Kitabı oku: «With God in the Yellowstone», sayfa 2
There is too much good-natured toleration of such things, where human lives are involved. Most people choose the path of least resistance, when it does not seriously interfere with their rights or comfort, but not so with our fellow passengers, four of whom were devout members of the Friends' Church. There was a principle involved, and they did not hesitate to show on which side they were. We enjoyed the company of these "Friends" very much. The two gentlemen and their wives were our companions on the trip from the morning we left Cody till the day we parted at the Old Faithful Camp at the Upper Geyser Basin.
CHAPTER II
GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE
After crossing the Yellowstone boundary, about two miles west of Pahaska Tepee Lodge, I began to feel an atmosphere of freedom that I had not hitherto enjoyed on the trip. I felt that the Yellowstone National Park, with all of its wonders and many interests, belonged to me as much as to any other person on the earth; and from that moment it seemed that I was walking with God to the very gates of heaven and to the brink of hell. The freedom of animal life in the Park, brought to my mind vivid pictures of the Millennium, when, as Isaiah says, nothing shall hurt or destroy in all God's holy mountain. It should be a matter of great interest and satisfaction to Americans that our government has the custody of the Yellowstone—that man with selfish interests is prohibited from laying claim to anything within its boundaries, and is compelled to refrain from marring or defacing the formations around the geysers and other places, and from destroying animal life.
It is to be deplored that so few know how rich they are in the gifts that God and nature have bestowed upon us as a people, in this vast region of more than 3,000 square miles of so many miracles and wonders.
About eight miles from the border, we came to Sylvan Pass; then followed Snow Fall, Lake Eleanor, Sylvan Lodge, Sylvan Lake, and Wedded Trees, at the left. About eleven miles from Sylvan Pass, we came to Turbid Lake, Osprey Nest in a tree at the right, Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone River, and turned to the right to Grand Canyon.
Our first stop after leaving Pahaska Lodge was at Mud Volcano and Green Gable Spring, at the left. This was the first place where we had found any disturbance on the surface caused by the heated regions below. The angry crater of the volcano resembled, in some respects, the Mammoth Paint Pots in the Lower Geyser Basin, but unlike the latter, there was nothing beautiful about it,—it was simply a great mass of boiling mud, manifesting such intense heat as to spout up several feet, threatening to bespatter those who came too near. It was enclosed by a railing, around which was a board walk. Below the mud geyser was a boiling spring where the water, clear as crystal, poured out of the ground and was carried away.
I ventured to put my finger into the water and was nearly burned. This place was only a suggestion of what we were to see later in the Geyser Basins.
At our left, eight miles from Sylvan Pass, we had a splendid view of Yellowstone Lake in the distance. In the heart of the Park Plateau, averaging more than eight thousand feet elevation, surrounded by mountains, waterfalls, and cascades, is the lake, twenty miles in length, which, at its elevation, has but one rival, Lake Titicaca, in the Andes. As our party did not visit West Thumb, it was our privilege to see the lake only at a distance, where we could have but a slight idea of its beauty and immensity.
"David E. Folsom, of the Folsom and Cook Exploring Party, in 1869 says:
'As we were about departing on our homeward trip, we ascended the summit of a neighboring hill and took a final look at Yellowstone Lake. Nestled among the forest-crowned hills which bounded our vision, lay this inland sea, its crystal waves dancing and sparkling in the sunlight as if laughing with joy for their wild freedom. It is a scene of transcendent beauty, which has been viewed by but few white men, and we felt glad to have looked upon it before its primeval solitude should be broken by the crowds of pleasure-seekers, which at no distant day will throng its shores.'"
For the next few miles the scenery was most fascinating, but it was only a prelude to what awaited us in the first glimpse we were to get of the Grand Canyon.
We halted at Inspiration Point, where I followed others down the steps to a great ledge of rocks overhanging the chasm. The scene that greeted my vision was so overwhelming and unexpected that I became dizzy and had to make my way back to the car, supported by the railing.
This yawning gulf with its awful depths of nearly two thousand feet, through which the river, like a silver thread was wending its way, and the sublime coloring produced by nature, reflected from the mineral formations on the sides of the great canyon, was a sight too much for human frailty, and I had to be satisfied to take a glimpse and wait until I could recuperate from the shock before attempting another adventure.
Before leaving Inspiration Point, some one shouted, "See the eagle's nest!" and there, looking down into a tall pine tree at the right of the descent, was the nest; but I was more interested in the canyon, for I had never had the faintest conception of what it really is.
When I had recuperated somewhat from the bewilderment, I was inclined to charge those who had visited the Park before, among whom were my brother and his wife, with stupidity and a lack of appreciation for not having done more to tell of such grandeur. But afterwards I had to admit that the half cannot be told however much anyone might try. Unlike the Royal Gorge in Colorado, we were not at the bottom looking up, but at the top looking down into the silent and awful depths. It was as if the earth had rent asunder and we were standing on the brink looking over into the abyss.
