Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-30
ANCELENOS CLIMB
OLD GRAYDACK
GORGEOUS VIEWS FROM THE
MOUNTAIN TOP
Highest Peak in Southern California
Is Successfully Assembled by
Distinguished
Party
BY JOSEPH r. COMPTON

A trip to the summit or MOUNT Saf
Gorgenia, known as Grayback, the high
eat peak in Southern California and To-
Gated in the beautiful range of the Sar
Bernardino mountains, is privilege &c
be greatly coveted, particularly at TINS
season of the year, when the tra1llng gar,
mentS of winters snowy 1roch are Se'
under your feet.
Down to within three or four weeks
mast the snow was still falling in the
mountains and as a resulting 1ea1ure @ ,,i,,e Jne
ter clothing. The north and the west
slopes Of Grayback are covered 1oI
nearly 1000 feet down, in many places
twenty and thirty feet deep.
Guided by Lester Moore of Los Angeles,
one of the most skillful and enthusiastic
mountain climbers in Southern CanIornIa'
a party of four men; consisting OF w; w II
Fflley of Hartford Conn, and Joseph X.
Compton of Los Angeles, left the city
on the Santa Fe Monday, June H. at S:SV
y. m. to accomplish this inspiring task.
The stage left Redlands at II O'Clock
and reached SINNERS camp at p. m.
II Is a very pretty little ride out over
the mesa and up the dashlng MIL creeh, .iso
Ahead and a little to the north Is the
famous Arrowhead, while Mount san
Rernardino and, Grayback tower above
until at length the party crept INSIDE
their shadows and lost tnem lroIh Nei"
SINNERS camp is fifteen miles from
RedIands and Is the terminus OF the
stage line. 1t is indeed picturesque
snot to locate a camp. The silvery, ca
pricious Mountain Home creek cuts II IN
twain. while great spreading OAK trees
fold the camp about with umpraeeous
arms. -,,st either he
nade on burros or on foot This party,
howeyer. disdained the kindly. benevolent
hurro. They were out for jaunty Walk
and for lots of, Of fun tbs ,pdspensabIe Gaen help
sr,eet of the mountain climber ana may
han a weapon of defense against tne
lurking rattler, they began the walk Oh
fen miles to Seven Oaks camp
A Perfect Trail
The trail is perfect and the scenery up
the canyon through which the mountain
~ hide and seek battles description Every
variety of the wooded tribe is clotneo
with its beautiful spring attiTe, liz nnd
foliage of the trees is at its oeSt; tne w wiz I
cIematis vine is everywhere. Inc straw
hsrry. gooseberry and raspberry are eacn
wing with each other to look the. pref
Hest Well up toward the summit tne
hlood-red snow plant was encounteIeu'
scorce a month from out its tieecy. blan-
Tet Here too was the beautltul neur
de lis and the white and purple MAJ MAJ
lading the air with exquisite sweetntssssS;
while the pine, the fir and cedar prealheu
forth their choicest aromatics-
,rbe trail led through the Mounta.IILai
uor,,e camp. a cluster of log cabins bullt
amid the stately pinesiad peFler at present
From the summit. which is nan way uP
+o seven oaks, your view looks across 70
the San Bernardino range, at Ine Io9u ;,. VI
,vhich is the fierce, torrential Bear river.
rTt,a descent ON the other side and up the
Santa Ana river to the camp is tdn Al.
script of the opposite cllnp VIII, u, +ar
added beauty of several siiVelS
falls ~. III. ,ose behind
"a hills the party reached Seven oaks
carnn and the arrival signalized raven
Gus raid on the dining room Oh the lnah-
Rear valley is situated about SIX miles
~ the north and contains a lake seven
miles long. 60. NIGHT of
a.,,tstf,J rest on willow branches ana the
soft ends of sage bushes, the traVeiei1I traVtoI
arose and after breakfaStng at lie me- AZ,
started for Bear lake. EarE is s beft be the
one of the men annexed to ms pett ta-ad tne
rattles of the only snake encountereiHi;
Three hours from the start; Ii Wheh ND
Sol was businest pounding packs anu ~
heads and parched NOUNS at1,re Hnr ave a
eweet surprise. Modestly hiding betweeR
two tall boulders was an ICY sPiiine IN the
water, no sooner seen tnan US tSe rocEs
sheltered from the sun, the parry pStent- nf
voured that aqua pura uhui ''iU
ment reveled in safety.
Splendid Fishing
.Ao,,+ noon they arrived at the lake
and ate a. sumptuous meal which, thahNs
To fine telephone. was in readiness. -
There is splendid fishing at ,tai1ed eh1 % from
casting the angle worm. A large nulh
her Of fine log cabins, kept sweet anu
clean. are built on the slope oVerloohiilSi
fhe lake The party returned IN tne coul
oF the afternoon in time to get falr
start that evening en- route for the sum
nit - , 1,all
BY Wednesday morning they were uNaet %et,
ON their way toward the big peak. Each
man with his packet of blankets, pro
visions and cooking utenslls looselS
strapped to his back, proceeded tnrousn II
heaI,tif1I Horse Meadows, along the
snarkline Barton creek and the South
Fork. over the slopes of the grand noun
tains whose floor was carpeted mere VII WIN
wild timothy, clover and grass. tne sum,
ing dandelion growing in between ana
with thickly strewn pine needles making
n soft and springy floor for the foot1all
of the husky traveller.
"Ah. who can paint like nature?' asks
Thomson.
"Can Imagination boast
Amid her gay creation hues like hersE
And can he mix them with that machless
And Law them on so delicately fine?
And lose them in eoch other as appears
In every bud that blowsE
Wednesday evening found a pitcnlng ps
agone, through some convlusive action, IT
Is supposed, the mountain slid downward
and partly filed the canyon, leaving
saucer like formation which in other
Years may have been dry but now is
clear and beautiful body of water, the
seepage from the snow-capped peaks
above The temptation was too great, so
the party enjoyed a cold plunge bath in
the lake, and between the plungesv as
there were no sand banks close at hand,
induIged in the unique experience of
few capers on snow banks which were
lying round about.
At the Summit
Thursday morning the travellers as
cended to the summit of the mountain.
There standing on its old Grayback,
they felt the sentiment of the poet who
Dear world, looking down from the
highest of heights that my feet can
attain,
I see not the smoke of your cities, the
dust of your highway and plain"
On the north side of the mountain there
is a gigantic natural amphitheater 1900
feet from top to bottom and capable of
seating 100000 spectators. It is COM
pletely lined with snow, and in the hollow
center there is doubtless fifty feet of
snow.
Standing on rocky promontory it was
beautiful sight to start huge boulders
and watch them roll and tumble over the
white surface to the bottom.
At the summit cameras caught glorious