IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // V *k ■.^'' WJ'JC to / 1.0 I.I 1.25 5C IIIM IIIIIH IM III 2.2 IIIM 1114 1.4 IIM 1.6 V] <^ /a VI (' By asoonding the Beehive from Lake Agnes and making the Thumb from the south side. ■ *t ■.■■•*■' •-.:'"' (•>'"J:? ■ T A ■ • ,• \ .•, •::-l..^^ ■'..' :'•>: ^ . -. ■ ■ ' ' I > , '; •r r ■ I I *< ^v '•' V . ' .1 : i. Hi:.' r.'"*. ^ sp'n .tifft :A ■&>?^f?a rfro' i ,' '^tJ^:. '^'U^ TiAi'l I ■ : .* •*,•». C; ": i'-,'; i ■ ii;.>a v?rlJ i^J-ii'il / <;5nv.4''j!iC » . i .' J' •• ,? ^11 ,». 0.* * >' t» - f ft « A - > ' '. '} ^t^*■^:'# tt^f. . » u- *. .' .1'! (■P » - li J,-, ,-f r r I »i a' yvu .*^ t 'n--i,->^fW Wsit'f'l rii'-vsi'?* •f^ "f «i n- i 0»Rv»Ji l/»- UWAis^^l. -Il^'^i t r-o'f-'--^^ f •• J n*-c ■i, i l:l ri :*^"^l 'lo i:i*|j-r' ^|m\(H9" *^fr !t»«»^*^'t X^^ttpV W«>^^1|(ff!- f t;«*'iv;i,:^m(. ,-,fi^f'| i cliffs- of Hazel Peak on the north. Prom the ridge at the head of this valley connecting these two peaks rose a sharp aiguille, which we named the Mitre. To either shoulder led steep couloirs, the southern one inaccessible, filled with ice falls and continuous schrunds, and the left or noi'ihern one broader, and forming the main neve of the Mitre glacier. It contained several long but not continuous cievasses and was less steep than the other. As it was still early in the day we determined to ascend this pass. There was a brief delay on the lower slopes, caused by the third man breaking through the crust of a crevassa, which the soundings had failed to indicate. Proceeding upward, we crossed the first schrund, which was nicely bridged. The second necessitated a long detour, and owing to the presence of smaller intermediate crevasses, it was necessary to hug the lower lip of the schrimd, whose leaning wall we could at times touch with oui* hands. Here, with the steep crsvassed slope to the left and the gaping schrund to the right, could be felt the exhileration that comes from genuine climbing. Judging, however, from the running comments of my friand in the rear, lat *Ty pulled from the crevasse, it was not for him unalloyed bli^s. After the bridge was crossed the slope steepened and frequend step cutting was necessary. Our progress waa slow, as every step was made large to insure safety on our return. V/e ascended diagonally to the left toward a large roclc, to obtain a much needed rest . The last hundred feet were ex- ceedingly steep and of pure ice. While lunching upon the rock I looked upon one of the grandest avalanches I have ever seen, leaping like a roaring waterfall from the top of Mount Lefroy spreading in spray from ledge to ledge to the f.lacier four thousand feet below, and filling the narrow gorges with the- noise of thunder. The remainder of the ascent to the col was less steep and the snow was good. As we stepped upon the narrow ridge 9 000 feet above the sea, the view beyond was indeed beautiful, which by the Indian equivalent Waatach I at once entitled it. Prom our feet descended a stetp snow couloir, between the cliffs of Hazel Pfeak and the Mitre, which formed the frame for a picture of a broad valley two miles in width, colored with the varying greens of foreet and meadow, drained by a sinuous river, and bounded upon the opposite side by a range of sharp dolomitic peaks, bearing snow and glacier in the de- pression, and a fine snow pass, beyond which other summits ..VI . 1 rose. The afternoon sun lit up the scene with brilliant ^;^.,^^ ■ f light, and as we turned to survey the valley whence wa had [j,3.f:.t i come, already dark with lengthenittg shadows .from the gloomy , -^ ' ■. -\M .'■?'; ■^'i-'',: ';.i,-':'' i ;, , >' '• . '• •tC" .1.. J'.,; - 4 * i^ ; ^ „ tfc- i ^ I C-'r- 'i -i ' , F wslls, its ice and rock and snow relieved by no contrist of vegetation, doubtless the aesthetic sufjcestions of tha two prospects made us the more ioath to incur the danger of a descent down the slopes of ice and neve and more willing, even at the risk of beinf benif^hted to descend into this at- tractive valley. v The snow in the culley was good and we started to Glis- sade. As two of che partv were entirely unfamiliar with thla method of descent, we -^fmStfj^ roped; I was the last man; I had used the roped glissade with great advantage on former occasions, but a moderate and uniform rate is absolutely nec- 'essary. The pace set by our friend in the van might have answered very well for an individual, but certainly took no thought for the party as a whole, the smausing consequence being that we all exchanged the standing for the recumbent position. Descending finally the rock ledges and slopes of scrubby spruce to the stream below, we discovered that this flowed from the west end of a magnificent semi-circular glacier, which I called the hald moon glacier. It lies at the base of the bounding range at the head of the Wastach Valley, and is the product of the avalanches which sweep the steep ice cou- loirs, or fall from the eastern side of f.tount Lefroy. Lower down the stream united with another branch flowing from the eastern hoi'n of this rlacial crescent. We followed the stream down a great natural staircase of quartzite blocks between walls of green and beneath a dome- of blue. Behind us, to tiio south, towered the great rock peak, which I have named Hunf;;abee or the Chief ta*i; at its feet, high above the foi-ost zreec, shone the great blue glacier. After joining \,he othe: stream, the Wastach River left its stately, almost artificial, pleasure ground, to fight its way through debris and thick forests to the Bow River. When the going became rough, G., one of my friends, began to show signs of lameness. The others failed to wait and were, ac- cordingly, soon out of sight and hearing. They left a note attached to a stake announcing their direction, an ascent of several hundred feet through forest to skirt the cliffs of Goat f.tountain. Such an ascent was for my friend impossible, and we were benighted in a wretched place upon a steep bank, strewn with fallen timber. Sleep was impossible, and a small fire only partially relieved the chill of the night wind that swept down the valley. Ifj poor friend was soon unable to move his limbs, and I was obliged to turn him as upon a pivot, with his feet for a fulcrum, whenever he desired a change of posture. After an exhaustive review of our eventful day, and a lamentable failure to get up a philosophical discussion, •G- 7W tiAz..": .■])»'■ • : I ; I,.-- I, .'-• . * T*J ^1 1 . 1 'J . ■ I x; ii'i V* t ». »te-.- «♦.> J i. ^4 V '-^ ^i .:u- (for my friend is a;;ove all thincs a philosopher) v»e awaited the dawn in silent misery. Carefully extinguishing the fire at daybreak, we left the river and kept a straight line through the rough timber for six miles to L^ggan. Though, as he aftervvards confessed, it caused him creat suffering, G. gave a superb exhibition of pluck, refusing all assistance and maintaining: a steady pace. Both of us were affected with sore eyes from the sleepless- ness and smoke of the fire . Thursday and Pr-iday were rainy, but on Saturday, August 4th, t.v;o of us left Lake Louise with camping outfit and pro- visions to establish a camp in V/astich Valley as near as pos- sible to the foot of Ivbunt Temple, which forms the northern extremity of the range upon the eastern side of this valley. This psik, upon which I had been unsuccesaful the preceding stimnier in an .ittsmpt upon its eastern, face, was evidently impassible from the north and west, and the only hope , was from the southeast or southwest, which I planned to reconnoi- tre. Leaving one Indian and pony to bring some provisions then being prepiired, U. and I started eastward through the forest from the Louise stream. * Keeping as nearly as possible the elevation of 6500 feet, we followed a line of muskeaghs or peat swam.^s which lay at this level and afforded much better roing ths.n the dense for- est. We ate our lunch upon reaching the Wastach River, not far from the seen? of my unpleasant benightment. From .this point the view up the vdlley was superb yet gloomy, .ihead, to the south, stood the hazy, sharp peak, guarding the..en- trance, which we named I.bunt Sheol, with Hizel Peak and Goat lAountain to the right. To the east, Kfount Temple shut, in the valley, with its fearful cliffs and shining cap of ice. The pony grazing contentedly in the long grass, the river gliding quietly between low banks, as if resting from its recent con- flict in the defile between Ktoxants Temple and Sheol, before it shoiad take its final pliange to the Bow valley, and the Indian in his picturesque garb of skins, together with suita- ble additions of forest, cloud and sky, completer this char- acteristic scene. Where the stream was crowded between Llounts Temple and Sheol, the west bank became almost impassible from fallen timber and dense underbrush. The logs were piled high above our heads in many plac^is, and long detours were necessary. In a later trip we discovered the eastern bank to be much bet- ter. Just belcv; thC' j unci icn of :he sLrtams we forded the river and csairooc- :/• r;i3idw^v. 'ihe other Indian joined tm.i us liwun and \.-- sot- up t!it; ueni ui^on the ice ix8t>, v/iih che roof lo.'/ f'oi' jidui ti(/ni.I . a'mulT. We Vt'Oi-e c.uitv cjiose uo li^-.e ••vyatoni -jII oT ."iouiu Toi.:plG .