Sierra Journal, Summer of 1869, v. 3, 1869 [ca. 1887], Image 26

46 antlers. After a long ramble[ing] [saunter] through the dense encumbered woods I emerged upon a smooth [level] meadow [level as a lake] full of sunshine like a lake of light. [the banks of which are the forests which hemmed in] bounded by the two-leaved pines, tall & arrowy pines. X (See pg 93) It is about [2]1 1/2(?) miles long [&] a quarter of a mile wide & the sod is made of silky Agrostis & calamagrostis chiefly, [with] their panicles of purple flowers & purple stems of which are so light & fine [it] they seem[s] to fairly float above the green plush lawn of leaves like a mist. While [it] the whole meadow was made yet more joyous [by] & beautiful by thousands of [flowers] gentians, [polentilus], ivesias, orthocarpus, etc. & their corresponding bees & butterflies. All the [glacier] meadows hereabouts [one of many] are beautiful. All more or less alike in their main characteristics] but few are so perfect as this one, compared with it the most carefully level, licked, snipped, artificial lawn of pleasure grounds are course things. I should like to live here always. It is so calm & withdrawn while open to the universe in full communion with everything good. To the north of this meadow I discovered the camp of some Indian hunters by the smoke of their fire. They had not yet returned from the chase but I saw them later. 47 From meadow to meadow every one beautiful beyond telling, & from lake to lake through groves & belts of arrowy trees I held my way northward towards Mt. Conness [& Dana] finding wild novel beauty everywhere [near & far]. [Had telling views of] The encompassing mountains are ever calling come. Hope I may climb them all & learn their stories. Though that scarce seems possible. A most delightful fruitful enriching day [full of the richest wildness]. Aug [August] 12) The sky scenery has changed but X little so far with the change in elevation [we have made]. Clouds about .05, glorious pearly cumuli tinted with purple of ineffable fairness [delicacy] of tone. Moved camp to the side [finest] of the glacier meadow[s] mentioned above. To let sheep trample so divinely fine a place seems a barbarous desecration. [It seems a] [a place] [of so divinely fair]. Fortunately they [sheep] prefer the succulent broad leaved triticum & other woodland grasses to the silky species of the meadows & therefore seldom set foot in them. The Shepherd & the Don could not agree about the method [style] of herding [sheep]. Billy set [the] his dog Jack on the[m] sheep too often, so the Don thought & after some dispute today in wh [which] the shepherd loudly claimed the right to dog the d—d sheep as much as he liked he was dischargedhttps://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmn-sj3/1025/thumbnail.jp