Does the equator or 45°N have a higher noon solar altitude on June 22?

Early in the story when tom finds an indian skull in the woods which he kicks in temper. the devil then makes his appearance and, as tom surveys him, he notices that the devil is neither "negro" nor "indian." in fact, he has a "swarthy" complexion and is "begrimed with soot."

Sequoia national park  /  inyo national forest, california, u.s. mount whitney is the tallest mountain in california, as well as the highest summit in the contiguous united states and thesierra nevada—with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).