*nd Ci/uld ./•ich ohe fudia;;; eol- oi's pi;.:- cvo.' iLri riis'^'ninr c.p bill niclu c .lied us to r«si >.nd bl'irp. I'xjijeried rie,\t '•.i.rnin'- by ihe Jiokle ludijna, v/e .).^^oeded up L'VJ i. i't or c-^iL-t-ti-n b. ...ntil-'. ol' i-I-io 'VastdC^' Kivei , eiuble, -,nd on one cc- c.oion a lioi'tj-.? :*o.U3u .. in 13 t d<;,;n .. b::nk -jiid a.i^'OMlj esc.piid ■ i-Iunc"J i!ito u'-a i-or jriii. . Jn . bo ill I- liourji -..•■.e JCiu >i.)i iahtfd (j'j.j- pdi'in-.ntiiit c->.mp on Lh'- ed,;---' of ,. o./impy .-v/.-;dow, j ua •- bolov/ o'l:,' piiss connrfcvin/^ ::i.unu Toirple -./ioli !i .• next j/cr k '.o ■ ''^.- i..ui-h, which we c-,llod thd n..iit,inel, una i-'e pisiv, S..£i..in«'- "• P.j.sa. T^ius v/d hhid s. fail vie/ of .'"J vliuia aouolrribi. siu'i uf ■■•.nu Tenple, nd it ViTiii, fui- ■ rom v.tir;.Gi-ive . Slopes of bj ohen i ock led up G) .'i^a b -.36; of rif ntic cliffs, aJ. . idd .vich numerous un-^t ui-^sC oiv^ CUlliea. To the nci'tli of Sentinel Puss I'ose -t pei pondicular cliff or "stt?^ •iHc: ibove ohis ■.noth'3.', and c.r.'ld but, tp<3 top of iliis second step by n.- me-..ns hi:; re-iched, '■■.,r\ 'hs-" i^lu;'. of roci: led to v')vi siU't it . S<,>ut,': of tlvj 3'riuin.il \r:.s .-. sliurp yii'-tk^ .■hich './s cis.llod Ciie 0-uliedral, u.nd ..lien c\im ile b -o.^d snow pjss v/e ^ij,d .v.='jn from '.itrc Col. This p:.ss, -.ihich v/e o; (.,ssed on tlie foil)-.ing >vc ,;r>i.ieu fur ohi^ V:xlie:\ V/aj-.t-.^,ch, since it -Vas t!ie . i"-- in 'intr.vnco il bee ci: C'..:l ,.i iGxt VullaY i-o t. . Then cvime tlie .'lunr^.i,- nf.e, bwundm:; i.h'e ",liey to i-he ooiuh, v/ith i.he li,.lf nu.cn - ^ucie: ut ii-b feet; chen to t.'ie souohv,'..'St ohe v/':,Iiii cJ' :o;..ni Lefioy c.ppe.. ./ioit ice, ^^nu ohe cliffs of ohe ilui-e n^ I'-azel Pedi: shiituin' in tlie v-ailey on the ./est. iTie liiti'e Prvss ./..s only p-.irti,.lly visible. Such ./uS tlie pianorama as s-en fiO;.i t^ie iivar b-^nk, ■■x }iundi-ed yards i'rom our tent; the uluiuude v/a: hi'uo feii, ;bove .-lie sea. '>e Se oinel PtcSS -leKi ;v.ci'nin'- -isccnainf' ■„ >e be oinei i-'TcSs iiexi- racrnin'-, we vex-e struck v/ii-h .'ve f 1- ;;nd r;,pp'e:.i-:nce of ohe S ntinel. A v-ast done of roch, it beax-s upuii lus -lov/ei- slopes {7i*«^^<^ ice fields, v/honce rise in solii>.:'y ,7r-.-.nueui' slender jolunins or pinnacles sever- al hancii-ed fjeo in liei'iic . V/e traversed the lower snow sit. pes of the Sentinel P-^iss, ./hich ./ere succeeded by -. short ice slope, ,..nu ohis in turn by ci nost d^nrerous slope of un- stable rock, every step upon /hic^ c\uUsed a prodifious slip- pinc .^11 !iround us, and i-hre-athened to dislodfe f^reat boulders .ibove. Tiiere v/as no secure handhold 'iind th€ weight had to b3 carefull; disoributeu upon all four i,;embei's. Piron the top, v'hich v/e fini^lly reached, 8950 fe^t bcve the se-. , two small creen lakes were visible just bene«ith us, fed by the snow- ii!;' I'll! 1 1 '1i \4 fields on this side of the Pass. ITiese I iif^mea MinnebblnvnA, or sleeping v/aier. The valley beyond was the one into which I had looked from JAiunt Temple in the svurmer of '93. I after- wvrda saw thitt it was bounded on the east by a superb range of ten sharp peaks, to which I applied the Indian numerals from one to ten. l^on descending the pass I saw at the base of IIo. 1, Kiount Heje>i, a crand and gloomy lake, reflecting in its dark sur-face ihe walls and hanging flaciers of Mount He- jee. lliis lake, which I named Heejee, I had photogriphed the previous summer from near our camp at the base of Mount Tem*- pie. Iz is ibout three-quarters of a mile in length, and like the oxher peaks and lakes of this region, hitherto unmapped. The summit glaciers of Ltount Ileejee are the most exten- sive cf the kind I have seen in this region. The summit of the mo mtain consists of a long ridge rising from a great plateau of ,",liicier -and neve. 'iTiis ridge runs about north and south, and ns appearance from the west is not unlike thut of the northern face of IJIoiim Dawson in the Selkirks. Mount }feojee should be one of the chief attractions to future climb- ers on the watershed. Its height is about the same s.s Mount Temple, perhbips slightly less, though indeed a considerable number of these watershed giants have yet to be assigned their relative positions is to siltitude. There sliould certainly rot be a difference of many feet between Mounts Temple and l.eejee, Lefroy, Ifeptuak, llungabee, Ringrose, Ureen, ITuber, liddle, SzQ . (see map) Ihe above-mentioned range of ten peaks lying upon the ectual w-atershed, runs south and west from mount Heejee. Be- iv/een the peaks aHlft slender precipitous couloirs of largest of which is upon llo . ti, Saknowa, curving in £c-^nt like i, bended bow set on end, and having a height of over four thousand feet. None of the on this westei-n side ai-e suitable to ascend. IvA/unt ITeptuak, the ninth peak, was subsequently seen from the Wei|Qcchemna Pass, from the east side of which it ri- seo, strongly suggests the lilatterhorn, and is about one t}iousand feet higher than Mount Sir Donald in the Selkirks. At the base of the range runs a glacier, largely hidden by debris, with large lateral moraine. I have described this Wet^hemna range (named liko the vt-lley and river and pass at its head, for the tenth peak, Mc'unt We'Ukchemna) as a whole, though not all of it was visi- ble from the foot of Sentinel Pass. Upon looking back at the Ifctter from the Minnestimma lakes, I observed that it would be possible by continuing along the right of the arete which rtn north from Sentinel I^ss to the top of ^Aount Temple and ice, the its de- vertical couloirs up- ■i' !i ■:iu below it, to avoid the two nerpendicular cliffs or staps of ht.rd sti-dtirication sean in profil" from the camp. Thare was some doiUit about surmounting the level of the second or high- er of the two J but could this be passed, I felt sure that the easy lin-'-i' stono slope on the western sid'i could be reached and the summit gained. ITiis, as it afterwards proved, it vas pos- sible to do . Skirting the upper slopes on the western side of V/eiik- chemna Valley, with the Sentinel and Cathedral upon o.ir right, we finally reached the level of the valley dt its head, where two small 1 bikes appeared. These, though small, become from the wonderful beauty of their surroundings, the peers of any lg.kes in the Rocky Mountains. The whole V/eukchemn^. range is reflected in their black water, though, of course, only a section is sean at any one point, since they are so snn^ll. A broid cnov; pass led ^nto a valley beyond to t}ie south, between iMount Neptuak and I.fount V/ei^chemn-d, of v/liich I. h^ve alre-idy spoken 'ds the V/e^chemna Pass. As it Wds too late to think of ascending this, we began to climb the sisdp rock slope which v/e believed led up to that snowy piass seen from Mitre Ool , wliich J have already mentioned as V/astach Pass, but which was -r^, yex. uncrossed, and by which we lioped bo re- gain t.he W-Gtach Valley and our tent. Ihe iiscent proved difficult in places as the rocks were loose and there was lack of handhold. ITie bed of the stream proved much better than the ledges. When we reached a broad sloping plateau of broken rock, just below the summit, it began to hail, and from the summit, 8700 feet above the sea, we discerned through the driving sleet a very steep descent, unTit for glissading. Yte descended upca the right, side of the snow field, where the junction of snow and rock formed a miniature gulley, less steep than the main slope and offering handhold. The slopes below were less steep and we were 3oon traversing a seiies of ^uartzite plateaux to the right. Upon leaving the snow slopes, we unroped, and II., carrying tlie rope, walked in advance. Observing that the easiest way of descent 1:0 a plateau of lower level was by a short, easy slope of soft snow, we were only too glad to use it. The field was compressed between two buttresses of rock, some distance ahead of us, and I asked H. , who was a little in advance, to test it for us for ice, but he, understanding me to mean crevasses, and seeing none, stepped upon it without more ado. Instantly his feet shot from under him, and he disappeared over the curving slope, which b^^came suddenly steep at this place. lYie melting of the field above had, of course, made this narrow portion icy. He stopped himself fur- •-0- I>i!i t iiii II C ther down, where the snow became soft -ifain, but, as he dr-a- matically described it, with his feet danclin^r over s. berg schrund, and just in the nick of time. I did not investifjate . the beroschrund, -is it took me fifteen minutes to cut steps down xhe shininc path of his descent. IT. resifned from fur- ther climbinc, tliourrh in pursuit of the mountsin foat, in which, be inn ^ j'i^*^ shot, he vvas eminently successful, he sub- sequently Got into some very excitinf situations. 