32 
The second ascent, a year later than the first, was by the usual path, 
very steep toward the summit and including, on July 11, a small field of 
snow on the north side. 
The average of the writer’s . determinations of the elevation on the 
two ascents is 3,660 feet, but Murray makes it 3,778, and the geological 
map 3,560. 
On the path from the top toward the camp and at other points in 
the valleys leading away from mount Albert there are granite boulders 
and also boulder clay at levels up to about 1,500 feet, proving the motion 
of valley glaciers carrying fragments of Tabletop granite from the mountains 
on the other side of the valley. 
Route to Tabletop 
From the Forks a little above the camp a poorly cut out trail leads 
up the northeast branch of Ste. Anne river for 2 or 3 miles and then turns 
south to lac aux Am4ricains, 2,300 feet above the sea. This lake is in a 
profound valley with cliffs as walls and is dammed by large blocks of a 
moraine, so that it is clearly of glacier formation, though the valley is longer 
than most cirques. From the lake a very precipitous trail difficult for 
loaded men leads up a rocky ridge, in some places covered embarrassingly 
with scrub spruce, to the projecting peak which forms the eastern side 
of the valley just mentioned. 
This mountain, which has no name, but is referred to in the writer’s 
notes as First mountain, is 3,900 feet high, so that it excels mount Albert. 
The steep face of the mountain toward the plain is formed of grey-green 
schist, but the southeastern part is of granite, and as in the case of mount 
Albert, the highest point is of schist, which seems to resist weathering better 
then granite or serpentine. 
The route goes over the bare top of the mountain, and follows the 
edge of the next valley toward the east through a grove of stunted spruces 
to a spot about 1| miles from the summit, low enough and sufficiently 
sheltered to form a camping ground. A number of aneroid readings 
corrected for temperature make the elevation 3,472 feet. This camp 
ground is fairly convenient and as comfortable as could be expected at the 
elevation, but the packing in of supplies from the Forks, a distance of 
10 miles, including a climb of nearly 3,300 feet, is a serious drawback. 
The name Tabletop (Plate VI A) is not very suitable, since the surface 
is rarely flat but consists of valleys and rolling hills often 500 feet or more 
above the general level. Mount Albert with its few square miles of flat 
tableland might much more appropriately have received the name. 
The mountain was reached by Richardson from Magdalen river, 
but he gives very little information in regard to it, and, as he had no 
barometer, could only make guesses as to elevations. 1 The name is 
mentioned by Ells, who refers to “the transverse range of Tabletop 
mountain, with peaks but little short of 4,000 feet”; 2 and in 1883 Low 
spent some time on the mountain and correctly describes its uneven 
surface with many lakes. He says that “the central area is about 3,000 
feet above sea-level, but several peaks are higher than mount Albert. 
Richardson peak (3,700 feet) is the highest.” 3 
1 Geol. Surv., Can., 1857-8, p. 37. 
2 Geol. Surv., Can., 1882-4, p. 10 E. 
* Ibid., p. 9 F. 
