190 The National Geographic Magazine 



Photo by Wilcox 



' ' Our camp was pitched on a wooded bank ; 



interesting details. This seemed the 

 most important piece of work near the 

 lakes, especially as nothing is given on 

 Dawson' s map except a reported altitude 

 of 6,200 feet and the presence of a lake 

 draining west on the top of the pass. 

 These details were taken from Palliser's 

 narrative, written half a century ago. 

 The fact that he was probably the last 

 if not the only white man to have crossed 

 this part of the Rockies, to say nothing 

 of a desire to see at what point on our 

 way down the Palliser River we had 

 overlooked the pass, made me very anx- 

 ious to explore that region. Bryant, 

 who was enjoying fine fishing every day 

 in the lower lake, did not care to join 

 in this trip. 



Unfortunately the weather of late had 

 been giving every indication of an ap- 

 proaching storm, the air being warm 

 and smoky, with heavy fogs in the early 

 mornings. On the appointed day we 

 were awakened by thunder in the moun- 



tains west of us, and not long after dark 

 clouds settled over the lake and brought 

 rain. We were compelled to wait till 

 9 o'clock before there was enough 

 promise of good weather to warrant a 

 start. It was perhaps imprudent to 

 attempt to reach the summit of a great 

 pass and return to camp in one da}', es- 

 pecially after a late start and in bad 

 weather. I took Jim Wood with me, a 

 half-breed who acted as our second 

 packer, and two saddle horses, one of 

 which had first been with me on a trip 

 up the Bow River six 5'ears before. 

 We carried a small camera, an axe, and 

 various instruments for rough surve}' 

 work, besides a lunch of bannock and 

 canned meat. The trail first skirts the 

 lake on the north shore, and then turns 

 west into heav5' timber. The woods 

 were dripping and a drizzling rain kept 

 falling, but we made fair time except for 

 a few logs which had to be cut out. 

 This was miserable, cold work and meant 



