Close Ups of the High Sierra
Norman Clyde
With a degree in Classic Literature, an old army hat, and great physical endurance, Norman Clyde became a living legend. He drove nails into the soles of his boots for traction, so slick rock, ice and other obstacles could not keep him from reaching the summits of the mountains he wanted to climb.
On cold Sierra mornings, he would recite Homer's "Illiad" and "Odyssey" in Greek, while cooking breakfast for climbing partners at the campfire. He was one of a dying breed, a "vanishing Victorian," which was evident in his writing style. The following excerpt is from the book Close Ups of the High Sierra by Norman Clyde, published by Spotted Dog Press
Few Californians know even the names of the 14,000-foot peaks of the Sierra Nevada, their knowledge of them being usually limited to the fact that Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the continental United States. Few are aware that there are ten others, all of which have at least one feature of interest. They are either scenically attractive, afford exceptionally fine views from their summits, offer mountaineering inducements or possess all of these characteristics. All are found along the axis of the range from a point west of Lone Pine to one in the same direction from Big Pine. All may be said to be included in three groups which we may call those of Mt. Whitney, Mt. Williamson and the Palisades, from the most prominent mountain in each of them. . .
. . . The panorama beheld from Mt. Whitney is one of great extent and magnificence. To the north it extends along the axis of the range to the mountains of Yosemite; to the west it looks across the Kern basin to the castellated Kaweahs and the jagged line of the Kern-Kaweah divide; to the south, over gradually lowering forest-clad mountains; to the east and southeast, over a multitude of arid ranges and desert valleys. . .