April 1959

YOSEMITE VOLUME XXXVIII - NUMBER 4 APRIL 1959

—Anderson, NPS Wapama Falls

IN COOPERATION WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

Tueeulala and Wapama Falls from Hetch Hetchy Dam, 1925

Since 1922, the monthly publication of the National Park Service and the Yosemite Natural History Association in Yosemite National Park. John C. Preston, Park Superintendent Douglass H. Hubbard, Park Naturalist Robert F. Upton, Associate Park Naturalist Paul F. McCrary, Assistant Park Naturalist Sigismund J. Zachwieja, Junior Park Naturalist Robert A. Grom, Park Naturalist Trainee

VOLUME XXXVIII APRIL 1959 NO. 4 TO TUEEULALA AND WAPAMA

By Howard H. Cofer, Ranger-Naturalist Although we had not planned it, lies between the base of the cliff and we were glad we made the walk the water 's edge. This road has a from the dam at Hetch Hetchy to the gradual incline and if followed leads base of the falls which come over to Miguel Meadows. About half the the north rim of the canyon. Not one distance to the falls a trail is taken visitor in a hundred has heard of Tueeulala and Wapama, and not one of a thousand has ever 'seen these beautiful falls. One of a thousand has ever 'seen and the Tioga Road, about 44 miles distance and 4500 feet higher in elevation. As one goes through the far end of As we walked along, it was in the tunnel, away from the noise of interesting to look at the reservoir the water rushing through the dam. some 150 to 200 feet below us. In Although both Tueeulala and Wapama can be seen from the area of the dam the true realization of their beauty and force is in direct proportion to places submerged rocks could be seen along the shore while in others the water was a deep blue, indicating great depth up to the shoreline. lion to one's nearness to them. The Far out in the water were floating intense roar of the white, foamy, logs, carried down by the Tuolumne rushing water and the very wet like so many match sticks. spray which billows out as a result Brockman, in Principal Waterfalls of is indeed impressive. the World, lists the total height of The average hiker will take about Tueeulala as 1000 feet with an essentially hour to cover the distance from essentially free leap of not more than the dam to the falls. The only route 600 feet. Although it generally disavailable is along the road which appears by late July, the unusually

YOSEMITE

Hetch Hetchy Valley and Falls before 1906. heavy snow in late winter of 1958 on the trail at this time of the year. meant abundant water coming over Most of it goes under the trail by the rim on July 11. As we bent our way of a flume and enters the reservoir among the rocks a few feet similarity to Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite Valley. Later, I was interested to read that John Muir had called it the most graceful fall he had ever seen and that he, too, compared it with Bridalveil. Soon, on rounding a bend and going over a rise in the trail, Wapama it the most graceful fall he had ever comes into view. One can see only seen and that he, too, compared it the lower fall at first, but we were with Bridalveil. immediately aware of a much Just to the left of where Tueeulala greater volume of water here than pours over the lip a huge rock juts in Tueeulala. A few yards farther above the otherwise smooth horizon. and we looked straight into the face We estimated it to be 30 feet in of the upper fall with its tremendous height. Across the water to the right cloud of spray shooting out hundred dreds of feet. There are three which seems to protrude several feet bridges under which the water races out over the rim. One wonders how to the deep blue depths of Hetch many ages this rock has been in Hetchy. We were impressed with this position and if the forces of nature will ever cause it to fall. their safe sturdy nature as we stood looking down at the swirling white Very little of the water from water. At first you wondered about Tueeulala flows under the bridge crossing such a torrent of water but

solid appearance of the 4-inch brinks in the flooring and the heavy Standing at the base of Wapama. foundations soon quell your Fall, using one's imagination and Cubist. It had been hot on the trail going back to the time before this and the cooling mist was more than valley was covered with water, one Welcome. It reminded us of the Mist is impressed with its similarity to it in early summer on the way to Yosemite Valley. Early pictures of Vernal Fall. Hetch Hetchy confirm what you The topographic map of Yosemite have visualized. Even though the National Park gives 1500 feet as the precipitous walls come down to the total drop of Wapama. No figures water 's edge in many places and hahave been found as to the height of form a beautiful setting, one can 't the individual drops. They are close help but wish for the natural, unflooded valley with its winding Tuolumne River into which these l when one is standing in front of waterfalls once emptied. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, 1942 —Anderson, NPS

