Creator

John Muir

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26 has been buried beneath a large avalanche that occured [several] hund [hundred] yr [years] ago. Some of the rocky slopes [upon] wh [which] have [furnished] ground for the principal groves, but we see groves upon soils that have nothing to do with moraines of any kind such as that wh [which] [runs] [out] into the meadow is in front of Yo Sem [Yosemite] fall. This is growing upon a rocky slope wh [which] was spread by the force of Yo Sem Crek [Yosemite Creek] in flood time, the material being mostly derived from an earthquake avalanche that fell from the west side of falls. Another fine grove having no dependence on shadows [runs] out from Ind Can [Indian Cañon] This grove like that in front of Yo Sem crk [Yosemite Creek] is [growing] upon material [deposited] by the waters of a flood, delta shaped. And all [along] the walls on both sides the valley the width of the border of timber is at once seen 27

to depend upon the amount of wash from above, [ommitting] of course the groves upon moraine matter & avalanch slopes. The groves occupy all the highest ground all except the meadow. It will now be easy to account for the bends of [river] wh [which] is jostled from side to side by the slopes upon wh [which] the [groves] are growing. From our stand point we see the first great bend at head of valley measured by moraine slopes of Ill [Illilouette] & Gl Pt [Glacier Point]. The wash from Ind Can [Indian Cañon] drives it against the wall, then a few shifting coil-like bends then bent N [north] by wash from Sent [Sentinel] then south by wash from Can [Cañon] [betwn] [between] Eag Pt [Eagle Point] & Cap [Capitan] Thus we observe that so far from the Yo Sem [Yosemite] [bottom] [being] a [new] leveled waste heap filling up a [mysterious] abyss. It is a song of perfect harmony readable to all. Those who will take the pains to look

Date Original

1873

Source

Original journal dimensions: 10 x 16.5 cm.

Resource Identifier

MuirReel23Journal12P26-27.tif

Publisher

Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library

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Keywords

John Muir, journals, drawings, writings, travel, journaling, naturalist

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