Franklin Mountains, 1992. A late spring which caused havoc in bear behavior hampered my exploration of the sources of the Canning. From March Fork, I traversed east in heavy snow by way of P 7010 through this western corridor into the Franklin Mountains. In three days, I reached the canyons and waterfalls beneath the icefields at the source of the Canning. I scaled the west ridge of P 8390 with miserable snow conditions. Climbing above the waterfalls to the west, I turned north over a 7200-foot pass and descended the middle lobe of the triple glacier that is the source of Franklin Creek. I descended and crossed the lake pass into Carnivore Creek. At Neruokpak, I was joined by a group including Ken Dowdy and Dave Endrus. We circled west and south into the upper Saddlerochit headwaters, exploring the prominent V-shaped canyon and climbing the south face of the icecap (7700 feet). We crossed a pass into a canyon that parallels Franklin Creek on the north. I climbed P 6900 along the margin of the glacier, a major summit on the great Franklin Ramp. Our exit was by way of the northern drainage. From its confluence with the Canning, we rafted to the delta.

Dennis Schmitt, Sierra Club