PRESIDENTIAL VISITS TO YOSEMITE

By Marvin R. Koller, Ranger-Naturalist Conclusion In 1909 another President arrived while still in office. This time the distinguished visitor was not the outdoor type. The President was William Howard Taft, and his greatest problem seemed to be his weight. An aide wrote that President Taft weighed 320 pounds and that while he was amiable and would do whatever was required of him, he should not be allowed to over-exert himself. A doctor was in the presidential party especially to watch that the President gained no more weight. At Glacier Point it was decided that a horse should be provided to carry Taft down the trail to the Valley floor. A beautiful gray horse named Eagle was chosen to do the job but after comparing the President with the girth of the horse it was deemed more advisable to let Eagle come down unburdened. FDR and Party in Yosemite Valley, July 15, 1938

—Boysen President William Howard Taft and John Muir at the Grizzly Giant down quite undisturbed but President Taft did perspire profusely as This meant a whole change of clothing should be made upon his he walked down from the heights. arrival at the Sentinel Hotel. How-

YOSEMITE

ever, the luggage containing the out the Merced Road past Yosemite proper clothing was not available Falls. It was reliably reported that and so President Taft had to go to the President was "enraptured." He bed while his clothes dried in the "oohed" and "ahed" much as anyone sun along the clothesline near the impressed by the grand scenes beMerced River. Nowhere in Yosemite fore them. could clothes be found to fit the President Dwight D. Eisenhower President; hence the necessity to put has been to Yosemite, too, but not him to bed! while in office. He came while a On the occasion of this visit, PresiGeneral with NATO, shortly before dent Taft met Galen Clark, then in he became President of the United his nineties. The following year States. Clark passed away and was laid to Thus, the visits of Presidents were rest in his sequoia-guarded place in many times the usual sightseeing the pioneer cemetery. and momentary vacations. However, The one President from California as you have noted by now, there was Herbert Hoover and as a resiwere momentous results from some dent of California he modestly visits and we may quite rightly con visited Yosemite at various intervals. elude as President Garfield wrote in President Hoover did not visit the the Grand register : "No one can Park while he was in office but his thoughtfully study the Valley and its admiration of Yosemite is well surroundings without being broad known. minded thereafter. " The last President in office to come (See "We Will Pitch Camp at Bridal to Yosemite was Franklin Delano veil" by Ralph Anderson,

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Roosevelt. He arrived on July 15, NATURE NOTES, Vol. XXX, May 1951, No. His trip was by rail to El Portal, and "Roosevelt and Muir - Conservationists" by Richard then by automobile. He was careHartesveldt,

fully routed from Tunnel View and Vol. XXXIV, November 1955, No. 11 Bridalveil Falls to Happy Isles and pp. 133-136.) Park Superintendent Lewis and Herbert Hoover, 1927

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RECENT OBSERVATIONS OF THE PINE MARTEN IN YOSEMITE

By John D. Cunningham, Ranger-Naturalist The pine marten (Martes americana sierrae), while not an especially rare mammal of the Sierra Nevada, is not frequently seen by the average visitor to Yosemite. This interesting animal is about the size of a house cat and is usually found in or near rockslides in forested areas from the red fir belt to timberline. As ranger-naturalists and other interested persons go about their work in Yosemite, they notice interesting or unusual facts about the wildlife of the region. These facts and all related data are recorded in small pocket notebooks and later filed in the Museum. Several recent observations on the pine marten are interesting. The marten appears to be a curious mammal and can sometimes be investigated quite closely. Rangernaturalist Larry Richards observed one near Tuolumne Pass from a distance of only six feet at 3:30 in the afternoon in September, 1957. In August, 1957, Ranger-naturalist R. W. Carpenter watched a marten near May Lake. It was in a hollow stump and would peek out at him occasionally. Each time it retreated into the safety of the stump, it would emit a short growl. The day before, Mr. Carpenter watched another marten at about noon near Badger Pass as it crossed a log with something in its mouth. Martens have been observed high above timberline crawling in and out of rocks at an elevation of 12,500 Sierra Pine Marten feet on Mt. Dana. Grinnel and Storer in their Animal Life in the Yosemite record the marten as occurring only to an elevation of 10,350 feet. Occasionally, especially in winter, the marten will also retreat to a lower

