Sierra Club Bulletin. 



and extending through Gray, Red, Ottoway, Merced, and 

 Triple Divide to Isberg on the east. It was a magnificent 

 view and one exceeded only by that of the Ritter Range, 

 which we reached a few hours later. 



We climbed up the west side of the north extension 

 of the range in which Isberg Peak lies, between Foerster 

 Peak and Long Mountain. It was a hard pull up the 

 snow steep. The surface was deeply pitted and was 

 softening under the warm sun, which made the tramping 

 heavy. But just before noon we reached the summit of 

 the ridge south of Foerster Peak at an altitude of about 

 11,500 feet. 



It was a difficult climb to the top of this ridge, but as 

 our heads rose above its crest there burst upon our sight 

 one of the most magnificent views in this part of the 

 Sierra. Due east of us, six or seven miles in an airline, 

 the Ritter Range, from Banner Mountain on the north to 

 the Minarets on the south, stood out cold and gray against 

 the sky. The San Joaquin Cafion lay between, the crest 

 of the range rising to the height of nearly a mile above 

 its lowest depth. In getting dov/n to the San Joaquin 

 we encountered some of the most ticklish work we found 

 on the whole trip. 



We struck the river at the foot of a long series of falls 

 and cascades, where the climb immediately began again. 

 We found the floor of the cafion quite generally covered 

 with snow and the stream spanned here and there by 

 snow bridges, which made it very convenient for us, as 

 we were forced from one side to the other by the wander- 

 ing of the river. 



We knew we were somewhere around the base of 

 Ritter, but were laboring under the difficulty that always 

 happens when one is immediately under the mountain 

 one is looking for, — that of determining which is the 

 right one of a group, all of which are visible. 



We learned from a prospector that there was an old 

 sheep trail leading up from the east side of the cafion, 



