The Lake of the Sky Part 28

[Ill.u.s.tration: Mountain Heather, in Desolation Valley, Near Lake Tahoe]

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Successful Deer Hunter at Lake Tahoe]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Chris Nelson, With His Catch, a 23 Lb. Tahoe Trout]

CHAPTER XXIX

HUNTING AT LAKE TAHOE

In the chapter on the Birds and Animals of the Tahoe Region I have written of the game to be found. There are few places left in the Sierras where such good deer- and bear-hunting can be found as near Tahoe. During the dense snow-falls the deer descend the western slopes, approaching nearer and nearer to the settlements of the upper foothills, and there they do fairly well until the snow begins to recede in the spring. They keep as near to the snow line as possible, and are then as tame and gentle almost as sheep. When the season opens, however, they soon flee to certain secret recesses and hidden lairs known to none but the old and experienced guides of the region.

There are so many of these wooded retreats, however, and the Tahoe area is so vast, that it is seldom an expert goes out for deer (or bear) that he fails. Hence the sportsman is always a.s.sured of "something worth while."

As for bear I have told elsewhere of recent hunts on Mt. Freel from Tallac, and the two bears killed there in 1913, and of Carl Flugge's experiences. With Tallac hunters, Flugge, Bob Watson or any other experienced man, one can scarcely fail to have exciting and successful times.

CHAPTER x.x.x

THE FLOWERS OF THE TAHOE REGION

It would be impossible in the s.p.a.ce of a brief chapter to present even a list of all the flowers found and recorded in the Tahoe Region.

Suffice it to say that 1300 different species already have been listed. This chapter will merely call attention to the most prominent, or, on the other hand, the rarer and special flowering plants that the visitor should eagerly search for.

As fast as the snow retires from the sun-kissed slopes the flowers begin to come out. Indeed in April, were one at Tahoe, he could make a daily pilgrimage to the receding snow-line and there enjoy new revelations of dainty beauty each morning. For the flowers, as the snow-coating becomes thinner, respond to the "call of the sun", and thrust up their spears out of the softened and moistened earth, so that when the last touch of snow is gone they are often already in bud ready to burst forth into flower at the first kiss of sunshine.

In May they come trooping along in all their pristine glory, G.o.d's thoughts cast upon the mold of earth, so that even the men and women of downcast eyes and souls may know the ever-fresh, ever-present love of G.o.d.

Most interesting of all is the snow-plant (_sarcodes san-guinea Torrey_). The name is unfortunate. The plant doesn't look like snow, nor does it grow on or in the snow. It simply follows the snow line, as so many of the Sierran plants do, and as the snow melts and leaves the valley, one must climb to find it. It is of a rich red color, which glows in the sunlight like a living thing. It has no leaves but is supplied with over-lapping scale-like bracts of a warm flesh-tint. At the lower part of the flower these are rigid and closely adherent to the stem, but higher up they become looser and curl gracefully about among the vivid red bells. In the spring of 1914 they were wonderfully plentiful at the Tavern and all around the Lake.

I literally saw hundreds of them.

Next in interest comes the heather, both red and white. In Desolation Valley, as well as around most of the Sierran lakes of the Tahoe Region, beds of heather are found that have won enthusiastic Scotchmen to declare that Tahoe heather beats that of Scotland. The red heather is the more abundant, and its rich deep green leaves and crown of glowing red makes it to be desired, but the white heather is a flower fit for the delicate corsage bouquet of a queen, or the lapel of the n.o.blest of men. Dainty and exquisite, perfect in shape and color its tiny white bell is _par-excellence_ the emblem of pa.s.sionate purity.

Blue gentians (_Gentina calycosa, Griseb_) abound, their deep blue blossoms rivaling the pure blue of our Sierran skies. These often come late in the season and cheer the hearts of those who come upon them with "a glad sweet surprise". There are also white gentians found aplenty.

The water lilies of the Tahoe Region are strikingly beautiful. In many of the Sierran lakes conditions seem to exist which make them flourish and they are found in plentiful quant.i.ties.

Wild marigolds abound in large patches, even on the mountain heights, where there is plenty of moisture and sunshine, and a species of marguerite, or mountain daisy, is not uncommon. The Indian paint-brush is found everywhere and is in full bloom in deepest red in September.

Wild sunflowers also abound except where the sheep have been. Then not a sign of once vast patches can be found. They are eaten clear to the ground.

The mullein attains especial dignity in this mountain region. Stately and proud it rises above the lesser though more beautiful flowers of the wild. It generally dies down in September, though an occasional flowering stalk may be seen as late as October.

Another very common but ever-welcome plant, for its pungent and pleasing odor, is the pennyroyal. It abounds throughout the whole region and its hardiness keeps it flowering until late in the fall.

Beautiful and delicate at all times wherever seen, the wild snowdrop is especially welcome in the Tahoe Region, where, amid soaring pines and firs, it timidly though faithfully blooms and cheers the eye with its rare purity.

Now and again one will find the beautiful California fuchsia (_zauschneria Californica_, Presl.) its delicate beauty delighting the eye and suggesting some of the rare orchids of a pale yellow tint.

The Sierra primrose (_Primula Suffrutescens_) is often found near to the snow-line. Its tufts of evergreen leaves seem to revel in the cold water of the melting snow and the exquisite rose-tints of the flowers are enhanced by the pure white of what snow is left to help bring them into being.

It is natural that, in a region so abounding in water, ferns of many kinds should also abound. The common brake flourishes on the eastern slopes, but I have never found the maiden hair. On the western slopes it is abundant, but rarely if ever found on the easterly exposures.

