120 



Sierra Club Bulletin 



Mr. Merritt had told us that Dr. Rixford with a party of five had 

 disappeared up Cloudy Canon about ten days before, incidentally 

 looking for Colby Pass. As the party had not returned, he surmised 

 that they had gotten out of the canon, possibly over that pass. While 

 we were at our point of vantage on Glacier Ridge we chanced to 

 notice across a snow-field just below us, on the Cloudy Canon side, 

 rather fresh hoof-prints. Following these we found they led, by a 

 very steep and rough trail, to Miner's Pass and then along the ridge 

 westward to the Elizabeth Pass of Stewart Edward White. Of course, 

 we did not know whose tracks these were, but immediately thought 

 of the Doctor's party. At this point we had reached our nearest 

 approach thus far to the Black Kaweah, four miles distant, and it 

 certainly appeared a rough and treacherous peak — sheer walls across 

 the whole northern face, and its knife-edge scarred and broken by 

 great clefts. 



From Miner's Pass it was a long descent of 4700 feet and a long 

 distance back to our Cloudy Canon camp, going, as we did, the 

 whole length of Cloudy Cafion; but the trip was full of inspiring 

 views and points of interest. To see the Whaleback alone is worth 

 a long trip into the region. It was just dusk when we reached camp, 

 quite fatigued; but a very excellent dinner, culminating with one of 

 Mrs. Knowles' celebrated tapioca puddings, was the end of a perfect 

 day. 



From our observations taken when crossing Glacier Ridge, we 

 knew that Colby Pass could be reached only by first getting into a 

 large basin east of the Whaleback. Accordingly, on July 31, we 

 moved to Upper Cloudy Camp (elevation, 9100 feet), at a meadow 

 just west of the north end of the Whaleback. Merritt had told us 

 that sheep had recently been over a new trail leading eastward out of 

 Cloudy Canon half a mile or so north of Whaleback Creek. Mc- 

 Duffie followed this and found that it led up toward Table Creek, 

 and not into the Whaleback Basin. He thereupon cut across an inter- 

 vening ridge, southward, and followed up Whaleback Creek until 

 he looked into the basin. Returning, he reported signs of very old 

 sheep-trails here and there on the northern end of the Whaleback, 

 but nothing continuous. 



During the afternoon Brown and I explored all across the north- 

 western shoulder of the Whaleback. The whole slope was dotted 

 with misleading monuments leading in all directions. After a very 



