Ml Lyell and Mt Ritter Ascents. 187 



Although the altitude of our camp at Thousand Island 

 Lake was over ten thousand feet, the night was uncom- 

 fortably warm, and the mosquitoes were uncommonly 

 neighborly. If we uncovered to keep cool, the mosquitoes 

 kept us awake by their singing and loud demonstrations 

 of affection; if we covered our heads with our blankets 

 to avoid the mosquitoes, we were too warm to sleep. The 

 result was that we passed a very bad night. 



We* rose early the morning of the i8th of July, and 

 at 4 : 50 o'clock started toward Ritter. Our course lay 

 to the southward for several hundred yards, then over a 

 large and ancient moraine to the small but beautiful 

 glacial lake at the foot of the snow-field extending west- 

 ward from the saddle lying between Banner Peak and 

 Ritter. This is one of the prettiest and most interesting 

 lakes seen during the outing. The deep blue of its waters 

 is in marked contrast with the whiteness of the numerous 

 floes of snow and ice that dot its surface, while the 

 reflection of the near-by peaks and rocks reminds one 

 of the fine effects seen in Mirror Lake of the Yosemite. 

 Here also is seen at its best the Ritter Glacier. The thick 

 mass of snow and ice terminates abruptly on the eastern 

 shore, and great blocks break away from the central mass, 

 drop into the lake, and form miniature icebergs. 



On the shores of this lake we paused to study care- 



* Before starting from the Lyell base camp we had unanimously chosen 

 Mr. Gould as our leader, and this evening, while around the camp-fire, we 

 completed our organization by casting lots for positions in line. These 

 positions we maintained not only in climbing the mountain, but in making 

 the descent as well. In this way each person took an equal chance with 

 the others in the dangers of the trip, and particularly in the liability to 

 accident from falling rocks started by those who preceded or followed 

 him in the ascent or descent. As thus formed, the party was as follows: 

 Edward B. Gould, Duncan McDuffie, William Frederic BadS, Olcott 

 Haskell, Russ Avery, W. H. Kimball, Willoughby Rodman, Julius Cahn, 

 and Lowell J. Hart. 