'i!he othei-s ari-ived that ni^ht from Lake Louise, but the weather continued soormy for three days and it ;as not until Friday that we ac'iin crossed the Wastach Pass, and isctanded the snow fields to the top of V/e-nkchenma Pass, SoOO f3t.:rt above the sea- I remainea a considerable time on th3 summit, takinc plioto^iaphs and bearini:3. Tlie view down 6he V/ankchemna Valley was very fine i>nd the resemblance to the J.iattei-horn of I;k5unt Meptuak, east of clie col, has already been noticed. Prom this Pass, also, I obtained my only distant view of Mount Temple from the. south, seen over the tops of the Ca- thedral and Sentinel. U. and P. retoi-ned after lunch to the ciimp, while W, descended to the level of the valley beyond, to rain informa- tion concerninr t-he pass at its head. He repoi-ted a "lacier and" neve at the head of the valley, but could rive no defi- nite information about it . As time was passing I'itpidly and much remained to be done, I desired to explore this pass on the following day, but was unable to persuade any of the others lo consider the project except H. , who, in the hope of seeing goats, promised to join me, if sore feet would per- mit, but next morning he deemed it wisest not to go. The others were quite natui'ally weary of camp fare and desired to spend Sunday at Lake Louise . Thus, while not relishing the idea of exploring alone, I felt that this was perhaps the only opportunity I should have of settlinr the open question about the valleys back of Mount Lefroy. And indeed this proved to be the case, for the information acquired on this expedition, combined with that obtained on my expeditions in from L'Rctor, gave me the direc- tions and number of the ran;;es in this vicinity. Itor was there any other chance of making this trip, since our subse- quent visit to the V/v-:tach Valley v/as a short one, and occu- pied solely with the ascents of I.bunt Temple and Hazel Peak. Crossing the Wastach and Wei\kchemna Passes, I reached th0 level of the rocky, aesolate, treeless valley beyond. Tliis I have called Opabin or. Pocky. It runs nearly east and west and the stream which flows from its glacier may be, -11- l!;,.i: ■I 2.& J slTdli sucf^est later, the }ieadwdters of the Vermilion River. 'Hie descent from the Weij^kchemna Pass into the Opabin Valley was over broken rock and scree. Immediately below "che paso stood a tbill limestone pillar, serving; as a f^ood land mark v/here to turn upward on my return. For from ohis side i,he peaks of the watershed are merely a succession of tromsn- dous walls, all loc'kine about alike, so that it would not be difficult to confuse them. As I advanced up the snow troughs by the side of the Claciers ri^ht lateral moraine, it was necessary to keep a continual lookout for "shooting" gullies in the cliffs which covered the viciniLy with debris^ At last I gained the gla- cier and it proved quite free from crevasses. It v/as only 9,30, and the sun's ray^s had not yet reached this part of t]ie valley, so vast were the walls on either side. Tlie neve ¥/as, therefore, coated v/ith the morning crust, and as the slope v/as not steep, except near the top, I had no difficulty in r-eachinc the SLinvnit of Opabin col at 10 o'clock, 9000 feet above tho .-st^fi, l^ei'cre me I s-:iV/ u Oi'oad V:;.Iley, desLjtute d± vegetation, vnd T/alled on either side by lofty, precipitous cliffs, the g-T^Aciei's at tlie feet of wh^ch imbled the dashing w rives of a itormy se:^. R-om my feet dovmward swept thi^ rnve, u'.-) mi •• nating in a fine glacier below, while two lakes appeared m the rocky valley, v/hich, for the sake of uniformity, I h^..\:e known :..s the Opabin lakes . To the left of the col fose a gigantic peak, or, more properly, a "peaked" wall, which bids fair to occupy a prom- inent place as regards altitude among the other mountains of the region, and, when regarded from a climber's point of vievv, is impassible fi-om the north side, unless it be possible to climb ix v/all. Hiis peak, which I photographed from the top of Opabin Pe-.k, 9400 feet above the sea--a bit of stiff rook v/ork to ohe righc of Opabin col-- I estimate it to be about 11,700 feet, and I have called it ^bunt Biddle, for A, J. i;,, Biddle of Philadelphia, an extensive and enthusiastic trav- eller. I could obtain no definite information at this time con- cerning the pass into the Louise Valley, which I had hoped would be in evidence. The peak north of Opabin Peak I have named Ibunt Fdngrose, for A. E. L. Ringrose, of London, an ex- "^ The largest rock fall I saw in the whol'^ the western side of near the boioomof the "-VevJchtmnc. on was upon Iv'-ount, N'iiptuak,' in tho V/eukchemjia Valley, ,.. '1.00 . II I 1 ' i M ! 1 1 m \i- tensive traveller, and of cveat fanillTity with the Rockies, It is the axis or pivot for two subordinate wings or ranges. To the west of the pass beyond the valley above mentioned, -.vas a ranee, topped by two handsome glacier-bearing peaks, which I have called lAjunts Sch&ffer and Topham, the first in honor of Dr. Charles Schaffer of Philadelphia, a botanist of nacionnl renown, and one of the first and most constant trav- ellers ainong Lhe Rockies and Selkirks, upon whose flora he is a leading authority; and the second for the intrepid ascender (jf I.tount Sir Donald in the Selkirks. Through a depression in the ridge to the right were seen two great rock peaks of about equal height, one upon the watershed and the other con- nected therewith, being separated from the first by a notch or depression. The first of these I subsequently found to be Mount Green, the long white ridge at the head of Lake Louis*, its precipitous walls on this, its southern side, containing practically no snow nor glacier, so ab^andant upon the northern face • Tlie second or southern one I have named Moimt Huber in honor of Snil Huber of Lurich, who with Topham shares the honor of the ascent of Mount Sir Donald. And here I may as well say a word concerning the Temple- Lefroy question, v/hich, no doubt, every visitor to Lake Louise has had occasion to discuss. Neither the Railroad map nor Prof. Dawson's map places htount Lefroy directly at the head of Lake Louise, but a litx-le further to the east, and Mount Temple still further to the east. Those who read in his de- lightful work "Among Selkirk Glaciers," Dr. Gi^e«?n's account of his hurx-ied visit to Lake Louise, and notice the cut en- titled "Lake Louise and Itount Lefroy, " are likely to regard the long, white ridge which forms the back ground as being Mount Lefroy. As a matter of fact, this is misleading, for a closer scrutiny of this cut shows a fine, helmet-shaped peak, upon the left, whose western arete is just seen outlined against the long ridge. Hiis I had always known as Glacier Peak, the name given it by W. J, Astley, proprietor of the Louise Chalet, who always maintained that Titoiint Lefroy was the great helmet -shaped, ice-capped peak, so Well seen from Lgtggan to the southeast. The f^nal solution ©f this question I believe to be as follows: A photograph in Dr. Dawson's "Report" shows the general range of the Rockies from a ridge northr/rfst of I^egan. The peak in the center of Xhis which ha says he himself named "Ifcunt Temple" is the ice-cfiipped peak to the southeast seen from lAf^igan, which I ascendeci from Was- tach Valley. T.ie "conical" peak further to the rirrh*** he says is Mount Lefroy. Now, by a close examination of the ra(fliuntain8 -13- ■i \i.'-. r: in the t'orecround, I huve identified "Goal Mount •^.in" ^if' the twin summits of Hazel Peak by their peculiar slopes. Immedi- ately back of this rises the peak which he calls "Lefroy." The appearance of this peak is exactly that of the peik south of BblzsI Peak, and indeed, as the pictui-e shows, it cm be no other. This is the peak v/hich Astley calls Glacier Paak. It is in reality Mount Lefroy. I have photographed it from the top of Ifezel Peak and from the great neve plateau on the right and below the long white ridge seen from Lake Louise. There ought to be no further confusion between Mounts Temple and Lefroy. The bearing of this upon the peak "Mount Green" is as follows: Tlie identification of these two mountains left the long white ridfe back of Lake Louise without a name. Several were suggested, huz I have known it as Liount Green, in honor of the one to whom we are indebted for introducing us to the Selkirks. And the twin peak ^o ihe south I mentioned on the other side of the water shed, separated from Mount Green by a notch or- depression, I have called Mount }-Iuber for Hinil ITuber of Zurich, who, with Topham, succeeded on Sir Donald where Green failed, though profiting by his failure in choice of route. The height of Lfounts (Ji-e^n and Jluber I estimate at 11,700 feet . I photographed the sui'roundings, descended the paak, neve and glacier leisurely, and was travelling along one of the snow gullies by the old moraine. On reaching the top of a rise of rock, I looked down upon a herd of eleven gOats lying or standing upon the snow not twenty feet away. They di "^ot remain long, but the narrative made H. wish ha had seen them. I watched the goats as they climbed the snow slopes, waiting their turn to get upon the cliffs, and making ample allowance for stones dislodged by their brethren, tinuil the last had disappeared over ihe Weukchemna Pass. Then I began to ascend slowly as the sun was hot and there was no water upon this side of the pass. I had completod about three- fourths of the ascent, and was resting among some large boul- ders, when, attracted by falling stones, I espied two yellow objects circling the ledges to my left. }f^ glass revealed two silver tip bears, who, scenting rriJ , stopped to investigate, I did not move, and, finally, perhaps al??.rmed, they turned ground and were soon out, of sight cjiround tha corner. I then lost no time in crossing ^ho ^Uey^k ihemns. and V/astach Passes to the tent, und next day, Sunday, August 12th, returned to Lake Louise. -14- •1 1 '4 i fionday we ascended fttount Pi ran, and on Tuesday 7. 