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Sierra Club Bulletin, 



had thawed the whole mass into a treacherous condition. 

 Under these circumstances we very cautiously straddled 

 the difficulty, and breathed more freely when we were 

 again on rocks. Later in the day we viewed this place 

 from below and felt very thankful that we were not 

 compelled to cross it a second time. After a few minutes 

 more of hard work we reached the summit,* having been 

 five hours from our base camp in making the ascent. 



The panorama viewed from the top of Ritter is more 

 extended than that seen from Lyell. Looking first to 

 the north, one may see the head-waters of Rush Creek 

 near Donohue Pass, observe much of its course, and see 

 its outlet in the alkaline waters of Lake Mono. The rivu- 

 lets formed by the melting snows nearer the base of 

 Ritter and Banner flow northward a few hundred yards 

 from the moraine we crossed in the morning and empty 

 into Thousand Island Lake, which in turn is the main 

 source of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin. Just south 

 of this moraine is the glacial lake previously referred to, 

 and which is one of the uppermost sources of the North 

 Fork of the San Joaquin. The two rivers thus rising 

 within a few inches of each other flow in opposite direc- 

 tions, circle the mountain, and unite their waters several 

 miles to the southward. Farther to the west are the 

 head-waters of the Merced rising from the snows of 

 Lyell. 



The well-known mountain peaks to the north are of 

 course Dana and Conness. Lyell and Florence lie to the 

 northwest, but seen from an unfamiliar side are not at 

 first recognized as friends. The South Dome of Yosemite 



* Mt. Ritter (altitude 13,186 feet) is 96 feet higher than Lyell, 136 feet 

 higher than Dana, and 2,265 feet higher than Hoffman. 



