164 THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



sheep feeding among scattered clumps of willow not far 

 above timber-line, and opposite our camp. They were 

 rams the same two that I had seen the day before. One 

 was six or seven years old, with fair horns, the other about 

 three. I reached the lake, intending to cross on a raft 

 that Schnabel had constructed some time earlier in the 

 summer. The day was clear and cold, but a strong wind 

 was blowing, and not being able to manage the raft with 

 a pole, I had to proceed two miles to the upper end, 

 where I took off shoes and socks, cut a pole, and breaking 

 the ice as I waded, finally reached the other side and 

 immediately began to climb. 



The west slopes of Mount Gray are exceedingly steep 

 and broken, and besides, an inch of dry snow had made 

 them slippery and very difficult to climb. Finally, I 

 reached the cliffs and snow cornices bordering the crest, 

 and proceeded south in the direction where the sheep 

 had been seen. Crossing two deep, rocky canons, where 

 conies were bleating, I reached the edge of a deep, wide 

 canon and looking beyond saw the two rams lying down 

 on the top of a turretted pinnacle, about five hundred 

 yards away. They were facing in my direction and there 

 was no possible approach except on the crest, which was 

 inaccessible from that point because of continuous cliffs. 

 It was very cold, and the wind was so strong that I could 

 barely keep on the slope. I remained motionless for a 

 long time until so thoroughly chilled that it was necessary 

 to retreat and retrace my steps to start my circulation 

 again. Thus I kept watching and walking for most of 

 the afternoon, waiting for the rams to move to a spot 



