nk, Harry, and I, leaving our other two companions and the
majority of the horses at the base camp, packed a few days' provisions
and started in for the highest peaks of all.

We journeyed up an unknown canon eighteen miles long, heavily wooded in
the bottoms, with great mountains overhanging, and with a beautiful
clear trout stream singing down its bed. The first day we travelled ten
hours. One man was always in front cutting out windfalls or other
obstructions. I should be afraid to guess how many trees we chopped
through that day. Another man scouted ahead for the best route amid
difficulties. The other two performed the soul-destroying task of
getting the horses to follow the appointed way. After three o'clock we
began to hope for horse feed. At dark we reluctantly gave it up. The
forest remained unbroken. We had to tie the poor, unfed horses to trees,
while we ourselves searched diligently and with only partial success for
tiny spots level enough and clear enough for our beds. It was very cold
that night; and nobody was comfortable; the horses least of all.

Next morning we were out and away by daylight. If we could not find
horse feed inside of four hours, we would be forced to retreat. Three
hours of the four went by. Then Harry and I held the horses while our
companions scouted ahead rapidly. We nearly froze, for in that deep
valley the sun did not rise until nearly noon. Through an opening we
could see back to a tremendous sheer butte rising more than three
thousand feet[C] by a series of very narrow terraced ledges. We named it
the Citadel, so like was it to an ancient proud fortress.

Fisher reported first. He had climbed a tree, but had seen no feed. Ten
minutes later Frank returned. He had found the track of an ancient
avalanche close under the mountain, and in that track grew coarse
grasses. We pushed on, and there made camp.

It was a queer enough camp. Our beds we spread in the various little
spots among the roots and hummocks we imagined to look the most even.
The fire we had to build in quite another place. All around us the
lodge-pole pines, firs, and larches grew close and dark and damp. Only
to the west the snow ranges showed among the treetops like great,
looming white clouds.

For two days we lived high among the glaciers and snow crags, taking
tremendous tramps, seeing wonderful peaks, frozen lakes, sheer cliffs,
the tracks of grizzlies in numbers, the tiny sources of great streams,
and the