22 REPORT UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



we could safely ride over it, although at many places it was oyer 20 feet 

 deep and would have hopelessly sunk animal and rider had the hard 

 surface-crust broken. At one place my mule broke through, and had 

 she not been near the edge of the snow-bank it would have required 

 hard work to get her out. As it was, she struggled for a foothold and 

 was gradually dragged to firmer ground by the lariat. Having ridden 

 up a very steep, rocky slope, until we reached an elevation of about 

 12,500 feet above sea-level, we secured our animals to some rocks on the 

 top of the ridge and commenced the ascent of the peak on foot. Paus- 

 ing a moment to survey the ground before us, we found ourselves on a 

 sharp ridge falling o& steeply toward the northeast. Our i)Osition was 

 about west of the peak. Two thousand feet below us were several small 

 lakes, still frozen over, showing a light-green color, which strongly con- 

 trasted with the dark shade of surrounding spruce-timber. Before us 

 lay a steep slope, leading from the peak down to these lakes, about 4,000 

 feet in length and 1,000 feet wide. This was covered by one field of 

 snow. From what we there saw, we estimated that the thickness of 

 this snow mass must be over 100 feet at some places. In order to make 

 the ascent we walked across this steep snow-bank in a line slightly 

 slanting upward. Hard and crisp as it was, the foot had to be firmly 

 set down so as to retain its hold. Once in a while one of the party would 

 slip and slide down on the smooth bank some distance before he could 

 stop himself. Having traversed the entire width of the field, we took 

 advantage of some rocks x>rojecting from a small spur, and climbing 

 upward partly on them, partly on the snow, we finally reached a point 

 from where the ascent became more gentle. Before eleven o'clock we 

 reached the summit of the peak. There we found a monument built by 

 Mr. Wilson, the chief of the main triangulating i^arty. He had ascended 

 the peak about a month before us, for the purposes of his work, but was 

 forced to abandon it on account of a storm. A few days later he made 

 a second attempt, and, although suffering severely from the cold, suc- 

 ceeded in accom2)lishing his work. At the time of our ascent it was 

 cold, the thermometer standing at 44° F. Added to this was a sharp 

 westerly wind, against which our coats afibrded no protection. Our dog 

 had faithfully accompanied us to the very summit, 13,400 feet above sea- 

 level. 



The view from this peak came fully up to our expectations. Looking 

 toward the northwest we saw the numerous jagged i)eaks of the Wind 

 Eiver Range. About 35 miles distant was one apparently higher than 

 those surrounding it. This was Fremont's Peak. Eising above all near 

 it, this mountain is a fit monument to the energetic explorer, who, in 

 1842, when the entire country was but an unknown and dangerous 

 wilderness, unfurled the American flag on its summit. To the west the 

 mountains of this main chain present more accessible slopes, while their 

 eastern faces are exceedingly precipitous. From the top of Snow Peak 

 a stone could be thrown, eastward, that would fall fully 2,000 feet before 

 striking. Surprising to us were the enormous masses of snow remaining 

 in the mountains at even so advanced a time of the season as July 27. 

 It may, perhaps, be due to the steep, eastern faces, which, in many in- 

 stances, are so placed as to allow the action of the sun's rays but a very 

 limited influence. Looking down upon the accumulations of snow, and 

 noticing the favorable orography of the region, I folly expected to find 

 active glaciers within the Wind Eiver Mountains.* Although none 

 were discovered, traces were found of extinct glaciers, appearing so fresh 



*NOTE. — Since the above Tvas was -written, the exploring parties of this survey have 

 during the past summer found active glaciers in this range. — ^E. 



