Mar. 1899. EXPEDITION TO THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS ELLIOT. 245 



which covered portions of the route, we made our way to our next camp, 

 farther in the mountains and nearer to the forbidding north wall of 

 the main snow range. We overlooked a small lake lying deep down 

 in a hollow, known to us as Boulder Lake, and whose waters, plung- 

 ing down a precipitous cliff at the outlet, formed the creek that termi- 

 nated at the Elwah River. The accompanying view gives a good 

 idea of the wild and savage scenery at this place. Most of the 

 cliffs were covered with loose stones and sand, and were rmich 

 steeper than they appear in the picture ; in fact, in all but a few 

 places, being impossible to climb. The summits on the south of this 

 lake were so broken by jagged ridges, impassible ravines, snowfields 

 of uncertain depths and yawning chasms, that progress in any direction 

 was out of the question. A view taken from the west ot the lake, 

 looking towards the southeast, gives a fair idea of this promising 

 land, the rocky bluff on the left side being the "pathway" that had 

 to be descended in order to cross the "hog-back " seen in the lower 

 part of the view. The mountains in the distance are a portion of the 

 central snow range. 



It was soon ascertained that it would be impossible to go 

 farther south, either with horses or men, and as elk seemed to 

 be exceedingly scarce in the locality, I desired to cross, if possi- 

 ble, the intervening range to the west and strike the head-waters 

 of the Solduck, a river of similar character to the Elwah, but 

 smaller, and which emptied into the Pacific Ocean. Mr. Akeley and 

 two men made a day's trip to see what could be done, and reached 

 the second ridge to the westward. They found five lakes, one of 

 which they named Elliot Lake. It lies well towards the snow 

 range, deep down amid the mountains, and is square in shape, quite 

 different in this respect from all the other bodies of water, which are 

 either oval or round. Elliot Lake is, perhaps, about one-third of a 

 mile in length, of great depth apparently, and probably occupies a 

 small crater of some extinct volcano. From its isolated and almost 

 unapproachable position it will probably never become a summer 

 resort for tourists, nor is it likely that many persons will ever gaze 

 upon its quiet waters. The "hog-backs" in many places were so 

 sharp that it was necessary to place one foot on each side of the ridge 

 and so shuffle along, while the perpendicular sides shot down below 

 many hundred feet, and the slightest stumble, or rolling stones or 

 sand might cause the loss of foothold, followed by a swift descent into 

 the depths, and consequent utter annihilation of the explorers. One 

 more effort was made to find a passage to the west for our train, and 

 I sent out three men, who were gone two days and a night, and who 