7/. and I made an expedition up the Bath creek. This stream flows from the northwest into the Bow Pdver, from that large f lacier with its fan-shaped ice fall, seen in the distance from Ii^ggan. This glacier is upon one of the Waputtehk group of mountains, which are as yet unexplored in detail. I,!y ob- ject WdS merely to invesiigate the group fi'om one of the nearer ijeaks . We were taken up as far as the Bath creek on a hand car, Which was to meet us at six in the afternoon, and followed an old loGCing trail for a mile or so, and when it failed we took to the river flats and then to the thick timber. About four miles above the railway the stream forked and following the right branch v/e then ascended for an hour through the thick forest. Bherginc t'lence we climbed slopes o" sharp broken lime stone, requiring tlie use of gloves. At a point two hundred fe«t below the summit W. and I set up our cameras, but F. freed from such e. • so umb ranee preceded to the top. The view to the east v/as obstructed by our peak, but the whole Lefroy group was seen from top to bottom. Ktount Temple was furthest to the east, while further to the west the ice- capped summit of :.bunt Lefroy, and I.bunt Green with its great ridge here seen in profile, rose like a needle, while around them clustered the lesser peaks. This was my first, and, in- deed, my only view of this f^roup from an outside point of any elevation. The whole scene was softened and mellowed by the blue haze . Nearer to us, just across the Bath Creek Valley was the long, flat peak with its fan-shaped ice-fall, seen from I2|g- gan. This fall descends from a long, flat glacier above to a similar parallel one below. The latter was very long and disappeared through a depression to the northwest, where it formed the sky line. Puither to the north the distant peak of the Waputtehk group appeared, inviting exploration. The foreground of the group, an -rtistic contrast of valley and glacier and rock, relieved by nearer snow fields, was singu- larly attractive. Xhe point on which we stood was 8600 feet above the sea. We saved several miles of forest by descending to the south und an-ived ivhead of time at the appointed place. A rapid ride on th^ hand car to Loggan, during which I was in great fear of meeting a freight train, closed this pleasant day-. Devoting next day to rest, writing and needed repairs, we left on liiursday, August 16 oh, with horse and provisions for camp. We tried the east bank of the Wastaeh River, but 15- ■ .• ' a . f ■^f ■-.f i, i ■w :y.^ -;■<• ' V,' -'■J ., •s' ••iH«?i /;■; the pack was loosered at leaat a dozen times in T>he densy woods, while the horse, sinkinf through the moss into ooii- cealed holes., became almost linman age able, and we barely reached the tent by nightfall. I called W. & F. at five o'clock next morninn, Tl"iday, for we v/er-e to try the ascent of Ifazel Peak, resorvinf^ T'ount Temple for Suturday. Crosainc; the two streams on lof;s, yre as- cended the bed of a small stream between two freat buttrc'ssos of quarlzito. Above ihesu, at an elevation ol' about, 8200 rvet above the sea, came slopes cV broken lime snone. Our it'tich- inc i-he top of l:azel i?'=ia\: ci'ipynded upon our ability '^o con- nect with -a slope on 'Jie odior niue, exwendin^'' to iliJ top, but inaccessible <'run t.!vJ Louise V'Alj.ey. 'i\y-: '.3::ibteiice of a "step" or perpend '.oular c'liC" at ilie top and to the ri^jht of 'ohe lone limestone .slopj abovr us rendti'iJd such coniii)c\* tion a mattOY" of conjecture. Near the base of tliis slope W. found some scattered tril- obites, and soon I picked up some more, llo bed, however, could be discerned, thoufh we searched for i c it tho L-iu-^ and upon our return. Upon i-eachinc the lo}) of the lonf slope, a steady pull of over two thousand fee- from the valley, a superb view cj^-eoted us. To the west lay the Louise V-Uley, beyond which j\bunts V/hyte"^ Despine* Nichols* and Green loomed weirdly through the hazy atmosphere. The upper portion of I..ount Lefroy witli its glacier walls seemed very near, across the narrow valley of the I.iitre glacier. The slope we desired was easily atuained by continuing to the right on the west side of the arete, and we easily reached the summit, 10,400 feet .sbove the sea. Here we remained one hour. The haze rendered photography useless for ohe distant peaks, many of which were faintly visible. On a clear day this point would, in my judgment, be the finest scenic point in the whole group, not excepting Mount Temple, which is itself such a magnificent feature in the panorama. Tlie northern slopes of Hazel Peak bear a large glacier, well sesn I'rom Goat I/buntain, which descends from the two peaks forminf- the summit . Y/e were upon the southern Homed prevjously b;- -V, J. A^tiey for Superintendant Vfliyte of V/innep-ig. ■^ Named for Edouard Dj.'ipiue of Geneva, my companion on the Mat t e rho rn , Se p t emb e r , 1892. « tit. Nichols, north of the notch, which I named for Rev. H. P. Nichols, my companion on L^uiit Ibx, suiiKier of 1893. ~ir>- peak, the hicher of the two, and the cairn which V3 built v;as well seen from the trail to Lake Agnes. V/e accomplished our descent to camp without difficulty, arriving at four o'clock, a total time of nine hours. Tlie time could easily be shortened to six. Next morning I called W. and F. at 4.30 A. M. , and in an hour v/e were ready to start for a trial upon f.fount Temple. In ascendinr Sentinel Pass we kept to the left, as before., and after cutting steps up the ice slope reached the bad rock slope, of which I have spoken. We were longer upon this than upon any other portion of equal lenf^th upon the whole moun- tain, and when we reached the top of the pass, the possibil- ity of three or four thousand feet more of suoh slopes was far f.'om reassuring. The last three hund-ed fset oco^^pied us over an hour, for we made but little progress in the slippery stuff. After a rest of a fev/ inomsnts we began a gradual ascent from the rjol on the east side of the arete, and preceding up a wide gully set with a series of ledges, we were socn upon the sloping mountain side, among a great number of low but- tresses or coliar-ms obstructing the view while near, and all looking alike at a distance. It was extremely difficult, therefore, to follow the route that I had outlined from the Kiiiinestimma lakes. At length, however, we came upon a level with the top, the first or lower of the two cliffs or "steps" seen in profile from the camp. Leaving now the steeper ledges by v/hich we had turned this cliff, we ascenddd diago- nally upward to the right along an easy slope of smooth rock partially covered by a stratum of slippery scree, reaching the foot of the hard quartzlte cliffs or stratification, #hich forms a continuation of the second or higher of the two "steps" above mentioned. The surmounting of this stratifica- tion v/as the doubt ftil point of the ascent, for the cliffs were steep and the ledges few, and it would be necessary to try one of the water courses or steep gullies. After skirt- ing the base of these cliffs for a considerable distance, and finding no gully sufficiently attractive, we finally chose one that led us to within about twenty feet of the d3sired level. We left it here and by a series of maneuvers along the ledges to the right succeeded in gaining the easy slope above. At this point a surgestion was made by t'. that we con- tinue up the eiai aide of the arete, which looked about as good as the west side had done from camp. vr. was in favor of the west side, in which view I finally concurred, and we im- mediately ascended a small snowfield and crossed the sharp ridce, marking the spot in order lo recognize it on otir re- turning. And now for the first time since leaving Sentinel I^ftSS WB looked down upon our camp and the Wastach Valley. -17 :i:' ii: •W f f m a •I ,1*. 7 ■J t-f '■i v^ Uj."-u\i;l':,^S. 'ilie rep^' i.nder c th" •r.,scent. t che siimmit, was along the west sidtf o. ..he are&ey.p an easy .flops of limestone. The cliffs to me east steepened as we advanced, and had we adopted the sucgestion of P. we would probably have baen beaten. Some of the gorges upon this side were very grand as seen from the arete, the contrast of the yellow limestone cliffs and white snow in the hollow being very beautiful, indeed. At one o'clock we had reached the summit, where we built t cairn in a conspicuous place arainst the snow, well seen with flass from Goat Lbuntain. A curving cornice, rising and cvei hv.nging the norih fac5, shut off our view of Bow Valley t.nd of LeSlggan = All the p'Jaks of tho group tippeared like spectres through the haze, and only ohe summit itself could be photographed. 