Here are a few key pages from the Mt. Julius Caesar registry we found on July 4th, 2006. After reaching the top of Mt. Julius Caesar and much frustrated searching for a registry, the four of us (Steve, Steven, Jeff, and Todd) fanned out to systematically search every crevice. Steven glimpsed the red canister too deep in a crack for us to reach. I climbed around below the northwest side of the peak, out onto the cliff, and managed to find an access point to reach into the bottom of the crevice. We pulled out the tobacco tin you see below.

Just two days before, Todd and I had found a film canister atop Peppermint Peak with the most recent entry dating from 30 years ago. The Peppermint Peak find quickly ceased to be impressive after we opened the tabacco tin.



Amazingly, the can was snug enough to have protected its contents for 80 years!



The first entry reads, "MT JULIUS CAESAR (13,173) Aug. 12, 1928 - Having climbed this peak and finding no signs of previous ascent, we christen it Mt Julius Caesar since it is the highest unnamed peak overlooking the Italy Basin. - Alfred H. Prater, Myrtle Prater - 1247 Allen Ave - Glendale Calif - U.C. at L.A. - Aug 12, 1928". Apparently, the mountain has grown 25 feet since 1928, or at least the estimate of its elevation has.



The next entry, 5 years later is from Dave Brower, one of the important early figures in environmental activism and in the leadership of the Sierra Club: "July 15, 1933 - Dave Brower [this might say Berkeley, Calif - I didn't write down the name of his companion before I brought the registry to the Sierra Club] - Came up from Lake Italy, where we are camped en route Glacier Lodge (Big Pine, Ca) to Yosemite by knapsack. Just starting to sprinkle. Adios."



My other favorite entry is from Steve Roper and friends in the 50's: "5 Aug, 1959 - via South Ridge (1st ascent) Chuck Belling - Ed Roper - Steve Roper - up from Royce Lakes". The last entry in the registry was from 1962, so the canister was likely wedged in that crack for 44 years! We left the unused portion of the pad in the canister in an easier to find location. Before we took the records to deliver to the Sierra Club, we left an entry in the registry describing what we'd found.



Here is the area of the peak. You can see why we needed to sweep the area to find the canister. (Seven Gables is visible in the distance).



Beginning our descent southwest along the ridge.



Mt. Julius Caesar from the southeast (Chalfant Lakes), ominous clouds blotting out the sun. The lower looking peak on the right is the actual high point.