172 Twenty-fourth Report on the State Museum. 



the woods to the beautiful and deservedly famous Blue Mountain 

 lakes. Here guide and canoe awaited me, and, after tarrying to 

 make the ascent of Blue mountain (Mt. Emmons), I passed over the 

 lakes, and, by way of Marion river, reached Lake Kaquette. It may 

 be here remarked that the whole distance, from Bhie mountain to the 

 foot of Mt, Seward, might almost be made without leaving the canoe 

 or boat ; lakes and rivers, for some fifty or sixty miles, forming the 

 tortuous highway. 



At Lake Eaquette I found the guide whom I had selected to 

 accompany me in the ascent of the mountain,— an elderly man, mus- 

 cular, energetic, born and bred a hunter and skilled in wood-craft. 

 A short day's journey, by Forked lake and Raquette river, brought 

 myself and guide to the settlement on Long lake. Here I consulted 

 Mitchell Sabbattis, the famous Indian, and others acquainted with 

 the region near Mt. Seward, and was confirmed in a plan which I 

 had formed of attempting the ascent at the south side, from the 

 direction of the Preston ponds. Sabbattis afifirmed that Mt. Seward 

 had never been ascended, and certainly never measured, or he would 

 have known of it. One of the lower peaks had been ascended and 

 called Mt. Seward.* 



The morning of October 13th, 1870, was bright and pleasant, and 

 found us struggling to push our boat up the rapids of Cold river ; a 

 beautiful crystalline stream— liaunt of the trout— which, fed by the 

 springs on the mountain slopes, rushes sparkling down to pour its icy 

 flood into Eaquette river, a short distance below Long lake. From 

 the foot of that lake we had seen the outlying ridges of Mt. Seward ; 

 now the forest which walled in the river concealed it from view. At 

 length our progess became so slow, and the rapids so frequent, that 

 drawing the boat ashore, we hid it, with my rifle and other luggage, 

 in a thick copse. 



Having lunched, we started to follow the north bank of the river, 

 toward the Preston ponds, taking a sled-road leading to certain 

 deserted lumber shanties, distant seven or eight miles, where we 

 expected to camp that niglit. 



We were armed each with a hunting knife and revolver,— the guide 



* Since writing the above I have been informed that Prof. A. Guyot had previously made the ascent 

 ot Mt. Seward, and, in answer to an inquiry, he has kindly given me some notes of his expedition 

 The starting point was Adirondack village, and the time occupied two days. Mr. Ernest Sandoz his 

 nephew, undertook the ascent and measurement, but had the mislbrtnne to cut his foot, which made 

 tlie ascent the more difficult, after which he suffered an additional disheartening misfortune in 

 breaking his barometer before reaching the top of the mountain. My observations, therefore, seem 

 to be the first ever taken upon the summit of Mt. Seward. 