'iViere were a number of cornices on the east side of the arete, which r.irade fair photographs. I ob- tained a complete roun^:' of besj' i:\r-r. . and read the aneroid, 11,700 feet above the seH . -which makes Ikamt Temple 42 feet higher than tha tv-i:.n«Tu3.2. oscl !r?.W_':!i-*- of Mount Lefroy- Ihe v/esxei-n, southern p^nd east'^rT riMc^s of Mount Temple meet in a sumnnt of broken rod:, coi'yi.?ced to fJi^^ noriih, above the great rlacicr v/hich ^vreep::' t;ov/n the north'irn face of xhe mountain to the greut walls. Our ramp v^as visible, a dash of white by the river, four thousand, eight hundred feet below us. Tine Sentinel and Cathedral looked insigriif icant beneath us, and the Wistach and Wenkchemna Vi^lleys with their peaks and glaciers lay mapped out for our inspection. On a clear day the view should be indeed wonderful . We descended to the place where we had come up upon the arete, and crossing here retraced our steps to the easy slope of scree. Missing our point of ascent up the cliffs by some r.ischance, v/e were obliged to descend by a steep gorge, near the bottom of which W. was lowered by P. to a ledge be- low, and P- ill turn by me, I descending with their ascsistance in safety. Tlie rest of the descent to Sentinel Pass was made without difi'iculty. We descended from the pass on the south- ern side, to avoid the ice slope and slipping rocks. For a time we were almost directly under a "rock-shoot" on the Sen- tinel, and this side should never be used in ascending. A descent, however, can be made more quickly and the rocks are better upon the northern side of the slope, I paused upon the grass slopes to admire the sunset glow upon ftouni Temple, lighting iis summit with crimson. and sil- ver, 'ihe ice slopes of the .sentinel glowed like moulten meta)., save where the great black aiguilles, rising like watch-tow- ers from the shining surface, cast long shadows on the ioe. 0n9 ooxad almost fancy he heard the tinkling bells of herds of cattle upon the meadcrs, and the peace and serenity of the alpine evening was restful and deJi^jious to three tired -18- m lit. '•W-. iHtl. I: ; I upon the meadows, and ihe peace and serenity of ihe -iipine eveninc was r-jstful and delicious to the three tired climbers, as was the welcome supper prepared by H. , who had se^in us with telescope upon the summit. On my return to Lake Louise the following day I was pleased to find some gentlemen of Oxford, who had arrived the day of our departure for camp, and had sent us off with c^^d wishes. They had ascended Goat I/buntain with G. and from the Lake Agnes trail haa seen our cairn on Hazel Peak. W. and P. had resigned from further climbing, and the necessary depar- ture of the Oxford men was a source of keen disappointment to to me, as I was greatly desirous of exploring the south side of *Ajunt Green. Nox- was I more successful in regard to a friend"^ who was prevented from joining me in a proposed ex- pedition to Mount Purity in the Selkirks; nor were two gen- tlemen from Boston^ who had recently ascended "Eagle Peak and reached a great height upon f/bunt Stephenf able to alter a fixed itinerary to remain more than one day at le.ke Louise. In spite of r-jccllections of bears, therefore, there was noth- ing for rre x,o do but explore back of Hector alone. Poster oiS Cambridge Uiiversity, whose fame as a hunter and cl?.mber extends fiom Calgary to Kamloope, and who with >?uber and Topham crossed the Dawson Rass to Mount Purity. I Jave named in his honor a peak in the upper Wapta valley, as indicated by my map. Prof. C, E. Fay and R. P. Quriiss, for whom I have named peaks, as bhown upon the map. J/ount Stephen has never been asoended. I make this statement upon the authority of "Sftile Carryer of Field, of whom I shall presently ha^^' a good deal to say, who has in- formed me that tfc Arthur, tne Government surveyor, who is cui-- rently reported to have placed a flag upon the summit of Mount Stephen, in reality placed it among the "Pyramids" con- siderably below the summit, where Carryer saw it with his glass, and th-it McAi'thur himself admitted that he could get no further. I do not know that Mc Arthur himself ever claimed to have reached t}ie summit. He is a mountaineer of great ability, and it is doubtless due to this fact that he is cur- rently i-eported oo have ascended every peak in the Rockies that one can men -ion, not even excepting Lefroy and Assini- boine and Stepheii. 'ihe fact that neither Temple or Haz )1 Peak showed any signs of cairn upon their summits, while little L'ki'Unt Piran showed a large one, seems to the author to -19- J •.« •an ^K ^. f 4,i .,*; . -,-. •_.;'> ». '.'■[ ■' ii I I .vent up to iiictor on Lhe rnoi-nin/ trr.in incl started up tli'i; VL.lItfy :t o.oO, followinc the e^isi bink oT the sti'wajn. iVftei- aa }iour arnonc fallen and bui-nt timber I reached the lliHio Likes in the centre of a bro&d valley. To my right was Hill i.^'efular pe&k /ith ntimeroas small claciei's. To my loft, farther on, u c-^acial auaphi theater, in the foreground of v/hich bto(.d d vast solitai'y column, at le-ist one thousand fiijt high, ruardinc the entrance. Its fine symmetry was en- hxnced by ihe oackfround of blue and white and the fore^jround of forest £v*ien. Upon my map I have desifjn'ited it as "Obel- isk." 'iV.is Jiiphi theater I did not explore. I then believed its skv line to be the notch upon >tount Gifsen, but am now quite sui e that it IS the v;estern si.e of Itount Despine. Co.-uinuinc along the river bank through very rourjh tim- bw 1 , I cume upun :- beautiful cataract. Further up, I fol- lowed s. stream riov/inr from the left to the gorge whence it is'.iued. liere a furious blast of v/ind nearly knocked me over, ind I h-ive known this is the tlorge of the Winds. A waterfall descended fiom a hanging glacier above, but w&s scattered in spray by th^ rusts before reaching the bottom. The peak at the head of this gorfre contiininf; the hanfinr I'^lacier is Lbunt Jiuber. lib iscent need be attempted from t^-ie Gor-:? of the *^inds . AS it was fettinf; late T returned to Hector, where I ar- rived at six o'clock. It was evidently impossible to do any- thin- v/ithout makinr an extended expedition. 2 inLic:;^ie that these siomrnits had never been reached. In fact, so usual is the custom of cairn building upon even small mount ii ins, th^^t the absence of any sign of cairn upon one of tht {giants of the region, where the incentive to make a cairn v;ould be much greater, would seem to be a practical proof that the. re hud been no previous ascent. The ::.uthor has made experi nient in mentioning to some of the inhabitants of Bow Valley named of purely mythical peaks, every one of which he was in- fo med by them had been ascended by Ito Arthur. Whether these stories partake somewhat of the nature of folk lore it is im- possible tu say until lAsArthur himself enlightens us upon the subject. In regard to Lbunt Stephen, I have no hesitation in accepting tlie statement of Carryer that it still atv^xits a con- queror. «\gain, it is an acknowledged fact that the "esprit de corps" of a climber, which forbids him to claim to have climbed iny peak upon whose summit he has not planted his axe ^nd juilt his cairn, is less binding upon those to whom clloib** Ing is !*ntlrely subordinated to other things. It would be -20- M. ~i . > '.•t't. '4 fovita:'"«* If! 1 i 1 , , i nfi- .,:\: 1^ '^h■^^• '.ii': *l\ ^j:-^^:Tt* iK*it no^ no f nihi: £ -i- '<-»Vt^y ":J' 'tMirui-^i ]f,^i^, :rih'¥iti<..:!y:' -Xt'i?*- t :!:''• : i Accordinely, J m&de arrane«'renta with VUle Carryer, whom I shall have occasion to mention frequently in the rerr.iinder of this account, to accompany me the follcwinn Thursday. Tie had never been to the rejjion I intended visitinf , and was very c^ad to join me. Carryer was an Indiun of education, having spei', some time ut the lAiiversity of Soronto. He was employed by the railroud near Field. Subsequently, he made a six-days' irip wiih me back of Itector, and a circuit of one hundred -md fif- ty miles ovei the Vei'milion and Simpson Passes, to che base of Mount Assiniboine, and his keen knowledge of the woods and obliging and affable disposition made him yit all times both a useful and pleasanit companion. On Tuesday, the following day, G. and I ascend^Jd (^at ^fountain. This peak on the east bank of Lake Louisa, is second only to Ilazea Peak as a scenic point. The panorama extends from Mount Temple on the east to Lount \Vhyte on the west, embi'acing the I'ine riaciers of Hazel Peak, I.foant Lefroy and r/ount Green. I had ascended Goat f.tountain in the summer of '95, before the ti-fcal to the Si^dale was made, and the ease of this present ascent was a great contrast to the other. After an unsuccessful attempt on Thursday to get a horse across the swollen Bow river and Bath creek to carry provi- sions for my Hector expedition, I too!- them down by train on PViday and started with Carryer up the stream, each cjirrying twenty pound packs. .-:Vi: the most natural thinr in the world for a surveyor atio has halted a few hundi-ed feet :.elow the summit of a peak which he could not reach or did not care to reach, to mention that peak as one th-it he had climbed, usinr the word in a Ijjosj but not improper bense. The more technical meaning, however, will be insisted upon by "climbers", among whom every ;scent should be regarded as a finished worr of art, not C0;iplete until the cairn has been ei*ected upon the summit. TJie ascent of the peak, which I have finally identified as Lefro/, would involve a great knowledge of alpine craft, for the south side of the mountain, as I shall describe it from the sum-iit oi the Death-trap col, would involve many houi-s of laborious and dangerous step cuttinc, while from the north it rises f*t»m the ?.;itre glacier in one unbroken wall. J^'om the creen gla- cier an ascent might be ti'ied by the couloir, above which oc- curred the accident to my friend, of which I have spo«en it the beginning of this account. I do not think th«it aither Green or Lefroy would offer sufficient inducements to a sur- veyor to surmount their very great Alpine difficulties and -21- ^t ' ' •' i ;■»;; ^t'O * • «.