BETWEEN PIUTE and Kearsarge passes is to be found some of the finest high country of the Sierra. Most of this high country lies within the Kings Canyon National Park. It is indeed fortunate that this magnificent wilderness area, which is not penetrated by a single road, is thus preserved for study and enjoyment by man. Climbers are probably in the minority among users of the area, and it is not likely that their little cairns, their footprints on the sandy shelves, and the evanescent tracks left upon the sparkling snowfields will cause significant changes in the landscape.

For the organization of the Guide the section from Piute Pass to Kearsarge Pass has been divided into five areas, as has been indicated in Sketch 2 in the Introduction. The areas are:

LeConte Divide and Adjacent Peaks. This includes the peaks west of the LeConte Divide to Helms Creek, and those south to Crown Mountain.

The Evolution Region and the Black Divide. This includes the main crest from Piute Pass to Bishop Pass, the Glacier Divide, the Goddard Divide, the Black Divide, and some neighboring peaks.

The Palisades Region. This includes the main crest from Bishop Pass to the Thumb, peaks south and east of Bishop Creek (south fork), the Inconsolable Range, and a few adjacent peaks.

Kings Canyon Region. Here are described Spanish Mountain, the peaks of Kettle Ridge, the White Divide, and Monarch Divide, and rock climbs of the lower canyons of the Middle Fork and South Fork of the Kings.

Palisades to Kearsarge Pass. The main crest is covered from Mount Bolton Brown, just south of the Palisades, to Kearsarge Pass, together with peaks south and east of those in the other areas. Included are the peaks around Amphitheater Lake, Cirque Crest, Goat Crest, Arrow Ridge, and the peaks around Sixty Lake Basin.

In using maps of this section, it is well to remember that the old Goddard Quadrangle has gross inaccuracies, particularly in the area of the Middle Fork of Bishop Creek. The new Goddard Quadrangle shows the geographical features properly, but gives names for some of the lakes that are not in agreement with local usage. Sketch 14 gives the names of the lakes of the Bishop Creek region.

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