Winter in the High Sierra. 



239 



have been driven down out of the high mountains by the 

 cold, and sometimes the tracks of a mountain Hon. 



The high mountains, however, are without Hfe from 

 the time of the first big snow-storm until late in May. 

 The creeks are frozen over and buried many feet deep 

 under the snow, and unless there is a wind roaring among 

 the summit peaks not a sound breaks the great stillness. 

 One feels more alone there than out on the open desert 

 and is apt to find the magnificent scenes oppressive. 



In early May, 1908, my work led me up into the south- 

 ern Hmits of the High Sierra as far as the base of the cliff 

 which drops off sheer from the summit of Mt. Langley on 

 the east. The snow was well crusted and traveling easy 

 from a base camp on Cottonwood Creek at the 9,000-foot 

 level. The temperature at night was quite low and 

 remained below freezing for a few hours after sunrise. 

 Our horses discovered this to their sorrow when they 

 went into a slushy meadow to feed. The water that 

 splashed onto their tails froze solid, and in a few minutes 

 each horse had a solid club of ice hanging down behind, 

 which caused considerable excitement when discovered. 

 This appendage remained until late in the morning. 



Snow lay about six feet deep on the level cirque floor at 

 the base of Mt. Langley. The long chain of lakes was vStill 

 frozen over, but at the outlet of one the ice had broken 

 through, exposing nearly one hundred feet of shallow 

 stream channel. Lying in the pools and under projecting 

 rock ledges were fifteen or twenty magnificent specimens 

 of golden trout, enjoying the bright sunlight after the 

 long, dark winter under the ice. As we were approach- 

 ing this pool a wolverine jumped up and ran into the 

 timber. It had apparently been fishing, for there were no 

 signs of any other game near by. 



It is only occasionally that anyone attempts to climb 

 to high elevations in the Sierra Nevada during the win- 

 ter months. The trip made by Prof. Church and Mr. 

 Marsh up Lone Pine Creek to an elevation of over 

 13,000 feet is described in the Sierra Club Bulletin of 