* « ,,. --• 'int '•Jt" ** •I Keeping hifh ?.b''V 'Jt^ viHey we passed the -irst amphi- theater belov; lie f;i'cat noTiimp In order to explore the next, we deposited our packs upon - iock and followed the r.oit re to its head, where a Gm«il hin-Jnr; '-Icciei- several hundred feet above barred l'ur\,}ier adva^ice . Returning to our packs, we preceded up ihe valley jURt yt treeline, watchinp the unbto- ken walls foi- gullies or oxher possibilities of ascent. At lenct-h I recognized ahead of us the Gorf;e of the Vinds, ';nd the subordinate ridge e^st of it ilvau J named IVirvax:'. Stop- ping at four o'clock by a preixy v/it«i fall just before i*f.5ach- ing the gorre, we e.-.i-lored the j ock slope above, e^.sily ac- cessible from tJiis peine. This we followed round until v/u looked down into the Uorge of the V/inds; bui reiu»'ii3d v/iLhout observing any way of ascent up the colossal walls rising to our left, and m..de a resting place in a hollow of tie heather slope, whence at a ^ lance we could survey ohe valley beneath, with its lakes and river and peaks and flaciers beyond, while the wind in the tamarock-boughs made harmony with u'le music of the waterfall. Continuing up the valley next morning we were gradually forced to descend as we rounded the V/irvaxy ridge, reaching the iiver bed near a sm^il lake, v/hich I have known as Trout Lake. In descending lo this luke by a steep slope of hv.rd scree top-heavy fi-om my ^ack, a mis-step placed me in unstable o- quilibrium u, on my back, supported only by my axe-stick. I felt that once started dovmwgi'd I should be unable tj scop and should probt.bly be hurt upon the I'ocks below. \ side- spring toward a rock that ^ fortunately, did not yield, enabled me to coatinue the descent in safety. Tlie niceties of 'balance and fine calculationc of chances involved in extri- cating oneself from precarious situations, have always seemed to me a sauoe and a tonic . Soon wo came upon the western end of as beautiful a lake as I have ever seen. v/iiHe showing neither glaciers nor snow upon the imi'iediate peaks, the immense walls to the left and the cliffs and ideally pyramidal peak to the rirht, formed a dangers. Let those who succeed in reaching the summits of these superb peaks enli{;)iten us as to the existence of cairns on their summits. I have little doubt that they will find them as destitute of this udornment as I found Hazel Paik and Ltount Temple. -22- I 'Ihh. foref^rcund of v/onderrul f;r.ndeai-. Ilio iiOiihwosL and, on which we sto<.:d, fi'infled the enerald \f:iei- with a f .?owth of pine. Tlie aoutheaLt oiul facinc ua vvtis Oiici r-cled wi-h cliffs fiv-* hundj'ed iV-oi in }iei;'ht fi'oin v/'ioae tj'.L'Tuni i , pll Jd hifh v/ii.h ohe iocks of an old mox'-dine, thruu alondei- v/aiJcrf alls leaped intu tlie Iske. Above ohes«i us rort-'rTound /-lisi,'.;n'id far behind du disuint ano.vs, sufresting in iimi-'hit'iootai- of alpine 3pl*-*ndor. This If^ike, about a mile in len^To'- and slifehtly leao in width, I named 0'''arj.^ Ascend inc the cliffs upon oui- loft b-' a r'^^lly, v/e r-e^>ched the /^lucial dam. Ilie bed of the ancient filacier b^aJiind this is occupied by i very small lake, at the base of r/ie sh^irp^ peak of v/hich I spoke, and ..'hicli I called by tlie J luis.n yquiv- aleno, yukneab. 'Hje stream yt the head of chis lake has out u sivnuous course lesemblinc a rouch letter S in a sei ies of e..quisite cascades down the hard stiatiCication that lies beJiina, a.bove which -ire a number oj" tiny lakes; sui'i'K-untinc a)iC'-'io- clifl , a scene of c^'eat beauty aval ted us. 'I'he fi'rey quartzite lay in slabs byfoi'e us, levtl jC i floor and polished by ancient ice. From che ^ i-oovus iiud cricks of tl-is ancient piiverr.enc rr;W lone r-i"=ass, as in ^iui streets of some deserted city. As we stepped upon its sur- face, our hot faces verj co';led by a v/hiff from the ice fields, and before us, the cve^t pavement r-ntly sl^pinf^ to meet it, lay a placid lake, i dark blue circle of j jout a half-rnile di .meter. The /laciers c-iuote.ed around iot) fur- ther end, v.'hence floatinf blucJii: oV ice dotted vitji v/hite the sapijhire suif^ce, while behind ;ind -ibove rose the s Lopes of a CJ^and amphiLlie .ter, thei. ice i ields rlowin,'- like Pentellio mai'ble in the mellow light of an afternoon suo, iikJ a vast Dionysiac theater, the upper tiex- of scats outlined ar';;:inst a r:r eci-.-n sky Depositing our packs not far from »-he bank of tlie lake, v/e crossed the str v ^m and coined the «op of ohe lower /jlacier on the rifht. Prom this point we had a complete viev/ ol' the- n;orfre risinc at right ancles, above the Irike on the far left, and already partially seen from the end. It was of brok.n rock and looked passible, providing the lower slopes of cliff and Glacier could be ascended. Decidinf upon the best route for the ascent, we returned to our packs and passed \ very cold nicht . Awakened next jnorning (Sunday) by the loud cries of a flock of ptarmican, we started aiound the rock slopes on the l«ft bank euid connected with th-; ledges above. Hardly tv/o * Ibr Colonel R. O'JIara. (see page i.! ) . it* .:U >A 4.1* ». •! ^PA > .' «> /, 'lliu J.i^ff ■i«: thin Gickntisa and seened unable lg proceed. As he was quite comfoi'i-able v/lien not f-iovinc, I determined to iscend without him a lif-le distance in order to investic'it-e the feasibility of i'eachinr the r;oi'ge, u;d re^iched the dry cl^acier above. VHien thia began i-o slope upvard I took to the moraine en the lel't, und reached the bottom of t}ie frorpe. Owinfr lo the un- stdbility, I heuitated to proceed alone. At this juncture I sav; Ci'ryer belo'.v me, on the f lacier, ascendinr rapidly, and oompleioly recovered from his attack. Me v/as ascending the rocks upon the right, having crossed uiie d;-y flacier, and seerned tu be nviking belter progress than T. To cross over aL this point, however, v/at> ti-oublesome , owing to a ahirp ice ai'ote th:it divided the slope. So J kept ctlong tlie i-viiviin or xiris, f;:(3-'.iinc' all che while inio steeper a d more Uiistable sta f, uricil J reached t)is base of i freat clii'f, .vJiose right side ./•.Mo encircled by the ioo arete, and v.'},ose Ijft side was .iltc'.ti L}ier irnpasbible. To croos the ai'ei-..- woula be loss of vsluabl-J time, so I kept up i]vj narrow ^;uliy betwein tJie ice and cliiT. Soon I was obliged to tike to ohe lodges of the cliff. Tiiere was not far to climb. A foothold, a coupl 3 of hanu}iolds, ^ tu(: , u .I'ig'le, a momeni of doubt, -^nd I 1 ly poisec upon u fine ledg^ whence aticent to Lh'-i col svas 1 jss difficiilt. Ciriyii' lijd ft-vind e';.siei- and v/as a.vaiiing me on olie iiumr;:it. ;Oik on tl:!e right side, lount (.-I'een to the .•i'ht, v/lnch I had se^^n fi'om i'/ere dtcuiding on toj) of the Death- i-rap, ten thousand feei above the sea, the col connect in'* *'' iei't .and '..o.^nt Lef^'oy •. o ohe bui.jv/ the Liotcli in 'Oo, and had then given its name from the fri-i^umcy .vith A'fiich avalanches fi'om f.'ount Grean poured into tlvi narrow valley leading up co it. Down into this, in curv- ing tolas, swept die slopes of ice, breaking, as the angle increased, ijioo ice slopes and crevasses. Far below was the Ui'^zn gl>.ciei*, partialis se.-n between uhe walls on either sid2. The siimmit of f.tount U'een was not seen until we had dscendea tiie lower slopes of Mount Lefroy, but the great ice v/:Uls crowning its gigantic cliffs had newor looked so near. But the further -iscent of J.bmit Green from this point was iinpossible, or, more properly, impr-^ctioible foi- t vo ni3n. '■'he cliffs rose on the left in ji series of outward-sloping ledges, cove/ed ■.7it)i unstable limeiitone debris, such as I had just encountered, anu apparently much worse. In addition to the inst=.bility ol' ihn j'oi; t'lolds , a slip .vould upon tlie til<.i.ang gl-ci*3i' belov; anu a dv thousand ft'jt oo tlie ;.icttom of t ivf; "liin the firut li leugtr nee OK .si t- f incur a drop Icscont of nearly three u t ' ; - t rai . Part her more , an -.occnt ovei* a pile of "!»fS- .1?. ' ■ •■!. ,; ' ) I i -A } ..-. i ' » 1 1 .ii V •» -.*. r.\i . ..^ *C- '/* '..:•». fM! yfii rock sloping off on the left to the cliffs and on the right to the glacier. Mount Lefroy rose from the ri^t of the ool in steep al- most unbroken slopes of grey glistening ice, interspersed with aiguilles and tawers, and as fifteen hundred feet of step cutting presented lio particular attractions to me at that lime, I made no atcompt to ascend it. The view baikv/ard and downward was very fine. The gorge whence we hscads (there called by its old name "Castle Mountain"). This pass or i.rail followed the Heely Cr«ek to the summit of the watershed, de- scondin) on the other side by tr.a Simpson Piver and Vennilion river to the Koot«om the 3?