the Peak, on a day when the “cloud mountains” so inspiring to Mr. Muir were much in evidence. _From a photograph by Herbert W. Gleason_ THE VERNAL FALLS, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 182 _From a photograph by Charles S. Olcott_ THE HAPPY ISLES, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 190 This is the main stream of the Merced River after passing over the Nevada and Vernal Falls and receiving the Illilouette tributary. _From a photograph by Charles S. Olcott_ THE THREE BROTHERS, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 208 The highest rock, called Eagle Point, is 7900 feet above the sea, and 3900 feet above the floor of the valley. _From a photograph by Charles S. Olcott_ MAP OF THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 264 _From the United States Geological Survey_ FROM SKETCHES MADE BY THE AUTHOR IN 1869 HORSESHOE BEND, MERCED RIVER 14 ON SECOND BENCH. EDGE OF THE MAIN FOREST BELT, ABOVE COULTERVILLE, NEAR GREELEY’S MILL 14 CAMP, NORTH FORK OF THE MERCED 38 MOUNTAIN LIVE OAK (_Quercus chrysolepis_), EIGHT FEET IN DIAMETER 38 SUGAR PINE 50 DOUGLAS SQUIRREL OBSERVING BROTHER MAN 68 DIVIDE BETWEEN THE TUOLUMNE AND THE MERCED, BELOW HAZEL GREEN 86 TRACK OF SINGING DANCING GRASSHOPPER IN THE AIR OVER NORTH DOME 140 ABIES MAGNIFICA (MOUNT CLARK, TOP OF SOUTH DOME, MOUNT STARR KING) 142 ILLUSTRATING GROWTH OF NEW PINE FROM BRANCH BELOW THE BREAK OF AXIS OF SNOW-CRUSHED TREE 144 APPROACH OF DOME CREEK TO YOSEMITE 150 JUNIPERS IN TENAYA CA—ON 164 VIEW OF TENAYA LAKE SHOWING CATHEDRAL PEAK 196 ONE OF THE TRIBUTARY FOUNTAINS OF THE TUOLUMNE CA—ON WATERS, ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HOFFMAN RANGE 196 GLACIER MEADOW, ON THE HEADWATERS OF THE TUOLUMNE, 9500 FEET ABOVE THE SEA 204 MONO LAKE AND VOLCANIC CONES, LOOKING SOUTH 228 HIGHEST MONO VOLCANIC CONES (NEAR VIEW) 228 ONE OF THE HIGHEST MOUNT RITTER FOUNTAINS 240 GLACIER MEADOW STREWN WITH MORAINE BOULDERS, 10,000 FEET ABOVE THE SEA (NEAR MOUNT DANA) 248 FRONT OF CATHEDRAL PEAK 248 VIEW OF UPPER TUOLUMNE VALLEY 252 MY FIRST SUMMER IN THE SIERRA CHAPTER I THROUGH THE FOOTHILLS WITH A FLOCK OF SHEEP In the great Central Valley of California there are only two seasons—spring and summer. The spring begins with the first rainstorm, which usually falls in November. In a few months the wonderful flowery vegetation is in full bloom, and by the end of May it is dead and dry and crisp, as if every plant had been roasted in an oven. Then the lolling, panting flocks and herds are driven to the high, cool, green pastures of the Sierra. I was longing for the mountains about this time, but money was scarce and I couldn’t see how a bread supply was to be kept up. While I was anxiously brooding on the bread problem, so troublesome to wanderers, and trying to believe that I might learn to live like the wild animals, gleaning nourishment here and there from seeds, berries, etc., sauntering and climbing in joyful independence of money or baggage, Mr. Delaney, a sheep-owner, for whom I had worked a few weeks, called on me, and offered to engage me to go with his shepherd and flock to the headwaters of the Merced and Tuolumne rivers—the very region I had most in mind. I was in the mood to accept work of any kind that would take me into the mountains whose treasures I had tasted last summer in the Yosemite region. The flock, he explained, would be moved gradually higher through the successive forest belts as the snow melted, stopping for a few weeks at the best places we came to. These...