WINTER RECONNAISSANCE IN CALIFORNIAN 

 MOUNTAINS. 



By R. F. Ham matt. 



In the winter of 1909-10, three Rangers, running lines on 

 skis in a flat country, discovered a timber trespass which, upon 

 further investigation, proved to amount to a little over 5,000,000 

 feet B. M. This ski work was done in a country so brushy that 

 it is practically impossible to travel the country in the summer 

 except on the trails. Thus was born the definite idea of winter 

 reconnaissance in California. 



In the summer of 1910, at an elevation of 5,500 feet, a log 

 cabin 14 by 20, with three good-sized windows, was constructed. 

 It was well daubed with sand and cement (excellent material for 

 this work), and was tightly ceiled. Three double bunks were 

 provided. The cabin complete cost $225.00. 



The snow held off until late, and on January 3 about 2,000 

 pounds of bedding, provisions, stoves, etc., were hauled to Deter 

 Camp. On January 5, the crew of five Rangers, with a Forest 

 Assistant in charge, also left town. The first thing done after 

 reaching camp was to choose a cook for the first week. On 

 January 7 we had our first storm. For the rest of this month the 

 weather was extremely bad, and the work proceeded pretty 

 slowly. In spite, however, of the loose snow and stormy weather, 

 the men blocked out, by retracing survey lines, three solid weeks' 

 work. This and about five days' estimating was all the work the 

 weather would permit during January. During February and 

 March the weather cleared considerably, and the winter became 

 more normal, although the snowfall had been, and remained 

 throughout the winter^ much heavier than usual. These months 

 gave a very fair indication of what can be done in future years 

 and under what conditions it is possible to do winter reconnais- 

 sance. 



At first the camp was divided into one crew of three men and 

 one of two. Ordinarily each crew worked on a section of its 

 own. It soon became the general rule in camp that no crew was 

 to show up at night until its section had been completed, and this 



