68 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



so overwhelmingly impressed as by that particular two 

 thousand square miles of heaving mountain-billows and 

 deep-plunging valleys in view from Bird Mountain. 

 And think what it must be from the top of Phillips Peak, 

 on a clear day in September! 



Down to this date, the region north and north-west 

 of Michel, for a radius of perhaps fifty miles, has never 

 been touched by aneroid or surveyor's chain. We can 

 give no heights nor distances with mechanical accuracy. 

 Above Michel there is not a datum point of any kind. 

 Naturally, however, we were much interested in the 

 heights of the mountain summits in the region we vis- 

 ited, between the Elk and Bull Rivers. Our estimates 

 of the height of Phillips Peak, and other points in the 

 mountains surrounding it, were based on the following 

 memoranda which were kindly supplied by Mr. James 

 McEvoy, Geologist of the Crow's Nest Pass Coal Com- 

 pany: 



" I have not the exact figures for the elevation of the 

 Elk River at Wild-Cat Charlie's ranch, but it must be 

 very close to 3,900 feet above sea-level." 



" The elevations of the mountains near Fernie on the 

 east side of the river are about 7,000 feet. These moun- 

 tains are of cretaceous coal-bearing rocks. On the west 

 side of the Elk River at Fernie the mountains are com- 

 posed of Carboniferous and Devonian limestone, and 

 quartzites, reaching elevations of from 9,000 to 10,000 

 feet. The average height of the summits would be about 

 9,200 feet. These summits stand about four miles back 

 from the river. Lower hills and spurs of these come 



