An Ascent of Mount Humphreys 



59 



and a few other expedients, as well as keeping a cool head and 

 steady nerves, the last difficulty was overcome, and at i p. m. 

 the leader, followed a few moments later by the other two 

 members of the party, set foot on the highest point of Mount 

 Humphreys, 13,972 feet above sea-level. 



The weather was calm, beautiful, and warm. There was 

 hardly a cloud in the sky, and sweaters were a superfluity. The 

 view was magnificent. Far across decreasing billows of moun- 

 tains to westward the San Joaquin Valley shimmered under a 

 hot sun. Near at hand on the other side, apparently just at 

 our feet, Owens Valley lay spread out like a map with its 

 roads, cities, and cultivated fields. Aside from these two fea- 

 tures of the scene, the world was a wilderness of mountains. 

 From Banner and Ritter on the north to the helmet shape of 

 Mount Whitney on the south, we identified landmark after 

 landmark, monuments of past successes and beckoning finger- 

 posts to future conquests. Very little snow was visible, owing 

 to the light fall the preceding winter, and even the smallest 

 lakes and ponds were free from ice. Of lakes and lakelets we 

 counted nearly two hundred and then lost count. 



The summit of the peak is so limited in extent that there is 

 hardly room for more than a half-dozen people to congregate 

 there at a time without danger of falling off. There is not even 

 room for a monument, and the Sierra Club cylinder lay out in 

 plain sight on a flat rock. One of our first cares was to exam- 

 ine the club register, which we found in fine condition; but it 

 was a matter of surprise to ascertain, according to the entries 

 therein, that the summit had been attained by but one climber 

 since the register was placed there by Messrs. Hutchinson in 

 1904. This ascent was made in 191 7 by a prospector, Dan 

 Samardich. The writer could not but feel a thrill of satisfac- 

 tion to learn that he was the first club member to set foot on the 

 summit since the register was placed there fifteen years earlier. 



One hour was passed on the peak, a few photographs taken, 

 and then with regret we were compelled to set out on our 

 downward way. Excepting the first few hundred feet, which 

 were even more difficult of descent than of ascent, the return 

 trip was uneventful. With the aid of our monuments we made 

 good time in returning, and by 5 p. m. we were at camp. 



