Notes and Correspondence. 321 



dry wood can be obtained, it will be far better to take a "Pearl" 

 oil-can in which to build the fire on the snow. 



Automobile goggles and knit face-masks are an absolute 

 necessity, and canvas clothing is highly desirable. 



With such an equipment we found it possible to be absent ten 

 days from a base of supplies. 



Still greater lightness can probably be obtained by improve- 

 ments in stove, sleeping-bag, and tent. A second pair of felt 

 boots and sufficient food should always be insisted upon, but if 

 either must be slighted, the feet should be given preference to 

 the stomach, for the failure of the former will bring irreparable 

 disaster. In case the weather should become extremely cold, 

 place the sleeping-bag in a hole in the snow and cover it over 

 with the same material, but deep enough so that it cannot be 

 shaken off. With such a blanket of snow, a temperature of 

 — 25° F. could readily be met, for according to our tests the 

 thermometer never fell appreciably below -|- 30° F. when buried 

 in the snow. 



If the Sierra Club could establish cabins with fireplaces and 

 supplies along King's River, its members could revel in the sports 

 of winter mountaineering from one end of the canon to the other, 

 and views of winter scenery obtained that would delight the 

 artist's heart. J. E. Church, Jr. 



Reno, Nev., May 20, 1905. 