Most striking and attractive among the shrubs are the mountain ash, the mountain mahogany (_cereocarpus parvifolius_, Nutt.) the California laurel (_umbellularia Californica_, Nutt.) and the California holly, or _toyon_. The rich berries, the green leaves, the exquisite and dainty flowers, the delicious and stimulating odors all combine to make these most welcome in every Sierran landscape, no matter at what season they appear.

While in the foregoing notes on the flowers of the Tahoe region I have hastily gone over the ground, one particular mountain to the north of Tahoe has been so thoroughly and scientifically studied that it seems appropriate to call more particular attention to it in order that botanists may realize how rich the region is in rare treasures. For what follows I am indebted to the various writings of Professor P.

Beveridge Kennedy, long time professor at the University of Nevada, but recently elected to the faculty of the University of California.

One could almost write a "Botany" of Mt. Rose alone, so interesting are the floral specimens found there. This mountain stands unique in the Lake Tahoe region in that it is an intermediate between the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada and those of the interior of the Great Basin. Its flora are undoubtedly influenced by the dry atmospheric conditions that exist on the eastern side. A mere suggestion only can be given here of the full enjoyment afforded by a careful study of what it offers.

At from 10,000 feet up the following new species have been found.

_Eriogonum rhodanthum_, a perennial which forms dense mats on hard rocky ground. The caudex is made up of many strands twisted together like rope, its numerous branches terminated by cl.u.s.ters of very small, new and old leaves, with flower cl.u.s.ters. Another similar species is the _E. rosensis_.

An interesting rock-cress is found in the _Arabis Depauperata_, which here shows the results of its fierce struggles for existence. It bears minute purple flowers.

Flowering in the middle of August, but past flowering at the end of September the _Gilia montana_ is found, with its numerous white and pink leaves.

Nearby is the _Phlox dejecta_ in large quant.i.ties, resembling a desert moss, and covering the rocks with its tinted carpet.

An Indian paint-brush with a flower in an oblong cream-colored spike, with purple blotches, was named _Castilleia inconspicua_, possibly because it is so much less conspicuous and alluring to the eye than its well-known and striking brother of the California fields, _C.

parviflora_. This species has been of great interest to botanists, as when first observed it was placed in the genus _Orthocarpus_.

Professor Kennedy thinks it is undoubtedly a connecting link between the two genera. It has been found only on Mount Rose, where it is common at between 9000 and 10,000 feet elevation. It reaches, however, to the summit, though it is more sparingly found there.

Professor Kennedy also describes _Hulsea Caespitosa_, or Alpine dandelion, a densely p.u.b.escent plant, emitting a disagreeable odor, whose large yellow flowers surprise one when seen glowing apparently out of the ma.s.ses of loose volcanic rock. It is soon found, however, that they have roots deep down in good soil beneath. Another new species, _Chrysothamnus Monocephala_, or Alpine rabbit-brush, is a very low, shrubby plant, with insignificant pale yellow flowers.

A beautiful little plant, well adapted to rockeries and suited for cultivation, is _Polemonium Montrosense_. Under good conditions it grows excellently. It was found on the summit of Mt. Rose, and at lower elevations.

Cl.u.s.ters of the Alpine Monkey-flower (_Mimulus Implexus_, Greene), are also found on Mt. Rose, as well as on other Tahoe mountain summits.

The rich yellow flowers bloom profusely, though their bed is often a moraine of wet rocks over which a turbulent cold stream has recently subsided.

Slightly below the summit the little elephant's-head have been found (_Elephantella attolens_(Gray) h.e.l.ler). Rydberg in his _Flora of Montana_ showed that these were not properly the true _pendicularis_, as they had hitherto been regarded, hence the new name. The corolla strikingly resembles the head of an elephant, the beak of the galea forming the trunk, the lateral lobes of the lips the ears, and the stigma the finger-like appendage of the trunk.

In August, growing below the perpetual snow banks at about 10,000 feet elevation that supply an abundance of moisture, one will often find clumps of _Rhodiola Integrifolia_, which attract the eye with their deep reddish-purple flowers and fruits. The leaves also have a purple tinge.

Nearby clambering over the granite bowlders the Alpine heath, _Ca.s.siope Mertensianae_, with its mult.i.tude of rose-tinted flower bells, sometimes is found, though not in the profusion it displays in Desolation Valley.

Another very interesting plant is the Alpine currant (_Ribes Inebrians_, Lindl.) which between the years 1832 and 1907 has received no less than eight different names accorded by European and American botanists. It is a remarkable shrub, in that it occurs higher on the mountain than any other form of vegetation except lichens. The roots penetrate deeply into the crevices of the lava rocks, enabling it to withstand the fierce winds. The flowers, which appear in August, are white, shading to pink, and the red berries, which are not especially palatable on account of their insipid taste and numerous seeds, are abundant in September. Another new Mt. Rose _ribes_ has been named _Churchii_ in honor of Professor J.E. Church, Jr., whose original work at the Mt. Rose Observatory is described in the chapter devoted to that purpose.

Growing at elevations of from 6000 to 10,000 feet, displaying a profusion of white flowers sometimes delicately tinged with light purple is the _Phlox Douglasii_, Hook. It is low but with loose, much-branched prostrate stems and remarkably stout, almost woody roots.

A new Alpine willow (_Salix Caespitosa_) has also been discovered. Professor Kennedy thus writes of it:

The melting snow, as it comes through and over the rocks in the nature of a spring, brings with it particles of sand and vegetation, which form a very shallow layer of soil on a flat area to one side of the main branch of the stream. On this the willow branches adhere like ivy, rooting at every joint and interlaced so as to form a dense mat. From these, erect leafy shoots, one or two inches high, appear, with the many flowered catkins extending above the foliage. The pistillate plants occupy separate but adjacent areas to the staminate ones.