elevation than usual. On a NovemOf the weasel tribe, the only one ber morning in 1949, a marten was to hibernate, and then only under observed investigating an old wood severe conditions, is the skunk. Thus, pile behind the Fish Hatchery at the pine marten is active throughout Happy Isles. This is the lowest elevation at which the marten has thus in January, 1956, reported seeing far been found in Yosemite. Another marten tracks from Snow Flat marten was observed on the Vernal Tioga Pass. A marten peeked through Fall trail, three-quarters of a mile a crack in the shutter of a cabin from Happy Isles, in 1926. * Happy Tuolumne Meadows. After being disturbed, this animal ran around Isles is cool and damp and represents the lowest elevation at which sents the lowest elevation at which outside of the cabin for 15 minutes several other animal species have Another marten had visited the been captured. Tioga Pass Ranger Station and in Martens apparently are playful animals and somewhat gregarious. Several have been seen together at various times. Near Merced Pass on a September morning, six were seen playing and lounging on the rocks in the sun. When disturbed they appeared in the rocks, but within five minutes, two of them reappeared and again took their positions. On the ridge near Huckleberry Lake on May 1, 1950, the tracks of three or investigated some cans left outside the building. There is much to be learned about Yosemite's animals, and one does not have to be a trained zoologist make a significant contribution. Any dismal activity which is interesting or even seemingly ordinary is worthy of note. Take time out from scurrying here and there over Yosemite's trails to jot down a few natural history observations! four martens were noted in the snow. * See Russell, C. P., Yosemite Nature In 1956, martens nested in the attic Notes, Vol. V, Dec., 1926, No. 12, of Buck Camp Ranger Station. p. 94. Waterwheel Falls on the Tuolumne River —Anderson, NPS

A NEW SERIES OF HISTORICAL COMPARISON PICTURES

At 10 :30 a.m. on June 18, 1859 the first photographic plate ever to be exposed in Yosemite Valley was made. A special issue telling of this event, and the research undertaken to find an original print, is planned for the June issue of Yosemite Nature Notes. A series of historical comparison pictures will be published from time to time to commemorate the early photographers who carried their enormous cameras over non-existent trails, eighty to one hundred years ago. For this series we are indebted to Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Hood, Yosemite National Park's indefatigable collaborators, who have, during the past several summers devoted their attention to the early photographic records of the park. They are now engaged in retaking as many as possible of these old views. We regret that many pictures will be undated. Any help from our readers will be most welcome. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the libraries and persons who have allowed us to reproduce items from their collections. The Editor

YOSEMITE'S FIRST BRIDGE

On the evening of June 21, 1859, Rev. Ferdinand C. Ewer made this pencil sketch of Yosemite 's first bridge. James M. Hutchings, who visited Yosemite Valley with Rev. Ewer, refers to this bridge as follows: " Our guide announced that the horses were ready... we were soon in our saddles and off. After crossing a rude bridge over the main stream, which is here about sixty feet in width and eight feet deep at this season of the year, we kept to the north bank a short distance..." Hutchings ' California Magazine, V. 4, p. 194. Photo courtesy of California Historical Society, San Francisco.

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In almost the same location, the Sentinel Bridge was built in 1918 and was regarded as wholly adequate to withstand high water and increasing visitor use. Today it is with difficulty that buses and autos squeeze by one another. Most visitors prefer to regard it as one-way and good-naturedly lake turns crossing. Fishermen and photographers "stand slim " along the narrow sidewalks and the park engineers consider the future of this structure as everincreasing numbers of people visit the park. Photo by A. W. Hood - September 9, 1958

YOSEMITE TREES CHANGE SLOWLY AT HIGH ALTITUDES

By Neva Snell and Frances Carter These lodgepole pines have changed very little in twenty-two years, in spite of their exposed location just over the crest of a windswept ridge at about 9,100 feet elevation. Of particular interest is. the tenacity of small dead twigs, such as the lowest one on the left side. The taller tree of the clump shows slight growth at the top, while a few lower branches on both trees have died back. The 1935 photograph was taken to show the nesting hole of a pair of Modoc Woodpeckers (located by the white arrow about one-third of the way up the slanting trunk). The hole appeared to be unoccupied on brief inspection in late June, 1957, and during several hours observation on July 1, 1958. These dates may have been too early at this elevation. The 1935 observation was probably made about July 10. These trees are in a research area in the Park, north of Yosemite Valley.

PHOTOS:

Left side : 1935 Photographer unknown. Right side: 1957 Neva Snell

PUBLICATIONS FOR SALE AT THE YOSEMITE MUSEUM

All mail orders should be addressed to, and remittances made payable to, Yosemite

NATURAL

HISTORY ASSOCIATION, Yosemite NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA. Prices include postage, insurance, and on proper items, California State Sales Tax 3%, plus 1% County Tax.

