First Ascent: Mt. Humphreys. i6i 



a good place, very much nearer the mountain. Following 

 him, we were led to the place which he had selected. It 

 was treeless, with the exception of the dead remains of 

 an old pine near by, but it gave us a splendid view of the 

 mountain. It is always cold in such High Sierra alti- 

 tudes, and so our camp was located in a little flat-bottomed 

 gully, protected by two walls of granite (elevation, ii,ooo 

 feet). Our evening meal was tapioca soup, fried ham, 

 tea, and hardtack. 



The sun was low in the western horizon, and his soft 

 light brought out in fine bold reHef every crack and 

 crevice in the mighty mountain which arose high above 

 us so near at hand. Long we gazed at it with the glasses 

 to ascertain if there was any way to the summit. Two 

 steep gorges appeared, one starting near the base of the 

 mountain and running obliquely from left to right, 

 striking the crest perhaps a quarter of a mile to the right 

 of the summit; the other one starting in the first gorge, 

 two thirds of the way up from the bottom, and running 

 at right angles to the first obliquely from right to left. 

 This second gorge disappeared behind a sort of buttress, 

 itself a mere knife-edge, which ran out southerly from 

 the main peak almost parallel with the crest. This second 

 gorge was visible for half its length, and the balance of 

 the way it was hidden in the deep shadows cast by the 

 setting sun. Each time the glasses were put down it was 

 with a remark to the effect that if it were at all possible 

 to ascend from this side it could only be through the deep 

 and narrow gorge which runs up the mountain face from 

 right to left and disappears behind the buttress. 



The sunset lights on the mountains are always the 

 finest, far surpassing the lights of sunrise. As the sun 



