ML Lyell and Mt. Ritter Ascents. 185 



climb up the last few hundred feet was attended with 

 considerable danger and was accomplished with much 

 nervousness and anxiety. But, however great the toil and 

 risk, our troubles were at once dispelled upon reaching 

 the summit by a view of the magnificent alpine panorama. 

 We were in the center of a sea of mountains ; wave after 

 wave of mountain ranges extended in all directions in 

 countless recession, the snow-clad peaks forming the 

 foaming crests of the raging billows. Here and there the 

 regularity of the movement seemed broken by opposing 

 winds, and the angry waves, lashed into fury and driven 

 against one another, heaped their waters high in crests of 

 frozen grandeur. Such was the impression given by the 

 steep snows of McClure and the rugged, isolated peaks 

 of Banner and Ritter. 



Sheltered among the rocks from the chill winds of 

 such altitudes, we ate our luncheon and enjoyed the 

 inspiring view. At 1 1 o'clock our attention was attracted 

 by flashes from Lambert's Dome, about twelve miles 

 away, and just across the river from the main camp in the 

 Tuolumne Meadows, where some of our friends had gone 

 and were heliographing to us their greetings. With a 

 small pocket-mirror we answered their congratulations, 

 thus establishing wireless communication on the outposts 

 of civilization. 



We signed our names on the Sierra Club register and 

 at 1 1 130 o'clock began the descent. We left in detached 

 groups, but with one accord avoided the scene of our 

 strenuous labors of the morning, and, by keeping well to 

 the left, in a general northwesterly direction, and follow- 

 ing the large and very steep snow-field, we arrived at the 

 base of the mountain without exciting adventure. Those 



