, First View of St. Ellas. 91 



Crossing the glacial river above the upper archway, I reached 

 the mountain side and began to ascend. The task Avas far more 

 difficult than anticipated. The bushes, principally of alder and 

 currant, grew dense and extended their branches down the steep 

 slope in such a manner that at times it was utterly impossible to 

 force a way through them. Much of the Avay I crawled on hands 

 and knees up the steep watercourse beneath the dense tangle of 

 vegetation overhanging from either bank and interlacing in the 

 center. On nearing the top I was so fortunate as to strike a 

 bear trciil, along which the animal had forced his way througli 

 the bushes, making an opening like a tunnel. Through this I 

 ascended to the top of the slope, coming out in a wild amphi- 

 theatre in the side of the mountain. The bottom of the amphi- 

 theatre was exceedingly rough, owing to confused moraine-heaps, 

 and held a number of small lakes. On account of its elevation, it 

 was not densely covered with bushes, and no trees were in sight 

 except along its southern margin. About its northern border ran 

 a broad terrace, marking the height of the great glacier which 

 formerly occupied the site of Yakutat bay. The terrace formed 

 a convenient pathway leading westward to a sharp ridge run- 

 ning out from the mountains and connecting with an outstand- 

 ing butte, which promised to afford an unobstructed view to the 

 westward. 



, Pressing on, I found that the terrace on which I was traveling 

 at length became a free ridge, some three hundred feet high, with 

 steep slopes on either side, like a huge railroad embankment. 

 This ridge swept across the valley in a graceful curve, and shut 

 off a portion of the western part of the amphitheatre from the 

 general drainage. In the portion, thus isolated there was a lake 

 without an outlet, still frozen. The snow banks bordering the 

 frozen lake were traced in every, direction by the trails of bears. 

 ( 'ontinuing my tramp, I crossed broad snow-fields, climbed the 

 ridge to the westward, and obtained a far-reaching, unobstructed 

 view of the surrounding country. The elevation reached was 

 only al^out 1,500 feet above sea-level, but was above the timber 

 line. The mountain slopes toward the north were bare of vege- 

 tation and generally covered with snow. 



The first object to claim attention was the huge pyramid form- 

 ing the summit of Mount St. Elias, which stood out clear and 

 sharp against the northwestern sky. Although thirty-six miles 

 distant, it dominated all other peaks in view and rose far above 



