First Ascent: Mt. Humphreys. 175 



The following day we climbed Mt. Goddard, and then 

 on the succeeding day started for King's River Canon, 

 by way of Collins Meadow, Tehipite Valley, and Simp- 

 son Meadow. At Collins Meadow, Whitney and Noble, 

 owing to their limited time, left us and struck out west- 

 ward by a trail which leads to Trimmer Springs. From 

 there, they had the novel and exciting experience of a 

 midnight flume-ride down to Sanger. Five days later, 

 the rest of us were in our old familiar camping-grounds 

 in King's River Cafion. Here Dr. Gilbert left us to 

 explore the Roaring River country, and the remainder 

 of the party hastened home, and our camping-trip was at 

 an end. 



Although the trip was at an end, yet the best of all 

 was still to come — the retrospect. Every such trip as we 

 had just completed has its joys, its pleasures, its excite- 

 ments ; there are the rugged mountains and the snow-filled 

 cirques, the foaming streams and the roaring cascades, 

 the alpine meadows, the wild flowers, and the glorious 

 camp-fires; but there are also the hardships, the trials, 

 the privations, — the lost trail, the straying mule, the 

 drenching rain, the mosquitoes. But, with the retrospect, 

 all is changed ; all the trials, all the hardships, all the 

 difficulties have faded into the background, and there is 

 left a perfect and everlasting picture, ever increasing in 

 beauty as the months go by. And now, after half a year 

 has elapsed, and we can get the view of our trip in its 

 proper perspective and can compare it with all the other 

 camping-pictures which live in our memories, I think we 

 can truly say that this last, this view into the Mt. 

 Humphreys region, is one of the choicest treasures. 



