1901] Churchill, — A Botanical Excursion to Mt. Katahdin. 1 55 
It was but a frail barrier between us and the clouds, when some of 
the deluges came at night, and then we were glad we were under the 
trees and not on the exposed lakeshore near by, where the wind 
roared and would surely have torn our paper roof to tatters. 
We were now well up in the South Basin on the east slope of 
Mount Katahdin, at an altitude of about 3000 feet. This Basin may 
be roughly described as bounded west and south by the steep wall and 
uppermost slopes of the mountain itself, north by a spur extending 
eastward from the mountain between the so-called North and South 
Basins, and southeast by Pomola, connected with the rest of the 
mountain by a most remarkable arm or promontory, a narrow precip- 
itous and desolate mountain wall. The monument or southern peaks, 
which are the highest, and therefore the summit of Katahdin, are 
precisely where this narrow wall separates from the broad upland. 
At the foot of the concave and ragged slopes of Pomola and this 
narrow connecting ridge, in front of the Camp and but a few rods 
away, was a little alpine lake, bordered in part by a narrow bog and 
in part by giant boulders, sometime parcel of the heights above. 
About this tarn, Chimney Pond, were collected many of the good 
things for which we came, notably Carex saxatilis, concerning which 
Mr. Fernald has elsewhere! giyen a particular account of his investi- 
gations and conclusions. In its icy waters, just below its outlet, 
grew Salix balsamifera and S. PAylicifolía. 
Along the brook, which flowed by the Camp, we found flowering 
Viburnum pauciflorum, and Pyrola minor which we coaxed into 
flower before we departed. 
Sunday, July 8, the day following our arrival, was a day of idle- 
ness enforced by the continual downpour of rain though it is 
recorded that neither weather nor want of appetite interfered with 
our keen appreciation of dinner, which included a first rate stew of 
beef, potatoes and onions served in porringers. Dessert, flour bis- 
cuits with maple syrup, in tin plates. It was probably before this 
meal that we improved our view of the great cliffs and of the sum- 
mit by cutting down some fir-balsam trees which grew beside the 
camp. i 
The next morning, July 9, gave promise of no better weather, but 
something was to be done, rain or shine, and Fernald, Collins and 
1 RHODORA, iii. 44. 
