138 



Sierra Club Bulletin, 



evening of the 5th at 5 130 p. m., at no great distance from the base 

 of Mt. Whitney. At this camp, which was perhaps fifty feet 

 below the timber line, the barometer at 6 p. m. read 20.440 inches. 

 On the next day, September 6th, we left camp at 6:30 a. m, and 

 reached the base of Mt. Whitney itself at 7 130 a. m. It was not 

 yet apparent how we were to climb this colossal peak. 



"But following my companions in silence, and keeping a sharp 

 lookout ahead, I at last spied a crevice going up among the crags 

 which seemed to offer a way. This crevice appeared to be about 

 10 feet wide, with a slope of some 45 degrees. Keeping to the 

 larger boulders, I slowly worked my way through it. All around 

 me, in wild confusion, lay the wrecks of avalanches. Taking a 

 rest I saw my companions making with full speed for the summit. 

 There are some six or eight of these crevices to be passed in 

 succession, and this is undoubtedly the hardest portion of the 

 ascent. It is best to keep to the larger boulders on account both 

 of ease and safety. For one is liable to dislodge the smaller ones ; 

 and the slope is so steep that when one is started it is liable to 

 carry others in its train. I found the ascent, though not particu- 

 larly dangerous, extremely laborious and very slow. 



"Below the altitude of 10,000 feet it went pretty easily, but the 

 last 4,000 feet demanded, of me at least, frequent stoppages to get 

 breath. I felt relieved always after stopping a few minutes ; but 

 the sensation of relief lasted only a very short time, and after a 

 few steps more of climbing I had to stop again to get breath. 

 Thus the higher I got the slower I went. All of us reached the 

 summit one after another. I was the second last, McDonnell being 

 the last. On the summit all looked rather tired. I felt dull and 

 heavy and a little sleepy. I did not desire to eat anything. All 

 had their eyes more or less bloodshot. The blood settled under 

 my finger-nails, and the ends of my fingers, of the hand with which 

 I supported the barometer all the way up, felt slightly numb. We 

 were at the summit of Mount Whitney about 10 o'clock. I 

 suspended my barometer, which I had brought up unbroken, and 

 found that the mercurial column stood at 17^ inches, which 

 would give us roughly a height of between 14,000 and 15,000 feet. 



"We shall not be able to tell the exact height until I shall hand 

 my observations to Mr. Goodyear, who will find the calculations 

 to result as follows : Lone Pine itself has an altitude of 10,981.5 

 feet; add this to the best determinations yet made, which is 3,917 

 feet, and the total height of Mt. Whitney is 14,898 feet." 



[A very careful and accurate determination of the height of 

 Mt. Whitney, made by the U. S. Geological Survey a few years 

 ago, gives the real altitude of the mountain as 14,501 feet. — 

 Editor.] 



