170 



Sierra Club Bulletin. 



THE DEVIL'S POSTPILE. 



By J. N. Le Conte. 



The creation by the President of the "Devil's Postpile 

 National Monument" on the 6th of July last calls atten- 

 tion more strongly than ever to the beautiful region of 

 the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. Not only 

 does this basin embrace such curiosities as the recently 

 established monument, but also one of the finest groups 

 of mountain peaks, the finest group of residual glaciers, 

 and the finest evidences of recent volcanic activity to be 

 found in the Sierra Nevada. With the creation of this 

 National monument, travel will be still more strongly 

 attracted in this direction, so that a few words descrip- 

 tive of the region will not be amiss. 



The culminating points of the upper Middle Fork lie 

 in the Ritter group, which consists of Mt. Ritter, Banner 

 Peak, and the Minarets. These form a ver>^ high and 

 rugged divide trending north and south, and drained on 

 the east by the Middle and on the west by the North Fork 

 of the San Joaquin River. The canons on both sides are 

 cut to a great depth, so that the mountains between rise 

 to a very considerable height above the surrounding 

 country. The peaks average between 12,500 and 13,150 

 feet above sea-level, and the rock, unlike most of the 

 Sierra, is black metamorphic. The brilliancy of contrast 

 between this and the snow, the exceptional ruggedness 

 of sculpture characteristic of this type of rock, and the 

 great height of the peaks, both absolute and relative, unite 

 to make this group the most magnificent piece of moun- 

 tain scenery which we have in the Sierra Nevada. 



This splendid mountain mass does not lie upon the 

 main crest, but is embraced, as has been stated, by two 