^3t. ana rising at the base of Mount Assiniboine, Intending, therefore, to fol- low the Simpa':)jfi Pass as far as this stream, 1 arranged to meet Car rye r at Castle Mountain (on the map vailed by its old name Si]v3 r City), he taking provisions down from Piald by train, and 1 riding a pony down the sld Tflte road from lAg- gan. 1 iiad r)!«ev4ously written to1| a famous prospector, whom 1 had hea-^d was living at Castle Mou>"tain, and had acquired a large knowledge of the trails to the south, requesting infor- mation concerninji' the best rotite to Mount Auainiboine, but he had been unable to tell me more thar 1 3l ready knew. And here 1 will say a word concerning a deli^htl'ul gen- tleman. Col. P. O'Hara, whose acquaintance 1 had iriadB soma tine before. He hsd made a journey with pony back from Hec- tor previoias to mine, as far as the beautiful lake which 1 have called by his name, and .vhich 1 believe he was tiie first to sea. His purpose having been to force a passage through to the Pow Valley, he had iffilpcourse not penetrated into the amphitheatre above, which tti saw was blocked, and tl^us he had net ascended the series of cliffs to the level of Lake ^esa. Just as 1 was leaving the chalet at Take Louise, with my pony, Col.O*Hara returned from an attempt to penetrate by tl» White Mat||b ^asa into the -egion that 1 was about to tjryfrom the Simpson Pass. He had been; stopped by forest fires which Were raging soutt of Pa^ff, and filled the atmosphere with 'a haze. The colonel had also an idea of tryinr; to reach the Simpson P&ss from the Vermilion Pass (which ran south from Castlo Ivtountain, ihe old Silver City), his plan being to cut across f'om the summit by way of the Twin Lakes. I had no idea at that time of foinc anywhere near the Vermilion Pass, though subsequent events made me very familiar with it. I followed the old Tote road, indistinct at best md in places obliterated. ITie broad Bow Valley, flank t?d v/ith peaks, oheir summits white with new snow, or wrapped in flee- cy clouds, opened before me like a great highivay. Of the several streams which I forded, the Pipe stone only gave me any difficulty. As I was late in leaving IUggan, I fas o- bliged to step for the ni^ht at Eldon, a small log hut for the railway hands. After a sleepless night upon a narrow bench, I hurried on to Castle ibuntain, where Carryer was awaiting me in the B-ospector 's house. I expected to proceed at once to Cascade, in order to start over the Simpson Pass, but was led to chan(:e my plan through some information fiven by the piospec-- tor, who assured ne of the existence of an Indian trail run- ning from the lake near the summit of the vermilion Pass down to the Simpson Pass. This was the idea suggested by Col. O'Hara, though, of course, he had known of no trail. This would be shorter for me than to go to Cascade, and woald bring us to the Simpson Pass at a point quite ne^r the stream we desired to ascend* Further, our outfit could be feriied ovej- the Bow in a skiff owned by the prospector. Carryer thought the Vei'milion Rsiss much preferable, therefore, and I finally decided '«o cross the Bow at once. Ferried over in safety, we followed the south bank for several miles toward I^GCai^ until we came to the Vermilion trail. Ihfortiinately for travellers, the railroad has cut nu- merous roads for handling ties from the forest, and it was difficult to iollow the main trail. To add to our troubles, it soon began to pour, and rained steadily all the afternoon as we toiled through the woods in dripping mackintoshes. The pass became almost a flowing stream, and with uncertainty as to whers we should spend vhe night, our situation was far from rflassuring. Wo reached an old logging camp at fiue o'clock, and at six came to another, where we passed a comfortable night in one of the huts. The rain had stopped by morning, but we lost nearly three hours in getting the rig^t trail. Again at noon the trail failed, and we searched in the dense wood.r. for two hours before finding a tentative trail which we flollowed for t\Yo hours to a lake. I'^re I waitod while Carryer returned fcr T.iv-: horse, which we had left behind, and as it wes late wh'3r- he arrived, we camped for the night \m * 4 I «*-.■■ ^ ■^(.J 1 li ITie lake on which we camped was \indoubtodly tho one mentioned by the prospector, but a himt for the trail of which he spoka was fruitless and I am inclined to thlnV it had been obliterated by time. The lake was small, but tho image of Castle {.buntain, to the north, mirrored in ito sur- face, made, with the foreground of freen, a charminp picture. To the south, a snowy dome (I.fonni Ball), and lower peiks appeared. V/e had been obliged to come wiihou-^ n tent; as we had but one pony, but heav:: sloepinc bar^s ?.r.i rubber blankets ansv/ered every j'Ui'i.ose . Ilext morning we follo'vod the ''^^ i-ni ; 1 i on ^rail ovei* the summit acroos floweriiic meado.vs and thin v/cods, P.nd descended the Vermilion creek on the other sioe ; ha^inf; decided to con- tinue on to the Simpson :i>'fei- by way of Vei'irilion, a x'ounda- bout way, but unavoidnble, as we hs>.d failed lo discover the prospector's trail. For the rest of the day, and every day until we reached the Simpson river, it was a succession of trail hunts and losses of time. The trail was well nigh extinguished from debris and freshets, and the forest was very thick. That nirht we made our camp upon a sparsely vooded island. The ground was damp and rain fell during the nipht . Next morning we threaded our way along the river flats, having reached the main stream of the Vei-milion, which joins the other from the northeast. This stream may be found r.o rise at the head of the Opabin valley its source has .lot beyn definitely determined. It is doubtless nvmed from the peculiar characteristic color thit coats the stones and marsh grass of the river flats, resembling much the red fungus of Yellowstone Geysers, tliough what this coloring mattei is I do not profess to know. After making the bend to the east the vermilion Valley lay before us, broad, and bounded by low hills to the soath, with higher peaks to the north, toppsd by the snows of ?ADunt Ball. During the course of a trail -hunt soon after, wo saw the "falls" of the Vermilion, a beautiful cataract of some fifty feet, resembling the cataract on the Wapta Creek, back of }iector. V/e .damped that nif ht at Snow river, a cold spot, swept by winds from the glaciers on J.bunt Ball. The following morning, Saturday, September 9th, after toiling for five horn's through a pathless forest, we em-:frged tired, hot and generally uncomfortable upon a veritable Co- lonus — a circular opening in the woods, through whose long, waving grass was heard the ripple of a brook. Perns, waist high, fringed the edges, streariiers of moss waved from the boughd, while many colored painters' brush, pink and white -2.9- r !■ •';■ •* u .'ii ,1^1 j...^,;, ".jit^is^ -ii-.ff-f ti kv'-".^*- "M ■? ! ♦. V. f ' Q'J W'.ifVi I Bpireas, and the /^I'scelul columbine frew in profuaion ai'ound, locether with yellov buttercups, pink and white pyrolis and the evef present d'aisy. Blue lupins and larkspur werj con- tr-isted with curious yellow and red and white funpi , which lined the margin of the forest, and the air was sweet v/ith the acont of wild I'oses. Unable to reach the Simpson river before nip;hifall, we camped in a swamp on the edg® of a thick forest; as the sun 8an2 lower and lower behind Mount Ball, its snowfields flowed with crimson, anainst the sky fadinf; into violet and purplo lill they shone like silver in the light of the vising moon. A single aiguille of prodigious steepness, towered black above the other mountains upon the south side of the valley. We reached the Simpson at noon next day, September 10th, The frequency and c^eat size of the bear tracks on the river flats, tofeiher 'vith tracks of cariboo, elk and bighorn, indi- cated an abundance cf fame. There ought to be good htinting in this valley, for i.. connected directly with the celebrated Koote1)|C count i-y, ao firncus for its g£»me . Leaving/; ih^ Vbi-milion, which here bends to the southeast, we ascended the weso banx or the Simpson river by the Simpson trail, and oumped at six o'clock. Tiie following noon we had reached the sLre-am cluaiDea, the third from the Vermilion, flowing from tlie e-ist. As the only stream Tlp|ring into the Simpson f'ro::i the resi \/:ij re])resenied on Prnfeenor Dawson's map as about a mile further on, we made certain of otir stream by continuing until we met this stream from the west. Return- ing tlience, we forded the Simpson and beran to ascend the stream from the eaai,, which from subsequent developments I named Wal^ndoo Greek . After slow progress -mong the stones and boulders, we discovered an ancient Indian trail upon our left by which wo ascended some fifteen hundred feet above the Simpson river. Here our stream made a sharp ttu-n to the right, and as it w^s nearly night we camped in a grove of spruce. In the morning the ground was rapidly whitening with snow, and v/e continued our ascent of the valley, unable to see any distance ahead. The exposure had caused in me an en- lai7."