘scenic rallway,” in which the up-slope is a mile and a half and the down-slope a mile and a quarter. At the foot of the hoist the engine is side- tracked and a cable takes its place. When the top of the hoist is reached by means of this cable, the train stops and the cable is changed for the descent. At Converse Basin the monster logs are continually arriving from the camps by the dry chutes; all the logs are conveyed into the great amphitheater of the mill by a'tackle attached to a cable; in all there are twenty-three miles of cable re- quired for the purposes of themill at Converse Basin. By virtue of her function as speclal Sterra Club cofrespondent for The Call the: writer of this article was granted permission to ride on the chute, although the superintendent had sald that ths party of girls who had taken this trip over to “camp 2* that morning should be the first, last and only party of wo- men ever to ride the chute. Very reluctantly the superintendent and the head “line man” assisted their fem- inine passengers into the pig-trough shaped “boat,” containing the hooks and chains of the tackle. The superintendent grasped firmly the collar of The Call cor- respondent and gave the signal for start- ing. The sensations experfenced on tha way to the logging camp were unpleasant, but hardly so trying as on the way back. The “boat” moved by a succession of Jerks, which were disconcerting even to the writer, who was seated more or less comfortably on the tackle In the bottom of the boat; how the men manage to stand during the trip passes comprehen- sion. After a brief survey of the beau- titul Indian Basin in which “camp 2" is situated, the superintendent announced that it was time to return in order to meet the last train for Millwood. During the return trip three girls who wers also members of the Slerra Club accompanied the writer. The four girls and two men, escorted by the line men and the super- intendent, took their places, not in the “boat’ this time, but on a smooth round log to which the cable was fastened. This time even the line men sat instead of standing as in the “boat.” The log twisted and turned and jerked and bumped its way along the chute. What had been the top occasionally became the bottom of the log as it writhed and twist- ed on the chute. It required no incon- siderable alertness of mind and muscle to maintaln our positions on the variable top of that log. All went well, however, till the summit of the first grade was reached; then by a sudden jerk from the cable the log made a turn through half its circumference. The line men jumped, but nearly all the rest were flung to the ground at the side of the chute. No one was Injured, but ghe party had learned a lesson in the unBertainty of travel on a log chute and no one save the writer could be persuaded to finish the journey. As the log train slid and jerked its way down the steep grades or crossed trestles the thought occasionally arose in the en- lightened mind of the writer that travel- ing on the chutes would be quite toler- able if it were only all on a level and a little slower. When we arrived at Con- verse Basin the train had been waiting twenty minutes and the friendly appre- hensions of the other members of tha party were greatly relieved by our ap- pearance. After a mile and a half on the logs the ride home by the holst was almest tame—not quite! The stage yide from Millwood and the spectacular eéntrance into Fresno com- pleted the novel experiences of the Sierra Club and the outing’ is now a thing of the past; pleasant to experience and pleasant to look back upon. There is no doubt that Californians en- Joy unique advantages for mountaineer- ing. Nowhere else can be found, in con- junction, such a climate and such a rangs of mountains. That Californians are not inappreciative is shown by the additional fact that nowhere else do such numbers of cultured persons willingly undergo the difficulties of travel through a country entirely without inns. The women of Cal- ifornia have shown themselves hardy mountaineers and good comrades where discomforts are inevitable. It speaks well for American manhood and womanhood that the sons and daughters of pioneers enjoy “roughing it” for the sake of the inspiring freedom of life in California’s beautiful mountains. J. C.