The High Mountain Route. 



3 



The writer's own interest in the region dates from 

 1898, when, together with Mr. C. L. Cory, he followed 

 Mr. Solomons' route to Mount Goddard, and, finding 

 the way blocked to the south, crossed the Goddard Divide 

 at Hell-for-Sure Pass, and pioneered a way to Crown 

 Valley, then to Tehipite, Simpson Meadow, and the 

 King's River Canon.* At the time this was the highest 

 route by which animals had been taken from Yosemite 

 to the King's River Canon, and for ten years, or till the 

 summer just passed, this record stood. During that time 

 many others have passed over it: Dr. Fairbanks and 

 party in 1901, Messrs. Pike and Symmes in 1902, and 

 several others in 1903. The writer, with Mr. G. K. 

 Gilbert, went over the identical route in 1904.! But it 

 will be noticed that the southern part of the route avoids 

 entirely the High Sierra at the very point where it is 

 the most magnificent, and therefore it cannot be called 

 the true High Mountain Route, but rather the Middle 

 Route through the southern Sierra. 



It was obviously useless in the short space of a sum- 

 mer's vacation to work through at once and without any 

 previous knowledge a route in so rough and intricate a 

 region as the head of King's River. Accordingly the 

 writer took every opportunity after 1898 to work out 

 bits of the route, and piece them together. In 1902 a 

 trip was made across the Middle Fork of King's River 

 to Split Mountain.^ In 1903 the North Palisade was 

 ascended, and a very fair idea of the entire Middle Fork 

 basin obtained. § In 1904 the Evolution Group and the 

 Goddard Divide east of Mount Goddard were explored. 1 1 

 In 1906, a party of the Sierra Club Outing passed 

 up the south branch of Woods' Creek and crossed Glenn 

 Pass, proving that portion to be practicable for ani- 

 mals.^ Also, in 1906, the writer and party went up the 

 north branch of Woods' Creek, and from the summit 01 



* Sierra Club Bulletin, Vol. II, No. 5, p. 249. 



t Sierra Club Bulletin, Vol. V, No. 3, p. 153. 



-t Sierra Club Bulletin, Vol. IV, No. 3, p. 177. 



§ Sierra Club Bulletin, Vol. IV, No. 4, p. 253. 



II Sierra Club Bulletin, Vol. V, No. 3, p. 153. 



^ Sierra Club Bulletin, Vol. VI, No. 2, p. 100. 



