274 : Flora of the Olympics.  [zoz 
resemblance to one found in abundance two weeks later, namely, 
the ‘‘ lovely fir’’ Adzes amadilis, one of the many reminders that we 
were reaching a higher altitude. The other reminders were: Rudus 
spectabitis, with fruit half-grown, Aides l/acustre var. parvulum, 
in blossom, and the female cones or ‘‘ catkins’? of Alnus rubra, 
hardly at all awakened from their winter’s sleep. That evening 
after the work of the day, and supper were over, I wandered along 
the gravelly and beautiful banks of the river and collected a few 
strangers to my trip so far. These were the large-leaved sand-wort 
(Arenaria macrophylla), the large leaves of the western colt's-foot 
(Petasites palmata), the fruit of the tall yellow violet ( Viola glabella), 
strangely enough now seen for the first time on the trip, and lastly, 
the mountain bush-alder (Adzus viridis), the delicious odor of 
whose leaves always prepares me for its presence before I see it. 
This bush or small tree, common enough in most of the mountains, 
is even more abundant in the Olympics, and sometimes for a mile 
or more offers an almost impenetrable barrier to the traveler, unless 
he is armed with an axe. Nearly always inclining strongly down 
hill, owing to their six or eight months weight of snow, sometimes 
partly covered by humus or moss, they are the cause of more seri- 
ous falls than any other tree, unless it be the vine-maple. 
The next day a halt was ordered for mending clothes, resting and 
bringing up the remaining baggage from the last camp. Accom- 
panied by one of the soldiers, Mr. Fisher, I started soon after nine 
o'clock to ascend a high peak which began just across the river and 
ended—no one knew where. A light breakfast with several good 
strong cups of coffee, a cool morning and beautiful sky, all con- 
spired to put us in excellent spirits, and we went up mile after mile 
with very little sense of fatigue. The slope was most of the way at 
an angle of fully forty-five degrees and some of the time at that of 
sixty-five or seventy, while near the top it was not far from eighty. 
Nearly the whole of the route lay through a tolerably thick growth — 
of conifers, thus diversifying the way, deceiving us as to its length, 
and giving us many a soft resting place. It was a continued scene _ 
of beauty, for so steep was the slope that at any time we could look 
down upon the tops of high trees not a hundred yards distant, thus 
allowing us to examine at will every variation of leaf, branch or 
cone. The forest was made up of a jumble of Douglas spruce, | 
arbor-vita, white pine, white fir, balsam or lovely fir, yew, Merten’s 
fF 
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