The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-27
TRIP TO MT. SHUKSAN.
Among the Cascades and Gla-
ciers of Baker Range.
BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN VIEWS.
swift Rivers and Wonderful Waterfalls
remarkable Slide OF Bear Creek
Graphic Pen Sketches.

sUM,s, Sept. 15.-Tspecial. lon the
morning OF August % prospecting party
consisting OF w. E. BaIlou. of Elgin. Ill. !:
:. ID. Souie, John Frank, William Garrett
ana John Lynch, of Sumas, with three
PACK animals. left Sumas for the head
waters OF the north fork of the Nooksack
river. The object of the party was to ex-
piore the mineral resources OF the valley
TO the divide between the Nooksack and
Skagit waters.
The weather being extremely warm and
the disposition OF one of the causes to
buck at frequent intervals, the journey
the first day was somewhat impeded.
SO that night found the party
camped eighteen miles out at the
ranch of A. 3. Loop, on the North
Fork. The route travelled was over the
foothills to the Columbia valley, thence
through the North valley to the Moth
FORK and thence up the main river. Dur
ing the past two years n road was cut
along the main river as far as the valley
was settled, and during the present sum
mer 1t was extended as far as Glacier
creek, distance OF twenty-five miles from
Sumas. Here is really the end of the
valley, for high and precipitious noun
talns border the streams, and the last set
tier is found.
Ihe North Fork is wild, raging stream
ana at that date was quite high owing to
the eject OF the hot weather on the snow
anu ice OF the mountains. The river is ex-
'reneiy sensitive to heat and cold, so
nhucn SO that on warm afternoon it is
luiiy two feet higher, or fourth
greater In volume, than the next
morning after the cool air of the night has
checked the melting of the snow, and al
iowed the surplus water to run off, which
IS accomplished in q few hours, as the
lalI OF the river is generally not less than
nifty feet, and in many places several
hundred feet to the mile. 1t is purely q
glacial river pushing headlong to the sea
with racehorse speed. It's dirty clay color
is due not alone to the dirt and sedimen !
OF the glaciers, but largely to the sulphur
"hlcn seems to pervade every formation,
either In pure form or in sulphurets, and
the SODA from the states and sha.es which
abound along the upper river. Every lit
Tie stream dropping from the mountains is
lmpregnated, and the gravel banks along
the loot OF the Bald mountain range are
white with alkali. The presence of sui
pnur could be detected in the water by
the smell from the drinking cup. The
second day camp was made at Glacier
creek, with view to examining the sur
rounding country and exploring for
route for trail toward Mount Shuksan,
the objective point.
Among the interesting features in the
lower valley is Race Horse creek, which
rises In the Baker range. flows westward
to the Nooksack, leaping down the mount
ain side in series of cascades, at one
place falling from a height OF fifty feet
into large and perfect basin worn out of
the sandstone below, and about forty feet
in diameter. The water whirls around
the cauldron with strong current, over
which hangs a thick mist fifteen to
twenty feet high, and at last issues rom
the side through two holes, as if following
plugs lately drawn by the hand of man.
Bear creek, a little further above, rushes
down the side of the mountain at great
speed a distance of thousand feet on
smooth plane Of rock at an angle of about
sixty degrees. The width of the stream is
about twelve feet and is feathery white
the entire distance, without a single
cascade.
As the road turns from the north valley
an immense slide of sandstone can be seen
for many miles, where large masses of
stone, earth and trees have tumbled and
slid distance Of 1900 feet to the valley
below.
The extreme GOODNESS of the water in
the river and streams is very noticeable.
kendall's creek issues direct from the
very interior of the mountain at its base.
Maple creek, the outlet of Silver lake, is
so remarkably clear that pin can be seen
in its bed at a considerable depth.
Gallop creek rises on the extreme top of
the divide, between the north and middle
forks of the Nooksack. In reaching the
valley below it makes two plunges-one of
sixty feet and one Of $50 feet. The latter
fall pitches the stream into an elliptica!
basin of slate about 40xS0 feet in size The
scenery along the creek is wild and grand
When standing al the top one can look
out over the tops of the tallest fir trees
growing at the base of the falls, the limbs
of which its spray is drenching. Its name
is appropriate, for it runs in one continual
galop from its head 10 the valley. 1t took
a full day of the most difficult climbing to
reach its source, but the party was well
repaid by the find Of good coal samples.
Glacier creek is stream of considerable
volume, being about third of that of the
North Fork. 1t drains the glacier on the
northwest side of Mount Baker, leaving it
as from q tunnel through the vast sheets
of ice and snow. 1t runs with great speed
in its descent between canyon walls
hundred feet in height, plowing its chan
mel through its own rnoraine boulder d lift
on plane above its own valley level. 1t
runs with such force that when il st ;bes
a boulder in its channel the water comes
up often to height Of ten TO twenty feet.
At one po.ntit has worn this rock in the
shape of large plow-share and mould
board so that the water is sent spinning
over as one great furrow ten feet high.
A little further down stream a re-
verse curve is made, so that the
stream has the appearance of being
plowed, the land being turned to the CEN
ter. lie VINO has camped near glacier
will probably never forget the dismal and
terrific sounds caused by the grinding of
these great rock crushers of nature during
their working hours. As soon as the sun
gets full play, the stamp mill begins its
work, which continues late into the night.
The work OF the largest stamp mill in the
world at the great Treadweu mine in
Alaska, cannot compete in unearthly
sounds with the munching, grinding and
cracking in the Unsuitable NAV OF these
monsters The glacier on the northwest
side Of Mount Baker Is mostly covered
with rock. dirt and rubbish, though in
ulaces IL stands out blue and clear. badly
creased from the action of small streams
and pebbles. 4 small creek, which we