EXPLORATION TO THE PEACE RIVER 105 



tion, but gradually there came a change, at first scarcely notice- 

 able. A few mountain forms were intermixed with the forest 

 flora of the valley. Gradually the valley species ceased, alpine 

 ones became more common, until at last none of the former 

 remained. 



The day was very hot, being 84° Fahr., in the shade, when we 

 left the base and it seemed to get warmer instead of cooler as we 

 ascended. We had some steep climbing on the first part of the 

 route and our progress was both wearisome and slow. About 

 1 ,500 feet from the summit, we reached the limit of trees and here 

 also came upon our first snow. We were all very thirsty and I 

 scraped out a hole below the snow and it was very soon filled with 

 water and each one of us lay down on the ground and drank his 

 fill. Mclennan, who, by the way, was a man accustomed to his 

 drinks, could not resist the temptation of swallowing more than 

 his share and lost all hope of reaching the top and so lay down 

 and enjoyed himself while the rest of us plied our weary way to 

 the summit. 



About two hundred feet above where we left Mclennan, the 

 slope got much easier and we found a real spring of beautiful 

 water and I thought that it might help Mclennan to bring him up 

 to it so I went down and asked him to go up the two hundred 



feet where the good water was. He said he was d d if he 



would, so I left him and followed the others. 



I am saying nothing about the flora of the mountain for, as 

 it has been spoken of so often by others, it is useless for me to 

 add to the beauties by which I was surrounded. Our trip was 

 very hurried, but I noticed that, on the moist places where the 

 snow lay longest, there were the greatest number of species and 

 many were observed there that did not appear in drier spots. 

 Where the heaviest drifts of snow had lain, and where much of 

 it still remained, one or two anemones and Ranunculus hyper- 

 boreus were blooming and in fine condition. To show the progress 

 of the spring, four yards from the snow the petals had fallen and 

 between that and the snow the plant was in all stages of growth, 

 from its springing out of the soil to the faded flower. A number 

 of drabas and arenarias absolutely plastered the ground with 