"Of all the marvels of the Yellowstone National Park, the most sublime is the Grand Canyon. Through this the Yellowstone River, which is a tributary of the Missouri, flows in one place for twenty continuous miles between perpendicular cliffs only about 200 yards apart and from 1,200 to 1,500 feet in height. At the entrance of this part of the canyon the whole river makes a stupendous leap of 308 feet, in what is known as the 'Lower Fall.' The sides of this gigantic chasm have literally almost all the colors of the rainbow displayed upon their vertical surfaces. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and white tints, are constantly succeeding one another here in wonderful variety, thus lighting up with glory countless architectural forms, which Nature, it would seem, had fashioned here to make the proudest works of man appear diminutive and tame. These colors doubtless have been formed by the percolating through the cliffs of the hot mineral waters from the neighboring springs. Distinguished painters have sadly declared that any adequate representation of these brilliant, variegated hues is utterly beyond the power of human art. What an unrivalled combination is there, therefore, in this canyon, of awe-inspiring grandeur and enchanting beauty! And what a magnificent pathway has been given to the Yellowstone River! Leaving the famous Yellowstone Lake enclosed by snow-clad mountains, it passes through a series of rapids and a fall of 140 feet before it even reaches the Grand Canyon, and just beyond this it receives a tributary, which in its haste to join it, makes a leap of 156 feet. Thus cradled in sublimity, the Yellowstone River must be called in some respects the most extraordinary stream upon our continent."
Why was this place kept concealed from the eyes of civilized man for nearly four hundred years after America was discovered? Even now only a small per cent of the 100,000,000 people of the United States know what they possess in this romantic and mysterious region, which in some places seems to be the ante-chamber of heaven and the very mouth of hell. Many, for lack of opportunity or interest, will never see the Yellowstone National Park, while multitudes from foreign shores will swarm like bees within its boundaries and reap the benefits of the sacrifice and toil of its discoverers and of God's free gift to America.
When the Queen of Sheba came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and he answered all her questions, showing her the riches and glory of his kingdom, she said, "It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, BEHOLD, THE HALF WAS NOT TOLD ME." This truly could be said of the Grand Canyon. I have been many times through the Rocky Mountain regions, passed through the Royal Gorge, have seen most of the places of interest that the mountain passes, fastnesses, and peaks afford, but nothing had ever so charmed, awed, inspired, and bewildered me as did the first glimpse of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Solomon's kingdom symbolizes the second work of grace, taught in the Scriptures, an experience which no one can understand unless he is in possession of it. Experience is necessary to enjoy it in its fulness, and so with nature's grandeur and magnificence on such a tremendous scale as in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. One must see with the eyes what the mind fails to grasp by the hearing of the ear. Language, with its adaptability to the usages of mortal man, is inadequate. Word-pictures, though drawn by the most visionary and gifted, fail to convey in a slight degree the grandeur of nature's activities and exhibitions in this the most inspiring and picturesque spot on the globe.
After I was again seated in the car, for a few moments my eyes were closed to all the world about me, and in a new sense I began to realize the infinite depths of divine power and wisdom, and how small is the creature when compared with the Creator.
At Artist's View we stopped again for another look at the canyon. In the opinion of some persons, a better view was to be had here than at Inspiration Point, but I did not think so, and did not tarry long. Feeling that enough had been crowded into one day, I went back to the stage anxious to get where I could relax and rest.
A few minutes later we arrived at Yellowstone Camp, near the Upper and Lower Falls. After we had registered and were shown the way to our tents, the evening meal was served in a large, spacious dining-room.
In the office of the camp we found a log fire burning. A score or more of tourists seated around it were engaged in conversation; and the new arrivals received a cordial welcome. Everything presented so homelike an appearance, it made me feel as if I should like to spend a week here.
The greatest courtesy was manifested on the part of the managers and those who rendered us service, and I felt that they had a real heart interest in our welfare. The accommodations in the tents were all that one could ask. The tents had floors, were boarded up the sides, and furnished with all the conveniences necessary. In each one there was a stove that was lighted both morning and evening, as it was late in the season and sometimes the temperature was almost at freezing point. When a fire was needed, one of the attendants at the camp came to light it.
CHAPTER III
UPPER AND LOWER FALLS
After dinner was served on the evening of our arrival, my brother and his wife took a trip down Uncle Tom's Trail to the base of the Lower Yellowstone Fall. They returned later, excited not a little, to tell of their adventure and what they had seen. I regretted that they did not wait until morning so that I could go with them, but I was so elated with the description of the fall that I was determined to go down the trail, if I had to go alone. The next morning when I saw how hazardous the undertaking would be, there was nothing that could have induced me to descend the rocky steep over which they had traveled. Sister Lillian and I got a good view of the fall from a prominence near the edge of the canyon, and this satisfied me.
