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20 [[underlined]] Chick wassa - [[/underlined]] Aug 9th Remained all day on this prairie Obtained two striped squirrel which are very abundant on these hills the ground being full of their burrows. Also a pine squirrel similar to those preserved July 20th From a hill near the camp had a fine view of Mts St Helens Hood & Adams overlooking the intervening country Found on this hill several alpine plants a low spreading Juniper covering portions [[underlined]] like [[/underlined]] a thick carpet, & giving a bluish hue. The grouse shot the 4th Aug. is very common here almost supplying our mess with provisions- Aug 10th. Ascended a hill much higher than that of yesterday being by the barometer 5077.74 ft above Vancouver. The snow peaks appear in all their magnifisence Mt. Adams being NNE of us, Mt. Rainier nearly north, St Helens NW & Hood & Jefferson S.S.E. The whole landscape is one of indescribable grandeur probably unequalled by any in America- Noticed at this height humming birds as well as abundance of small insects. Many flowers are also in bloom Ice formed at camp last night 2/10 in thick. [[end page]] [[start page]] 21 [[Resnne'n?]] The route since the 1st ult. has been a gradual ascent towards the summit of this pass and the present is the highest point reached The rocks have been all of volcanic origin with small pebbles in the beds of streams apparently produced wholly by causes now existing- Some beds of lava have been passed over all of basalt, though the fragments of older origin are often trachytic. In ascending a gradual disappearance of some plants is noticed and a substitution of others. Aquilegia formosa has continued common up to this point. The three species of Abies composing the lower forests are here replaced to an extent by two others and by two species of Pine. Oaks disappeared with the Cathlapootle river and the maples are now very rarely seen- Looking toward the northeast from this point our future course is seen to descend into a valley along the east side of Mt. Adams. This is therefore the summit of the range in this direction. Being now about to enter a region probably little explored by botanists I shall commense collecting plants-
