3 7° The National Geographic Magazine 



both men and beasts, and are omnipres- 

 ent in the valleys during July and Au- 

 gust. 



We have found that the weather con- 

 dition at any given time is of no small 

 importance in endeavoring to prosecute 

 work in this region. In the mountains 

 snow may fall at any time ; July and 

 August are by no means exempt from 

 snow squalls, and September will al- 

 ways bring a storm. New snow, whether 

 falling or lying, will always be no small 

 factor in the difficulties attending a 

 climb. In October, 1900, the party 

 made three attempts to reach the sum- 

 mit of the "G. N." Peak. The third 

 was successful, but during the second 

 attempt slides of no mean proportions 

 passed, one a few yards ahead and one 

 but a few, behind the party. These 

 slides were of the newly fallen snow, 



and passed over smooth rock surfaces 

 with a comparatively slow motion, the 

 front of the moving mass turning under 

 as the breakers do on the beach at the 

 seashore ; the sound was a ' ' shush ' ' of 

 low tone but goodly volume. If caught 

 by one of these a man would be rolled 

 over and under and inevitably smoth- 

 ered. 



But the time has come when provis- 

 ions are exhausted, and the leader of 

 the pack-train is turned toward the 

 nearest accessible point of supplies. At 

 the first cabin — a halfbreed's — we obtain 

 a little tobacco and flour, enough to 

 carry us to the store. The mountains 

 are slowly left behind us, and low 

 ridges, much scarred by forest fires, the 

 usual accompaniment of approaching 

 civilization, give way in turn to the 

 grassy hills and finally to the open plain, 



Pack Train Crossing Limestone Cliff on Trail Built of Green Timber 



