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Sierra Club Bulletin. 



the usual warning for storms. Fifty-three persons, head- 

 ed by Mr. Parsons, lined up in camp and were formed 

 into five companies, each with its own leader. There 

 were also the scientists who under Mr. McAdie's guid- 

 ance were to measure the height of the mountain. A 

 goodly array of mountaineers we were, — a greater num- 

 ber than had ever before attempted the ascent, and greater 

 probably than ever will again. The mountain is not with- 

 out dangers, and as the risk was increased by the size of 

 the party it was owing only to the great vigilance of 

 the leaders that our safety was secured. An afternoon's 

 struggle in the snow was our first day's programme. 

 To our left stretched the Nisqually Glacier, growing 

 whiter and more picturesque as we climbed higher and 

 higher. Every now and then an avalanche came hurtling 

 down on the glacier. As we stopped from time to time 

 for breath, we had leisure to watch the great white 

 field, and were delighted if we caught sight of the falling- 

 mass before its boom reached our ears. What an awe- 

 inspiring sight it is to see a thunderbolt of ice and snow 

 flash down a mountain-side ! At one time a flock of moun- 

 tain goats came into view, and we observed them as closely 

 as the distance would allow. We now began to reach 

 altitudes from which it was possible to appreciate more 

 fully the greatness of the glacier, and to understand 

 how the crevasses came to be formed by the uneven 

 motion of the ice-stream down the sloping chan- 

 nel. About a thousand feet below Camp Muir the 

 pack-train unloaded its freight, and we all carried 

 our sleeping-bags, the men carrying also the com- 

 missary supplies. On reaching the camp, a rocky slope 

 surrounded by snow, at an altitude of about 10,000 feet, 

 our first task was to move the boulders into places where 

 they would interfere as little as possible with the coming 

 night's sleep. Unfortunately the little remained a good 

 deal in spite of our best efforts. But I was fortunate 

 enough to secure a place surrounded by a kind of rock 

 wall, so that there was no danger of being chilled by 