*2'nent of the palate, preventing clear speaking and caus- ing me much alarm. This was completely cured in half an hour by application of a few drops of sap squeezed from the blis- ters of the bark of a balsam tree, an Indian remedy suggested by Carryer. The Indian trail had long since disappeared. About one o'clock we reached a email lake and further on a larger one, over half a mile iu length, surrounded by gre^t black walls. ..">- "i . . >>j-- •- -'^ .■..-.i^T^t ", t ■ I . ."' < :« , -v ,>^- •• ■■^■•.f. ■m but the storm shut off all view. Standing in the meadow at the head of the lake we ate a cheerless lunch, and then began to ascend the steepening slopes of heather, past scattered groupi: of spruce and tamarack, toward the great misty walls ahead v/hich J then believed must be a portion of Mount Assin- iboino . It was nearly six o'clock when 've reached the last group of pines and sj^.v before us a rid^e whose summit hidden in cloud was evident by ilie end of the valley. Judging from Dr. Dawson's . ap, it should have been I.tount Assiniboine, and we camped in the r;roup of pines, believing that we wera under the shadow of our long desired though as yet invisible moun- tain. Making a rough shed of boughs we covered it with rubber blankets, a little runnel in a hollow to the right supplied us •vith water and there was good grass for the pony. Thus closed Thursday, September loth. The snow fell with brief intermission until the night of Saturday 15th, v/hen for a brief hour the moon shone forth, burnishing the white landscape with its golden light. Doubt- ful of obtaining any other photographs, I exposed a quick plate for half an hour, pointed directly at the moon, which shone through a depression in the ridge. The result, printa- ble though faint, shows a string of moons, owing to the moon's motion wliile under occasional clouds. The skyline of the ridge ahead wis hardly five hundred feet above us, though on either side the walls rose from one to two thousand feit. Tlius there v/as an evident pass into a valley beyond. lothing was seen of Wount .Assiniboine, and in the morning starting at five o'clock, v/e trudged through snow from one to two feet in depth up the lon^; slope on the i-i{rht to the top of the ridge. In places the snow had frozen and was as compact as old neve. On reaching the top a valley v/ds seen on the other side, broader t/i-j.i; ..hpt. ahuncc we hid ascended, and filled with writhing- mist.r These, touched with the feint colors of sun rise and tots'^.d by the uiornin*: winds, swept by me and Joout me, shov/inf-; sn-voches of auperb vistas thi'cugh theii- damp grey openings, till I felt like some aerial navigator sailing over peaks and valleys. V/lien I finally htid an opportunity to observe the other side of the -iilley, the first object I saw was a beautiful lake lying a little below treeline at the base of a great glacier-crowned wall. Above thi^ lake, encircled by glaciers at the foot of the walls, which rose three thousand *" 9t above it, was a small lake. The top of the wall was idden by movinr clouds, and I believed it to be hbunt Assiniboine at last . After taking a few photographs 7 returned to camp -31- i I . i J. , \^ w. iM for lunch, and in the afternoon v/e crossed the divide &o the rifhc of Lhe j-idcti in order to visit and name the unmapped and unknovm lake . Our visit was partly for purposes of rishinc. Tho exten- sion of our trip had s^idiy diminished our larder and only two days* pi-ovisions remained. This fact, together with our un- familiariiy with the Simpson Pass to the Bow river a di.^- tancfe requiring at least three days, as we estimated, caused us considerable foreboding. Havinr crossed the divide and desct'nded the burnt, timber on the other side, we found the lower valley free from snow. Reaching the bed of the stream we followed it to the small creek obsei'ved from the ridge to flow from the lake. Ascend ing this ci'eek we stood upon the bank of the lake at three 'clock . This beaut, if ul lake than vvhich I have seen none finer in the Rockies, and w'.ich I named .\ssiniboine, is about a mile in length and slightly less in width. Its color was a dark green and it v/as fringed with grass snd shrubs and slopes of pine. Ihe greut -'alls risinr behind it with their fine blue hanging {glaciers and v.hit^a glaciers below made a scene never to be forgotten by one who has soen it. The upper lake which I did not have lime to visit, encircled as it is with glaciers, should be a second Lake leesa. Garryei' 's luck at fishing was nil, and he decided to fish down the creek and meet me at the junction of the stream. J had followed the left bank of the lake to get a few more photographs, and was about to leave when, happening to glance up at the rapidly u.oving cloud that his the top of ohe wall, I observed through a sudden opening a single needle- like point glittering against the blue sky behind like a bit of black obsidian beneath a silver v6il. It was indeed Mount Assiniboine, for, though the apparation lasted but a second, 1 obtained other sectional views of the gigantic pyramids The walls aJove the lake seemed but a support for the base on which it rests, and the summit must be at least two, and pos- sibly three thousand feet above the summit of the wall. The altitude of the lake was 6600 feet and calling the wall 3000 feet and the pyramid from 2000 to 3000 feet more, the alti- tude of the summit oecomes about 12000 feet above the sea. Dr. Dawaon estimates the height at ^bout 11500 feet, which is, I think, too low. Perhaps 11,900 feet would be a cautious estimate, which would make the peak 242 feet higher than Mount Lefr y and 200 feet higher than Mount Temple. The north east and north. /est aretes seemed from these sides inac- cessible, and attempt 'sd '.Kcents should be made from the . ix' w Wi : ! .*"• M'" i: ■■ ... .. >. f J- 1 ■; 5 4 ■*!'»-, *'-■ ■ ■ A, -t. V ^ . r''- ^ .' .\ . 0, . m- ■>, southeast or southwest side. Carryer, when I Joined him, had also seen the peak, and was much impressed by what he consid- ered the most awful mountain he had ever seen. On our return we killed a large porcupine and some ptar- migan, which solved the vexed question of provisions, and at seven o'clock we closed an eventful day with a delicious ptar- migan stew. Jlbw to cook the porcupine was a subject of debate. The following method gave entire satisfaction. All night he was foasted on stakes, afterwards he was parboiled and then stewed . The valley in which we were camped with its creek and lake and ridge, I named Walandoo, or deception, 'flie river and vallev beyond the ridge I named Assiniboine, like the lake. It was now necessary to hasten back to civilization. Ac- cordingly, we broke camp next morning and on reaching Lake Walandoo I photographed it, and likewise the amphitheatre to the north. lk>st of my plates on this expedition were scratch ed or light struck, as I had had only my sleeping bag to change them in. We descended on the left side of the stream until we had rounded the corner, then joining the old Indian trail on the right side, and reaching Simpson river at five o'clock. By G.30 v;e were camped by the banks of the clear stream flowing from the west . A Chinook wind swept up the valley and the air was warm and springlike. Next morning we followed the Simpson river until the trail seemed turned off to cross the divide. We were wet to the skin nearly all day with continual fordinr of the stream, occasional showers and soaking underbrush. Aswe neared the summit of the pass we obtained a beautiful retrospect over the Simpson valley. Upon the stunmit, which is, of course, the watershed, we encountered a heavy snow storm, and d night on the open seemed imninent, but we forced the Heely Greek trail on the other side, and descending by it we camped in the woods by a little stream at G.30. faking rapid time next morning, favored by an ideal day, we were soon descending the beautiful valley of Heely Greek. A superb peak to the west was in sight nearly all the morning The mountains reminded me of the limestone peaks of Salzkam- mergut, their summits white and lower slopes of varying shades of [reen. Liany of the peaks were very sharp, and in- deed dolomite entered largely into their composition* They average from eight to ten thousand feet above the sea, and should offer an attractive field to climbers. "33- nm ■ Nil m !^'f I' 4, V • ■/I.,? • L Citr .f?^^.;. ('^ At four o'clock we reached the broad valley of the Bow. PordinG without difficulty on horseback, we spent a comforta- ble night in the clean section house at Cascade aiding, about a mile up the track toward lAC5Can. I must mention the beauty of the ford of Simpson Pass, where we crossed the Bow. The river formed a forecround for the graceful range of distant peaks to the south, whence we had come. This ford and the pass to which it leads should be used by future visitors to ftouiit Aasiaiboine. Our circuit by the Vermilion h?d taken thirteen days frcm Castle ^b^antain round to Cascade, and we had travelled nQa^'Iy one hundred and fifty miles. I fl?.g"od the train nejct morning and was soon at U^ggan, where I wag joined in two d'iys by Carryer , who rode the horse up the Tote road, arranginc, however, not to stop at Sldon. J\irther explorations beinc impossible, owing to continued snows, I left shortly for the east. -•^^-