The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-29


I place called the Cache On the second day.
nIs iaat morning the trail was steep, the
SHOW soft and the ground very bad The
: route anSliy was over naked uasards On
w1ien hish winds were continuous We
walked from IsE a. n. until D. m. three
hours past daylight. without reaching tim
Observation-Disclosures reaching Cache We
then los; the traIl. Dalton was ssin behind
al the post. Some Of the party took cold
comfort from an excessively high and cold
north wind. for the cherries night. behind
STOW bank. while another, with my son
ana me with two Indians. got under the
ace OF rock about seven feet high ard
Twelve fees long. whie1 sheltered US from
tae Wild north wind finely. A night spent
. Tar within the Arctic regions could rot
nave been more desola1ely exposed. though.
o. course, IL could have been colder
Nevertheless. John Kings prayer. in his
lever, that the north wind might cool his
burning lips and comfort him with cold
could have been sffectuaiiy answered
there that night. TO a crowd OF tired men
whose stomachs were filed not as
Epnrsim was with the east but with the
much more icy north. wind. The therrno.r-
eter was about ~ degrees below zero. and
the wind made 1t vastly worse Four OF
the party were partially frozen on their
Feet during the night. Next morning We
been only three-Quarfers OF a mile from
the cache. Food and drink from Eiysian
were partaken of there. and the least in
spired or as. after twenty-seveu hours
fast, was then and there ready to proph-
esy. We rested AT the cache that day. the
only rest we had on the entire trip.
Next day by moonlight, very early. We
were on for the first summit, for there
We're two 10 cross. The first has an eIeva-
ton or $50 feet, the second is 800 feet
lower. The pace was a running walk, and
the course largely over smooth ice. I got
some very bad falls on IL. / hated them
! most for the way they kept me back and
made II difficult to catch up again. No de-
lay could be or was tolerated. Keep up or
drop necessarily had to be the rule. Every
body. and nobody more than the leader OF
the party. travelled in constant apprehen-
: sion OF more storms and snow, for we
were in the season for both. This shadow
was never of one OF US for the entire trip.
and completely prevented any enjoyment
or rest Dalton was once caught on the
first summit In a storm. at 80 degrees be-
low zero, In furious wind. without any
shelter but a snow bank. Several Indians
OF his party then had their toes frozen of
although Indians can easily stand up TO
degree OF cold that would be death TO a
white man. strong north wind blew US
along as We hurried toward the first sum
NIT. 1t grew stronger as we climbed
higher. Toward the last stages of the as
cent the snow had drifted and was loose.
therefore the trail was bad. At each foot
step so much snow was raised that long.
rushing snow banners flew from our feet.
A Glorious Panorama.
Zone of the most glorious. crisp. air.
transparent mornings greeted us next day
as We set out up hill. across the second
summit. At 10:3c a. m. We reached IL. pass
ing on the way up for two hours the most
jagged and cone-shaped submits l have
ever SEEN They were 1880 to 1900 feet
above US. These mountains formed the
northern and eastern boundaries OF the
Muir glacier; a branch of 1t was in sight.
portion Of these mountains was burning.
in intense pink colors: canyons between
We're in deep shadow, fiat surfaces were in
cold and glittering white. In the calm,
lovely morning We were gradually climb
ing over smooth, lustrous carpets of whila
satin. From the second summit down to
timber was not so much a descent, as a
tumble down a steep ravine in very deep
and loose snow. We entered very heavy
woods Of spruce and hemiocK about noon.
In clear sunshine and deep calm. The
trail was then a constantly undulating
one. The woods Were very thick and
shadow much more than sunshine pre-
vailed in them, although the deep unSultied
whiteness of the snow was a large source
Of Illumination. The worst of our troubles
were. over. We were over both submits
and within forty miles of Chilkat Under
these circumstances these woods were to
me. in deeper sense than winter woods
ever were before. like temples of sacred
peace, beauty and rest. had for forty
days, on ice, up the river for 300 miles. and
by land for over 800. been pushing on in
very poor condition. in unceasing work;
a portion of the time, too. in intense pain.
Part of the time did not. In the least,
care whether I lived or died, but longed
intensely to stand up TO the work
with all my ability. Life never was
dearer, but out in the op~n air one does
not fear danger at ALL Had 1 been as
sured any morning OF the trip that would
be- dead before night would with none the
less appetite have eaten my full share OF
bacon and beans and drank my coffee in
content
The next day we reached Kiackwan.
twenty-five miles from Chilkat The next
day I did not walk, but gladly rode in an
Indian sleigh on the ice on the Chilkat
river We entered the world again on the
forty-second day from Dawson. The trip
we made was very rough and very cold
but really easy one compared with what
1t might have been and what IL constantly
threatened to be- Men like Dalton. who
know most about It's physical difficulties
end climatic terrors, most strongly urge no
one without long experience and trial 10
venture into that country ar all In the WIN
ter season. Those who do surely take their
lives in their hands"