CROSSING A STREAM ON THE GLACIAL FRINGE
OUR CAMP ON LAND WEST OF ALDRICH’S FARTHEST
Four hours after leaving camp, we were abreast of my cache, made where Koolootingwah turned back and I sent the two men with one empty sledge and all the dogs to get it. They were bothered a good deal in reaching it by the lakes and streams. We were following the only practicable road. Without it, we would not make more than half our progress. On each side of our trail was a nearly continuous deep blue lake, into the outer side of which flowed at short intervals, streams and from the inner edge of which at every available spot streams had bored a way through to the tide crack into which they poured with a rush.
After leaving the cache we travelled for four hours more. The snow was nearly all gone from the ice here now, and two or three days more of warm weather would remove it entirely. The effect of the fall in temperature was very perceptible in the lowering of the water level in all the smaller pools.
The sun shone at intervals during the march but could not make up its mind to clear, and wind, directly in our faces, continued.
It was a great comfort to start the next morning with dry foot-gear, even though it did not stay dry long.
Quite decent travelling most of the day though we had a few hours of heavy work. There were plenty of lakes and streams all about us, but keeping along the crack saved us. Anywhere else was nearly if not quite impracticable.
The bulk of the snow had already melted, and the streams were falling, but of course many of the lakes would remain till they froze the next fall.