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1861 Oct 17 Thurs

to make a deposite of said portion of my load in the excavated snow till our return.  Here we partook of a portion of contents of "Red handkerchief" that we might be fully prepared for hard work.  Following this, resumed our Walk, or rather, our [[underlined]] leaping, plunging & tumbling [[/underlined]] - for this was the nature of our motions in ascending & descending during the 5 hours absent from the Boat.  Our progress up was slow, slow indeed, for the way (tho' not in [[underlined]] appearance) [[/underlined]] was rugged.  Had there been no snow, we could have got along very well but as it was - & is - the travelling [[underlined]] terrible! [[/underlined]]
I know of [[underlined]] no worse [[/underlined]] than we experienced.  It may be imagined on my stating nearly the whole distance is covered with sharp & boulder rocks - rocks upon rocks - & over these a covering of snow that made [[underlined]] all look fair; [[/underlined]] but on attempting to make passage over it, down through soft snow we went till our feet rested on stones sometimes proving firm & [[?oftener]] serving as man-traps.  Now & then thigh deep we fell - our feet dropping into chinks - & becoming quite

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1861 Oct 17 Thurs

firmly wedged therein (requiring patience time & effort to get free again).  As we wound & zig-zaged our way up the steep mountain, I was expecting every moment when my Volunteer companion would refuse to go further.  But in this I was happily mistaken.  He proved a match for me.  I was rejoiced to find as we got near the top that the snow became hard sufficiently to bear us up there, giving us opportunity to make better progress.  Occasionally, as we were on our way up I stopped to take a look at "Rescue Bay".  I was delighted to find that the prospect from the mountain top would without doubt be one that would amply repay the labor of mounting it - great & perplexing as it was.
On getting to a point that had appeared to us as the top found it still far off.  
Any one who has been up mountains can appreciate [[underlined]] this. [[/underlined]]  Tramping on & up we came to where the ascent was less abrupt.  Over this ground we pushed speedily.  The apex was finally reached.  A moment's look around was enough to repay me for all the efforts I had made to gain that point!