The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1889-08-03

LIS OtdkC w. iOd0 lAOAiA DaAA " -
homestead to the bridge, can be greatly
improved by keeping on directly south
on the county road, instead OF turning
down on the sandy river bottoms.
Arriving at the bridge we made
camp on the west side near the river
The bridge across the East Fork is
substantial structure of about 100 feet
length and sixty foot span acrors the
main stream, was built by Stranaaan
Bros, and is a credit to both builders,
and owners.
Here the stage road proper begins,
and then work is apparent on every
hand, in good bridges and brood ana
well worked grades.
About two miles from the bridge in a
heavy body OF timber, we met the lead
ers OF large band of sheep; we could
not turn and the sheep would not turn,
nor give the road, and so we had to re-
main in our wagon for nearly half an
hour, and enjoy as best we could, the
detention and aroma of about $500 head
OF "Mary's little school mates" that
marched by in single file. These annual
incursions OF marauding sheep men into
our little valley is an outrage that ought
not be longer endured. The supply OF
grass is already scant for our own linn
tied number of stock, and when these
piratical bands of sheep are driven in
upon us the result is that our stock is
starved out, and comes home in the fall
poor and unfit to enter into our rigorous
winters. understand that it has been
practically demonstrated in some locali~
ties east of US, that saltpeter sowed
plentifully during June and July brings
forth fruit (sheep) meat for repentance,
and believe it is so--try it brethren.
The "Elk-beds" station is our next
stopping place, where we were cordially
greeted by our old friend Dallas. After
watering our horses and eating hasty
lunch, We start again on our final pull
for "Eiiot glacier" AS we approach
the mountain the grades get heavier,
our painting horses require frequent
rests, our party impatient to reach the
end of our journey alight and take the
more direct route by the old road,
while l with my heavily loaded team,
wind leisurely up the zig-zag road. The
grade upon the whole is great inn
proYement upon the old one, but still
there is room for improvement. A very
just criticism would be that when so
large an amount of money was to have
been expended, a competent corps OF
engineers should have been sent out and
a regular grade established. This could
have been done as the broad even side
of the norntain would allow it, and at
no great increase of cost, but vast
improvement to the road.
But the road has an end. The new
hotel looms up before me perched on
the summit of photographers Hill,"
then in the foreground "Eliot" glacier
with its monstrous contorted, misshapen
BODY of ice and rocks, while beyond and
in full view stands Oregon's pride-Mt.
Hood.
Our camp is made among the village
of snowy tents that dot the groves.
Many friends gather around our evening
fire with eager questions of friends at
home, and news Of fire and food. Our
days work is done and we sink to sleep
drinking In the pure mountain air.
Early morning finds us with lunch
basket in hand, climbing up not "the
golden stairs" but the sharp broken
rocks that form the moraines and cover
the lower portion OF the glacier. This
passed, we reach the smooth solid ice,
with its hundreds OF miniature rivers
and creeks racing along in their crystal
beds. Further along we come to i'm
mense crevassesthat cause you to step
back and listen in awe to the infant
Hood river rushing down its rocky bed
beneath the glacier, hundreds OF feet
below. Still further up gigantic blocks
OF frozen snow stand towering above us,
evidences of power immeasurable that
has riven it into myriads of fantastic
shapes, On land again we have evil
dences of our altitude in gnared and
twisted trunks of pines two and three
feet in diameter. that have defied the
storms of ages and still have not grown
higher tEan your shoulder. At your
feet, see, there is Lupin in full bloom,
that at your home grows higher than
your head, but here you can cover the
mature plant, bloom and all, with a
divided walnut shell.
The beauty OF the old camp is gone.
Its primitive wildness has passed away
forever. Thousands of mischevous
sheep have shorn its billowy hills of
their wealth of grasses and flowers.
The woodsman's AK and destructive
fires have wasted the stately forest,
the graders pick and shovel have COM
pleted the ruin of natures works.
The hotel, perched upon the extreme
summit of Photographers point, .oyer-
looks the entire surrounding country.
and affords a view unsurpassed any
where in the world. From the south
extreme you have the whole north fall
of the mountain from the summit TO the
doorstep--'EIiot" glacier from its very
on the cloud-capped peak, to
its terminus, perper dicular wall of ice
400 or 500 feet high In the north there
are Ms Alamo Pn;nn, n.,l O. LII