CAMP FIRES IN THE YUKON 37 



hunters in the blind canyon. These " fences " were 

 in such condition as to indicate that they had been 

 made at no very remote period, but they are no 

 longer used in this locality as the caribou have been 

 exterminated on this particular range. 



In the late afternoon we left the bottom land at 

 a point where the Dezadeash turns south, through 

 a gap in the towering St. Elias range, and joins the 

 Alsek River, which tears its way to the Pacific. 

 Our road began to climb upward through the timber, 

 following nearly a course parallel to the noisy Bear 

 Creek coming down from the north. We camped 

 at the foot of Bear Creek Mountain about seven 

 o'clock and put up tents, as rain threatened. After 

 supper a serious-minded rain put in its appearance, 

 but across the valley a heavy snow was falling on 

 the St. Elias range. As the rain persisted, making 

 things uncomfortable, we turned into our tents for 

 an early start up the summit the following day. 



August n. We were up and ready to start at 

 6 A.M., with the road in bad condition after the rain 

 which lasted all night, and it is a cold gloomy day 

 with the leaden clouds hanging low on the moun- 

 tains. Rivulets of water were running down the 

 wagon tracks as we climbed upward to Bear Creek 

 Pass with the wind blowing strong in our faces and 

 the transport splashing in the mud behind us. A 

 fresh grizzly track crossing the muddy wagon road 

 looked promising, but we did not feel we had time 



