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Sierra Club Bulletin. 



directly to the top. A practicable route having once 

 been discovered, there was no further delay, and shortly 

 after one o'clock all the party were on the summit. 



The day was fairly clear and the mountain in all 

 directions stood out distinctly. But the haze hung over 

 the desert and the bordering mountains were tinged with 

 purple. In the northwest clouds overhung Mts. Lyell 

 and McClure and Rodgers Peak, but from time to time 

 they stood out distinctly. Banner Mountain, just to the 

 north, appeared so close that it seemed as if one could 

 reach it at a leap. Three or four miles southward the 

 Minarets thrust into the sky their pinnacles, their flanks 

 on the north and east clothed in white, while to the east 

 and south of them lay piles on piles of mountains extend- 

 ing until the horizon and the clouds shut out the view. 



To the westward we looked across the San Joaquin 

 Canon, through whose deep recesses we had so lately 

 come, to the range we had crossed the day before, and 

 from which, in plain view, rose Electra, Foerster, Long 

 and Isberg peaks. We could pick out the very spot 

 where we had stopped to rest and satiate our souls with 

 the glorious view. 



The glacier on the southeast slope of Ritter was deeply 

 covered with snow, which showed, however, the con- 

 centric lines indicating the direction of the downward 

 movement. From our elevated position the bergschrund 

 on the opposite side showed distinctly. 



About three o'clock we took a last look at the pano- 

 rama of mountains and started down. The snow steeps, 

 which caused us so much trouble in the ascent, had 

 softened under the westering sun and there was some 

 glorious coasting. Strenuous and exciting was some of 

 it, too, on account of the steepness and the deep pits and 

 gullies. All landed safely, however, on the snow-covered 

 lake at the bottom of the slope. Picking up our packs, 

 we started on our return to the Tuolumne camp. It 

 was the intention to spend the night at Thousand Island 

 Lake, some three or four miles north. 



