14 
April 13, Up at 5-5:30 a.m., ashore, and started by 8:30 a.iji# 
We had our shore excursion. Went over to beach Sunday a.m. Got 
parties organized and started away from shore about &&x 8;30. Walked and 
hacked our way inland by a devious route, as we thought and hoped toward 
the crater we had picked out from shore on Saturday afternoon and from ship 
as we "were coming in in sub to Conway Bay or rather from boat approaching 
shore because we could only see it at some distance away from land. It 
was impossible to keep to the right direction, as it proved later we went 
’way astray. Both in forenoon part of jaunt which lasted (with a few brief 
rests; till 11:30; and later on our 2-hour continuation of journey. As I 
have often said each of these Galapagos Islands is a different kind of a 
Kell, and the north side of Indefatigable, this side of first ridge down to 
the shore, is no exception and, moreover, is one of its own peculiar kind. 
The orush here on Indefatigable seemed particularly bad and abun¬ 
dant and required pretty constant cutting (if not blazing) to find our way 
back. Lava dykes much fractured, some loose pieces with clanger of turning 
ankles most of the time. 
Going we cut brush off of steep slopes unwittingly where it would 
have helped our return trip when descending these same steep slopes. Climb- 
ing up steep "hillocks” or piles of lava (or lava dykes; seemed easier and 
safer than coming down—coming down there was always the danger of slipping 
and being precipitated into a giant cs.ctus of which one always seemed to 
stand next the best place for going up and down; if not falling down the 
slope on to other rocks below. 
ihese large Opuntias made grand landmarks when tip of pad was 
sliced off or if trunk was blazed on the side. I wonder how serious an 
injury this is to a cactus; or do they have ready powers of repair? How 
soon repaired, and if cutting may be done without great detriment to plant? 
