Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-06-14

this by noon, the trail not being both
impossible and impracticablc at the
Same time as usual. We had under
stood there was but one pass through
this range near here and the chances
of losing it in this lowering weather
was good, even If we conld now get
through Mt all, as the Indians said we
could not. The 3lst was rainy through.
out. The forenoon we forded
swollen glacial stream that required
over half an hour to make across its
many swift channels, and in the after
ION late came to the largest of them
all. full mile in width, a half-hundred
channels, and rapids so deep we often
had to seize the same pole to fight our
way over together, an undertaking of
over an hours severe labor. Our legs
were numbed with cold, so we went
into camp, building II big fire. That
night we were literally drowned out
by the downpouring rain. So at a.
m. we made a fire under n tree, warmed
some tea, put on our soaked packs,
weighing. fifteen to twenty pounds
more, and started. The dense brush
was "wringing wet" and we
were glad to get into the
icy streams waist-deep to escape
its perpetual shower baths. That even
ing we sent up signal smokes again. for
it seemed little brighter, and think
If an cXacting Indian or two had come
along about then they could have
named their price as packers The I'd,
the bush was SO wet we decided
to strike for the river bottom to our
right, prererring its gravel bed and al
ternate wadings. Its bed was fully two
miles wide. and VIC could see that it
probably determined at its head the
mountain pass through which we must
pass; and that night we camped where
glacier Of the great range. The cold
wind off this icy river was chilling to
the bone in our damp condition. The
Sd our course lay across this glacier,
the pedestrianism being perfect pun
ishment on the moraincs, while the
white ice was q little better. 1t was
nearly ten miles over this hunnocky
highway, hut we made it that day and
camped on a stream which we believed
and afterwards proved to be a tribu-
tary OF the Copper. Glaciers were
everywhere, and at noon, the 4th. we
lunched at the foot of one
the doctor remarked there was
n large grizzly bear picking
huckleberries on ridge some ESQ yards
away. Russell, with the Winchester in
hand. started over to intercept him and
at about,half way got his first shot. The
rear sight had been raised, in some un-
known way, and the best chance was
| thereby lost, while nll the other shots
at the flying beast werc equally in
| effectual. The river bursting out from
under this big glacier gave us our first
| serious repulse. 1t was not very wide,
but deep and fearfully swift, and worse
than all, carrying huge blocks Of ice
to encounter. We retraced our steps q
mile and crossed the main stream in
stead. All afternoon and night we
could hear the laundering of mighty
avalanches that shook the ground like
SO many earthquakes. We were now
in the very heart of the heaviest
range of our continent. The 5th gave
us a moraine under foot again and
more rain overhead again. We thought
we had encountered every conccivabl
obstruction known to Alpine climbing
during that summer, but we were now
treated to a combination of rounded
slippery boulders ovcrgrown with
twisted black-alder brush on the steer
mountain slopes that took the first
prize; while we took for the river bot
tom, intending to wade down it OF
drown. We got hardly three quarters
of n mile on a gravel bar before the
roaring river forced us to the bank.
again, but we were thankful for that
as the great Alps We're noy pinchina
into the mountain torrens extremely