Just before the water makes its tremendous leap, it is compressed within a width of about 100 feet, where it seems to slow down to prepare for the shock before it dashes 308 feet over the rocks. Here from the foaming mass of spray, gorgeous rainbows may be seen. The eye is then inclined to follow the little stream that dwindles away between the rocky sides of the great chasm, foaming and dashing as it goes, until it looks like a silver thread in the distance. The rainbow colors at the fall, blending with the various tints and hues reflected from the mineral formations on the sides of the canyon, presented a picture that no artist could paint.
My sister and I took the trail along the edge of the canyon and finally made intersection with the automobile road within a short distance of the camp. On the way back, I felt as if I had lighted down on another sphere where I could stay for only a brief period, and that I must profit by every moment of time that was allotted me. Pausing by the roadside, I asked the question, "What shall it be when these mortal bodies put on immortality, when they shall no longer be subject to the laws of gravitation or others governing material substances? What shall it be to wing one's flight to unseen worlds where there is still a greater comprehension to be had of Him who created the world and threw it from the tips of His fingers into space!"
It took thousands of years for astronomers to learn that the earth is hung upon nothing; that when God created it He made it out of nothing, and set the forces in action that were continually demonstrating His omnipotence before their eyes.
The plan of salvation, of which it is my privilege to be a partaker, was never more precious to me than at this time, and I had a new appreciation of the fact that an infinite price had been paid for man's redemption. I felt renewed inspiration to press the battle against sin and unrighteousness to the gates of heaven or to the depths of hell.
The Calvary route is often rugged. There are many dangerous places, where if the Infinite One did not clasp our hands and hold them tightly, we would plunge to the depths of the chasm and be wrecked and ruined for time and eternity. We have the blessed consolation, however, that He has promised to guide us with His eye, and never to leave or forsake those who put their trust in Him.
There is an atmosphere of sincerity among the people around the hotels and camps of the Yellowstone that is rarely found in summer resorts in other places. Here the voice of God in nature is heard in the smallest whisper, and again in tones of thunder; those who are inclined to be giddy and possessed with a spirit of levity, suddenly find themselves sobering up and beginning to think upon those things that involve the interests of their immortal souls.
Many of the helpers about the camps and hotels of the Park, I was told, were students and teachers who had come to the Yellowstone unprepared financially to make the tour, and had accepted positions as waiters, waitresses, etc., in order to pay their way through, and to be able to return by the time their schools opened. Some of them received only slight compensation, and depended on the good will of the tourists to reimburse them for services.
The familiarity that was seen everywhere between man and beast betokens the fact that an earnest of Isaiah's prophecy of the Millennium is being fulfilled. These native animals are free to go wherever they please, and seem to have little or no fear. In many instances they come close enough to eat out of the hands of the tourists. At the park camps and around the kitchens of the hotels, black, brown, and occasionally grizzly bears could be seen at almost any hour of the day eating out of tins or otherwise in search of food. At our camp, near the kitchen, I found a brown bear with two little cubs. She looked at me with an independent toss of her head as much as to say, "You may be surprised to see me here, but I am enjoying the rights and privileges accorded me under the laws governing the Park; I am taking no undue liberties nor committing any offense." She then took an affectionate look at her cubs and warned me to keep my distance. I assured her that I had no thought of disturbing them, and so there was an understanding between us. I afterward made frequent visits to the brow of the hill where I could get a good view of her and her little ones.
Tourists often make a mistake in trying to feed and pet the bears. Signs are up everywhere warning them of this danger. A short time before our party arrived, some person tried to pet a bear and was bitten in the wrist. It taught him and others a lesson. These animals have not been tamed, and the reason they are not so vicious as in primeval days is because no one is allowed to wound or kill them. When one becomes unmanageable and it is necessary to dispose of it, the government rangers who have charge of the Park remove all traces of blood, and even burn the hide, so as to keep from arousing suspicion on the part of others. Thus we see, in part, what the Millennium will be when nothing shall hurt or destroy, and when "righteousness shall be the girdle of his lions, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. THEY SHALL NOT HURT NOR DESTROY IN ALL MY HOLY MOUNTAIN: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. II:5:9).
We could have spent another day at the Grand Canyon, as we had arranged for a five-day tour, but decided to spend more time at Old Faithful Camp near the Upper Geyser Basin, and therefore planned to leave in the afternoon. In the meantime I packed up my things, made some notes in my diary, and went alone to the Upper Yellowstone Fall.
