The Kings River Outing of i^io. 



17 



moon coming over the crest of Rixford and Gould, the 

 quiet serenity of the lake, the massive majesty of the 

 snow-capped peaks, Fin Dome in the cold gray of an 

 early morning, taking on the warmer tints of dawn, and 

 later every crag and rock brought out by the searching 

 sunlight in microscopic detail in that thunder-cleared air. 



The elevation of the lake was over 10,000 feet. Each 

 and all seemed possessed with a feeling of indescribable 

 buoyancy. Some of the difficult peaks were climbed by 

 select parties, and nearly every one climbed the ridge and 

 looked down into the Sixty Lake basin. A few trout 

 planted several years ago had increased in such numbers 

 and size as to keep the camp almost surfeited with fish. 

 Bathing was ideal, everything was perfect. One pitchy 

 log burned steadily for three nights, a self-perpetuating 

 camp-fire. Reluctantly leaving the lake, one of the Outing 

 Committee was hypnotized into guiding a party of seven 

 of us on a five-day knapsack trip up Woods Creek, over 

 the pass at Mt. Pinchot, down to Bench Lake in the upper 

 basin of the Kings, up the other side, across another pass 

 to the head of Cartridge Creek, down the creek past 

 Marion Lake, by Triple Falls to the Simpson Meadows, 

 up from the meadows, rich with horse feed, over the canon 

 wall, across Granite Pass and down Copper Creek, just 

 in time to join the procession homeward — a side-trip com- 

 pared to which main trips elsewhere would appear hope- 

 lessly uninteresting. 



On the way back to Lemon Cove, opportunity was 

 offered and taken for a side-trip into the heart of the 

 Sequoia Forest in Redwood Canon below Quail Flat. At 

 Lemon Cove we saw charming orchards, which had been 

 hidden in the gloom the night we started. 



Take the trip, and you will see the difficulty of the task 

 I have assumed in describing its attractiveness. 



