Williams news., 1913-04-05
SUCCESSFULLY SCALED
 SAN FRANCISCO PEAK

! The first expedition to success 1 fully negotiate the snow-capped summit of Agassiz Peak, F, 794 feet Eabove sea level, the highest point of the San Francisco mountains, was accomplished by Lilo M. Perrin and Milton s. Farnsworth, about I a. | m. Thursday, March 27 last. The party outftted and left Flagstaff on ! Wednesday morning, accompanied Eby George Cotton, of Flagstaff, who proceeded with the party to the Hart ranch at the base of the peaks The snow at the Hart ranch was Eabout four feet deep, and the party drove into the corral with their sleigh over the top of the corral fence, only the tops of the fence posts being visible. They camped at the ranch and the next morning at 5 o'clock Perrin and Farnsworth began the tedious ascent from the northwest side of the steepest point. The first few thousand feet-in fac to timber line-proved to be very hard climbing, owing to the new snowfall of about two feet, which had not sufficiently crusted.
 Just below timber line the snow was approximately thirty feet deep on the level and was almost up to the tops of the big fir trees Where new snow had fallen and was not crusted, in places it was necessary It to blow through the same waist deep or give up hope of reaching the top of the mountain.
 No observation of the tempera- Iture was taken until about 9:30 a. Im., at which time is registered 7 Idegrees (F) below zero. Stopping Ijust above timber tine for second breakfast, a glove was thrown on . the snow and when the party pre- Ipared to resume the ascent, Per- rin picked the glove up and found Ithe glove frozen stiff. The ascent from timber line was much easier, } lowing to the snow being well crust led, the wind having blown the [. newly fallen snow into hugh drifts. In many places it was observed that large fir trees sixty or seventy feet in height stood in snow drifts which Iexposed only twelve or fifteen feet of the tree tops.
 The summit of Agassiz Peak was reached a few minutes before II o'clock, the ascent having been - Imade from the Hart ranch in less than six hours.
 Il The view from the summit of >l Agassiz, or, as the government off, lcials designate it, San Francisco IPeak, is described by Mr. Perrin as
 being peculiarly weird, grand and
 beautiful at this season of the year
 under the conditions which he and
 Mir. Farnsworth alone have seen it.
 In answer to the question what
 most impressed him, Perrin replied
 "I climbed the Jungfrau in the |. Swiss Alps on August 5, 1911, and
 can truthfully say that nothing
 saw in Alpine scenery surpa' sed 1T weird beauty and grandeur the scene looking southeast from Sar
 Francisco peak across the crater ot
 the extinct volcano, filled with snow
 as I beheld it on this trip. l SC l cured a number of fine views of i
 with my camera, and I am surt
 they will confirm this statement
 The thermometer registered 1(
 degrees above zero at noon on th'
 summit of the peaks, and as th'
 day was ideal the party could se'
 for over 1UO miles in every direc | tion. That portion of the town 0
 Williams not obscured by the hil ! at the southeast of the town wa = plainly visible. The descent wa
 made to the Hart ranch and thu
 next morning the party proceeded re into Flagstaff by sleigh, the tril ce having been accomplished in littl
 more than forty-eight hours iron i- Flagstaff.
 When the party began their tril to from Flagstaff to the Hart ranch e. they met a rancher a few mile
 from their destination who offered h. to wager them $10O that they would of not even get to the Hart ranch
 much less ascend the peaks, and h ie was very much surprised to lear
 that the party had accomplished it St. purpose.
 e. Knowing the ascent was to b
 made, number of people at tn
 McDougall ranch, twenty-five mile he from the peaks, clearly discerne e? with the aid of glasses the partie ct making the ascent when they emerg re ed above the timber line on tn ck peaks.
 How about it. Mr. Baseball fan