Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada

It describes the perils and pleasures experienced by Clarence King (1842–1901) while conducting the first geological survey of California in the 1860s. King's language was equal to the marvels he found, and here with unfading brilliance are his accounts of scaling such mountains as Tyndall, Shasta, and Whitney. The chapters on the Yosemite Valley and surrounding High Sierras were written while he was surveying the boundaries of a newly designated national park. Along with thrilling mountaineering adventures, the book offers delightful vignettes of western characters, including a Sierra artist and a family of Pike County hog farmers.