54 



Sierra Club Bulletin. 



of our entire party was able to negotiate without the assistance 

 of a rope : 



"Having reached the summit of the Middle Sister shortly after 

 9 :oo A. M., I determined to go over and explore the North Sister. 

 It was fast and easy going down the north slope of the Middle 

 Sister, across steep slides and snowfields in good condition for 

 running or sliding. The head of the great Collier Glacier was 

 crossed easily. From this point a narrow ridge ascends steeply 

 to the base of the highest peak of the North Sister. In its first 

 stages this was good climbing, but the last half was very badly 

 broken, and required some ticklish work over high and very 

 narrow pinnacles or around the steep sides of sheer cliffs. Now 

 I was at the foot of the last peak. In front, facing south, was a 

 broken wall of stone, perpendicular for probably a hundred feet. 

 I studied this for some moments and tried climbing a few feet, 

 soon giving it up as too dangerous on account of the loose rocks. 

 On the east it was many times worse. The cliffs here extended 

 down many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of feet, perpendicular 

 both above and below me. Then I tried west, going down the 

 steep sHde at the cHff's base, then climbing northerly along the 

 west side to the snowfield we had seen from camp. This was too 

 steep and hard to cross without an ice pick, but was passed by 

 climbing around the edge and over the top between the rock- 

 wall and the snow. A little farther north and I began to look 

 up again. I could see a chimney above that seemed the only 

 possible way of attaining the summit, but below it was a very 

 difficult climb. I gave it up at the first trial, but after determin- 

 ing there was no other feasible route I tried again and made it. 

 Then came some more steep slide rock, seventy-five or a hundred 

 feet of almost straight-up chimney work, and then, at 12 :33, I 

 was on the summit. There are two high points to this peak, ap- 

 parently of equal height, both of which I reached easily once up 

 the chimney. Returning, I went down the west side some dis- 

 tance, crossed a deep gorge to the north, and climbed to the 

 north peak, which is seventy-five or a hundred feet lower than 

 the other, I should judge. Here I found the record of R. L. 

 Glisan and W. H. Loomis, made July 20, 1903, stating that at 

 this point they were compelled to descend on account of the 

 approach of a thunder-storm. I found no records on the other 

 summits. Went home via the northwest ridge and reached Camp 

 Riddell at 4:07." 



Mr. Prouty last summer placed the Mazama box on Broken 

 Top, a peak to the southeast of the Sisters, also, and later made 

 a second ascent of the North Sister, guiding a party of six. An 

 account of the 1903 ascent is pubhshed in Vol. 2, No. 4, of the 

 Mazama Bulletin. 



