84 FOREST OUTINGS 



had to climb back several hundred feet. That was where Cap took his big 

 tumble when a ledge split off, but although he was 60 years old, it left 

 him with no more serious injury than a badly barked shin. 



Finally we reached the valley floor. It took only a short time to pitch 

 camp in a bright meadow, and since the afternoon was still early, we set 

 out on varying occupations. A couple of fellows sat around the meadow, 

 loafing and enjoying the sunlight. Four enthusiastic fishermen started to 

 whip nearby waters which had not been fished for a year. 



Meanwhile, I started climbing afoot to the uppermost lake in the basin. 

 When finally, after skirting two lower lakelets and following a series of 

 great cascades, I reached this remote water, it seemed as if I were far 

 beyond the zone of human penetration. There were no faintest sounds, 

 no dimmest sights, to give even a hint of civilization just rocky shores 

 and a scattering of wind-swept trees, and in the background, the pinnacle 

 of Mount Chauvenet. 



We broke camp early next morning and after cutting across country 

 a short distance, came to a good trail leading southwest. Since we were 

 the first party of the year to go over the trail, we had to stop frequently to 

 saw out windfalls. The scenery was unexciting but lovely, with lodgepole 

 pine and spruce and green grass and many showy flowers of early summer. 

 Our trail, which had started on a level, began to get steeper. After awhile 

 we abandoned it and headed our horses up an open slope until finally we 

 reached the top of a nameless summit. Below us were several snow-fed lakes, 

 clear and blue and deep. Back of them were the steel-gray summits of the 

 Continental Divide which cut a sharp line of cleavage against the bright- 

 blue sky. Northward a spectacular peak seemed to be on the verge of 

 tumbling over to the east. The ranger said that it was Lizard Head and that 

 it was so rugged that no one had ever succeeded in climbing it. 



We ate our lunch, and then dropped back to the trail which we followed 

 northward toward the headwaters of Popo Agie Creek. After 10 miles we 

 reached a large meadow just below the overhanging Lizard Head where 

 we established camp for the night. At the head of the meadow lay the 

 Continental Divide a granite range composed of what seemed unscalable 

 peaks. 



