6 



Sierra Club Bulletin. 



breeze off the water gave us comparative peace. In the 

 afternoon some time was lost at the outlet o£ the lake 

 on account of false monuments, and more time was lost 

 further down the San Joaquin Cafion by missing the 

 best trial. But at last the Agnew trail was found, and 

 we made good time, reaching Agnew Meadow by 5:30, 

 after a hard day's work. 



The magnificent range of Mount Ritter and the Mina- 

 rets does not lie upon the Main Crest, but on a spur em- 

 braced by two branches of the San Joaquin. The Main 

 Crest lies to the east of that spur, and is relatively low 

 and insignificant. It is largely forest covered, and Mam- 

 moth Pass, a few miles south, is the lowest pass in the 

 southern Sierra. Our route in this part followed within 

 a few miles of the crest line. 



Mosquitoes at Agnew made life a misery, and we 

 were glad to get off early next morning, and move on 

 to Red's Meadow, where we found a respite from these 

 little pests. We stopped there all day of the 5th, and 

 enjoyed the luxury of a bath in the splendid hot spring. 

 We also met miners and campers, and were enabled to 

 send out letters for the last time. Red's Meadow is one 

 of the most beautiful camping spots in the Sierra. The 

 surrounding region is full of interest; Mount Ritter and 

 the Minarets to the northwest, the wonderful basaltic 

 mass of the Devil's Post Pile near by, the Rainbow 

 Fall, the finest in the Sierra outside of Yosemite and 

 Hetch-Hetchy, within a mile, and curious and interest- 

 ing volcanic phenomena all about. Add to this the 

 abundant fish in the streams, and what more enjoyable 

 spot can be imagined? 



Early on the morning of the 6th we were on the march, 

 and took the Mammoth trail eastward to the summit 

 of the pass, then struck off southward on the upper Fish 

 Creek trail, and followed it to the brink of Fish Valley. 

 Here the trail drops abruptly 2,000 feet into the deep 

 A^alley, so we abandoned it, and for the first time struck 

 off into the wilderness, with the idea of working down 