GENERAL

Adams' Guide to Yosemite Valley, Illustrated $1 65 Auto Tour of Yosemite Valley, Self-Guiding - Beatty and Harwell

Auto Tour of Yosemite National Park - Ditton and McHenry

Campsite Finder (Western) - Hartesveldt 1 65 Climbers Guide to High Sierra - Sierra Club 3 25 Devils Postpile Notional Monument - Hartesveldt

Exploring Our National Parks and Monuments - Butcher (paper) 3 75 Exploring Our National Parks and Monuments - Butcher (cloth) 5 40 Going Light - With Backpack or Burro - Sierra Club 2 25 Happy Isles Nature Center, Your Guide to - Hubbard

National Park Story in Pictures - Story

National Parks, The - What They Mean to You and Me - Tilden (cloth) 6 20 National Parks, The - What They Mean to You and Me - Tilden (paper) 1 15 Nature Trail - Inspiration Point Self-Guiding - Carpenter

Nature Trail - Mariposa Grove Self Guiding - Wason

Outdoor Hazards - Real and Fancied - Hood 4 25 Place Names of Yosemite Valley - Hartesveldt

Rocks & Minerals, How to Know Them - Pearl

Starr 's Guide to John Muir Trail and High Sierra Region 2 25 This is California - Obert 8 00 Waterfalls, Famous, of the World - Brockman

Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada - Ansel Adams & John Muir 12 70 Yosemite Story, The - Scott _ 1 20 Yosemite Trails & Tales - Taylor

ANIMAL LIFE

Animal Tracks, Field Guide to - Murie 4.30 Birds of Pacific States - Hoffman 6.20 Birds, Western, Field Guide to - Peterson - 4.30 Birds of Yosemite - Stebbins.......... '.....................85 Fishes of Yosemite National Park - Evans-Wallis

Mammals, Field Guide to - Burt and Grossenheider.................................................... 4.30 Mammals of Yosemite National Park - Parker

Reptiles and Amphibians of Yosemite National Park - Walker

Survey of Sierra Nevada Bighorn - Jones

TREES AND FLOWERS

Broadleaved Trees of Yosemite National Park _ Brockman

Cone-bearing Trees of Yosemite National Park - Cole

Ferns, Field Guide to - Cobb 4 30 Sequoias, Yosemite, Guide to the - McFarland.....

Wildflowers, Common, of Yosemite - Beatty, Harwell and Cole

Wildflowers of the Sierra (80 color photos) - Hubbard

Wildflowers, Western, Field Book of - Armstrong 5 40

HISTORY AND INDIANS

Ghost Mines of Yosemite - Hubbard (paper) ---- ------ 1.20 Ghost Mines of Yosemite - Hubbard (cloth) ____ : 3.00 Gold, Guns and Ghost Towns - Chalfant....................................................... 3.80 Indians, Yosemite, Yesterday and Today - Godfrey

John Muir, Protector of the Wilds - Haines-Morrill 2.00 Miwok Material Culture - Barrett and Gifford (paper) - 2.20 Miwok Material Culture - Barrett and Gifford •(cloth) ---------------------------- 3.25 Mother Lode Country, Guide to the - Brockman -..._ -__....---..._ -_._.60 100 Years in Yosemite - Russell (paper) 2.20 100 Years in Yosemite - Russell (cloth) 3.25 One Thousand California Place Names - Gudde 1.15 Steve Mather of the National Parks - Shonklond -- 6.20 Wilderness World of John Muir, The - Teale 4.85 Yosemite : The Story of An Idea - Huth

GEOLOGY AND MAPS

Geologic History of Yosemite Valley (Prof. Paper 160) - Matthes 5.75 Geology of Yosemite Valley, Brief Story of - Beatty

High Sierra Camp Areas, Pocket Guide to - Clark

High Sierra Camp Areas, Trail Guide to - Clark _1.15 Incomparable Valley, The - Matthes (paper) 2.15 Map of Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP, Topographic - USGS 1.15 Map of Yosemite National Park, Topographic - USGS

Map of Yosemite Valley, Topographic, shaded (geology story printed on back)

North Country of Yosemite, Pocket Guide to - Clark

North Country of Yosemite, Trail Guide to - Clark 1.15 South Boundary Country, Pocket Guide to - Clark _

South Boundary Country, Trail Guide to - Clark _..__.--._- -_----------------_--..--....-__.---...-- 1.15

FOR CHILDREN

A Day with Tupi, An Indian Boy of the Sierra - Hubbard (paper) --_ 1.20 A Day with Tupi, An Indian Boy of the Sierra - Hubbard (cloth) - 3.00 Animal Friends of the Sierra - Hubbard (paper) __ 1.20 Animal Friends of the Sierra - Hubbard (cloth) - 3.00