Excerpts from, Steep Trails
by
John Muir
...back against the wind to the "Hot
Springs," ..."Here," said Jerome, as we shivered in the midst of the
hissing, sputtering fumaroles, "we shall be safe from frost." "Yes,"
said I, "we can lie in this mud and steam and sludge, warm at least on
one side...
...When the heat became unendurable, on
some spot where steam was escaping through the sludge, we tried to stop
it with snow and mud, or shifted a little at a time by shoving with our
heels; for to stand in blank exposure to the fearful wind in our
frozen-and-broiled condition seemed certain death.
...we arose and began to struggle homeward.
Our frozen trousers could scarcely be made to bend at the knee, and we
waded the snow with difficulty... ...When we had descended some
three thousand feet the sunshine warmed our backs and we began to
revive. At 10 a.m. we reached the timber and were safe. |
