NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE 



Edited by William E. Colby 



The John Muir Trail 



With the remainder of the appropriation of $10,000 made in 1915 by the 

 State of California, construction work was prosecuted on the John Muir 

 Trail throughout the field season of 1916, 



Progress within the Sequoia National Forest is well shown by Super- 

 visor Wynne's report to the State Engineer, much of which is here 



REPORT ON JOHN MUIR TRAIL WORK FOR SEASON OF I916 

 SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST 



The work for the season of 1916 was largely concentrated on the 

 Sierra National Forest, using the remainder of the $10,000 un- 

 spent in 1915. A decision to handle the project in this way was 

 reached at a conference in San Francisco early in the year, and 

 this decision was afterwards approved by State Engineer Wilbur 

 F. McClure. The work on the Sequoia National Forest was sim- 

 ply to be the completion of the work at Junction Pass and carry- 

 ing the trail down Center Basin and as far toward Bullfrog Lake 

 as funds would permit. 



The Sierra Club used this route in its outing, and, in addition, 

 there is much public interest in Junction Pass and numerous 

 parties made the crossing during the summer. The pass has an 

 elevation of 13,400 feet, being one of the highest on a main- 

 traveled route in the Sierra. Several high peaks can be readily 

 reached from it, notably Mount Keith and Junction Peak. From 

 the Shepard-Tyndall Pass, Mount Williamson is but a moderately 

 hard trip. It is only 117 feet lower than Mount Whitney, but its 

 ascent requires more skillful mountaineering. 



The work for 191 5 ended about fifty feet beyond Junction Pass, 

 on the Center Basin side, in a very bad mass of broken rock. 

 Knowing that travel would be very heavy, it was planned to start 

 work during the early part of June. Extraordinarily heavy snow 

 made it impossible even to get into the area until June 27, and real 

 crew work could not be done before July 4. Considerable trouble 

 on the early work was occasioned by snow-blindness, and men 

 were very hard to get and keep. Great credit is due to Thomas 

 Adamson, the foreman, for continuing the work, even when single- 

 handed, A little later conditions were better. 



The trail is now completed in Class- A shape as far as Center 

 Basin. It will take two or three seasons of settling in the talus 

 and slides before the tread is permanently fixed, and money should 

 be allotted for this purpose each year. 



Costs were as follows : 



quoted : 



Wages 



Subsistence supplies 

 Packing 



$395.00 

 191.26 

 8.00 



Total 



$594.26 



