June 30th

The ship lay all day yesterday on E. side of Lynn Canal. This morning, Cushing, Adams, Morse and I had our boat set out and started to sail [MS illegible] to Pyramid Harbor, so called from a small cone shaped island in front of it. This island as far as we could judge is part of a moraine. We shipped so much water on account of the high sea running that we finally boarded a fishing smack, and got them to tow our boat ashore. Mr. Laws, superintendent of the cannery said it was doubtful if we could secure proper Indians and recommended that we should take a white man Wm York, and we made an arrangement for him to go with us. We are to pay his expenses and give him $50 a month. If at the end of one month we desire it, he will go back to Pyramid harbor. We had about two hours before the steamer left; and Cushing Morse and I started to ascend the old moraine of a small valley glacier which lies in the valley just behind Pyramid harbor. The moraine was thickly wooded every step. In places Devil's club scratched made us wish we had taken another route. We ascended 750 ft but could not see the glacier on account of a turn in the valley. The day was beautifully clear and the mountains behind glorious, quite equal to the swiss alps. The stream cuts thro' a gorge in one place.

The sail down Lynn Canal was most interesting. Mountains and glaciers on both sides, and great [here?] fields alone made a scene, such as I have never seen before. About ten o'clock we turned up Glacier Bay and saw Crillon and Fairweather looming up ahead; they are magnificent mts.