6 



Sierra Club Bulletin. 



mit a great spur shot off to the east, joined Mt. Sill, and, 

 turning southward, continued the Main Crest in that 

 direction. The great wall of the North Palisade, how- 

 ever, continued directly south from the summit for a 

 mile, and then broke down into some of the tributary 

 canons of Palisade Creek. Between this wall and 

 Mt. Sill to the east there was included a vast amphi- 

 theater draining into Palisade Creek, and it seemed 

 certain that we could make our way into this and 

 climb the great snow-fields within, whose glistening 

 edges could be seen on the very tops of the ridges. 

 To navigate the final knife-edge to the summit ap- 

 peared by no means so sure. One deep cleft in partic- 

 ular worried us, but of course it was impossible at so 

 great a distance to tell whether or not it was passable. 

 The western face of the mountain appeared to be totally 

 inaccessible, though a few narrow chimneys seamed its 

 savage face. These might, we thought, be taken ad- 

 vantage of as a last resort. The prospect could not be 

 called encouraging, but Mt. Sill might, at any rate, be 

 taken, and from its summit a great area could be mapped. 

 For over an hour we stayed on the summit of our peak 

 studying the chances pro and con, and had to confess at 

 last that the odds were against us. 



After taking a round of angles to all the prominent 

 peaks in sight, and feasting our eyes upon the stupendous 

 panorama, doubly impressive amidst the shadows of the 

 declining sun, we hurried down the mountain, over long 

 stretches of snow, across fields of jagged slate, and 

 around the end of the lake to our camp, where Mrs. 

 Le Conte and Mr. Moffitt had supper ready. 



That evening we laid out our supplies for the final 



