48 



Sierra Club Bulletin. 



REPORTS OF COMMITTEES. 



Report of the Outing Committee for 1912. 

 The 1912 Outing of the Sierra Club was in many ways the most en- 

 joyable outing the Club has ever undertaken. The trip was planned in 

 such a way as to afford the very best opportunity for visiting all parts 

 of the Kern River Basin. The party was taken in by way of the rail- 

 road to Springville, from which point the Kern River is easily reached 

 via Nelson's. Two especially fine groves of "Big Trees'^ were on this 

 trail. After spending a day or two in the vicinity of Kern Lakes the 

 entire party moved up into Golden Trout Meadows. After recrossing 

 the Kern River the entire party camped on Chagoopa Plateau on the 

 shores of Moraine Lake, which in many respects, with its thick forest 

 shelter, delightful bathing and wonderful surroundings, was one of the 

 most attractive camps the Club has ever had. The majority of the 

 party ascended the main Kaweah Peak and visited all portions of the 

 Big Arroyo Basin. Through the generous work of Messrs. Thompson 

 and Cahill and others, approximately one hundred and fifty golden trout 

 were transported in fish cans from Golden Trout Creek and planted in 

 various fishless lakes and streams. Other streams were planted with 

 rainbow trout from Kern River. As a result of transplanting by the 

 Club in 1908, rainbow trout were caught, the largest weighing 

 pounds, and measuring 28}^ inches in length, and golden trout weighing 

 3^ pounds. These latter fish retained their wonderful characteristics, i. e., 

 color, absence of scales and had spots only on the tail and dorsal fin. 

 Mr. Charles Michaels made the first ascent of the middle or Red 

 Kaweah. About sixty members of the party knapsacked to the head 

 of the Big Arroyo and into the Kern-Kaweah and joined the main party 

 at Junction Meadows on the Kern. The first ascent of Milestone 

 Mountain was made and a new pass on the Kings-Kern divide dis- 

 covered, which promises to furnish a feasible route from the Kings into 

 the Kern River. This will bring Mount Whitney two days nearer the 

 Kings River Canon. Nearly one-half the party camped near the head 

 of Tyndall Creek and from this base camp some of the members made 

 ascents of Thunder Mountain, Stanford, Junction Peak, Wilhamson and 

 Tyndall. The entire party moved on to Crabtree Meadow, and over one 

 hundred climbed Mount Whitney (14,502 feet), probably the largest 

 number to make the ascent the same day. Rock Creek was the next 

 camp and the day following the entire party crossed the crest of the 

 Sierra via Army Pass (12,000 feet) and descended to Cottonwood 

 Lakes, where camp was made at an elevation of eleven thousand feet. 

 Golden trout planted here many years ago* were caught, still retaining 



* Vol. VIII, p. 193, Sierra Club Bulletin. 



