The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-28

landscape, the nerve-restoring air, tn
quiet of the far uplifted solitudes, mus
be reluctantly forsaken till a further Cd
portunity arises of renewing our accuaint
ance, simultaneously with the addition o
Vet another intimate to the growing cir
| Gle
Three of these high points were visited
and to Lyeils top a SKI camera and {
Itheodolite. with other smaller instruments
were laboriously borne. 1t is the key peal
OF the region, and brilliant day enabled
US to take advantage of its splendid sit
uation. But the cold was most intense
, The July sun, its heat and glow reflected
cy the pure snow of the slopes up whicr
| We toiled for several hours with our bur
dens, had been relentless during the as
| cent, and our route was sheltered from
the wind until the top was almost gained
Then an icy blast assailed us with I'M
renting vigor The thermometer drop
ped twenty degrees below the freezing
point. The snowy summit gave no firm
foundation for the tripods, which sank al
most to their heads, and even then the
camera and transit quivered before the
gale.
Prone upon the snow l peered shivering
through the telescope. and tried to get
reliable azimuths; with fingers numbed l
essayed to adjust the screws correctly,
and to set down in my notebook some
| figures that would prove more legible thar
Egyptian hieroglyphics when ! arrived In
camp. Meanwhile in most exasperating
| contrast, Kaufman was luxuriously re-
/ in halls x-ry-f1 n I,
followed in the snow crest on the south
ern side and basked in the blazing sun
shine. Such are the occasional trials into
which semi-scientifc aspirations lead the
unwary amateur. Such chilly episodes,
however. are not unusual in the Rockies.
Ordinar ily. the air is still and ba ny,
and the climber reposes comfortably on
the rocks or snow, enjoying a well earned
rest, and perhaps lunching. on his natural
observatory. so warm that frequently he
never thinks of putting on his coat.
The glaciers were thoroughly explored,
a lofty ice-clad pass. 1000 feet above
the sea, traversed, and other climbs made
I'm the neighborhood TO observe the vari-
Gus ranges and the valley system on both
sides of the great watershed as far as
l.
northern section OF the mass of large
mountains that lies between the head
waters Of the North Saskatchewan and
those of the Athab2sca River, Mt For
les being the dominating feature OF the
southern half. From the Athabasca val
ley 1t appears as magnificent rock py-
ramid, some 5000 feet above the stream,
but from our line of approach il rises
white and pure, its steep snow slopes UNI
broken by scarcely a single point Of rock.
from an ice-field doubtless unsurpassed in
size until thenorthern ATTITUDES of Alaska
are reached. From the western tongue.
where the stream whose course we had
been following takes it's source. a full
twelve miles of steady tramping was re-
quired before we gained the real base Of
Mt. Columbia The entire length from the
mountain to the end of the Saskatchewan
glacier must be about thirty miles, and
some 200 miles square of solid ice are
probably contained within its limits. The
mean elevation of the vast area % 'neve"
Is perhaps 10000 feet. though its numerous
tongues dip far into the recesses The
various valleys that descend in all drec-
ton from this notable center. Unique.
in all likelihood, is this snowfield. in that
its geographical location causes streams
to issue from it's icy caverns to three
separate oceans-the Bush River flowing
into the Columbia. and So to the Pacific:
the Alabasca via me Mackenzie River 10
the Arctic Ocean: AMI the Saskatchewan
even ually reachirS the Atlantic
The most sensational = n. ohc Climbs
t.is year was left Until the end--ine Lass
except the traverse OF Mt. WiisGn UPON
our homeward way. ard The story Of .It.
Bryce will linger long N the memories
OF the two who ventured TO try conclu-
sions with that wicked peak.
TO give the ais of the climb would
occupy too much space. and must leave
to The imagination or the reader the I'LL
ing in of the exneriencs IS nf that achieve
mcIt Here are a few lish. sketches.
The bivouac. at ..TG fe~:. wteu all our
matches had been lost enroute, and a
cold supper and cold breakfast with a
night sandwiched between
did not conduce TO cheerfulness or good
condition. The long spell of splendid cliff
work on the eastern ridge. including sew
enty feet OF the worst rock climbing eth
er of US had met with In Canada or Swift
zerland. The toll over step-cutting on the
icy slopes. where fire glacier evoked
our interest as il lay close at hand some
: go feet or more almost straight below.
The cautious. almost breathless cat-ENe
advance along the sleeps Of treacherous
SLOW on the main peak a mighty cornice
topping the narrow ridge on one hand.
and on the other. a constant succession
OF tiny sizzling avalanches cescading in
ever growing volume with accompaniment /
Of clouds OF snowy sp-ay and thud of |
arrival on the glacier beneath. The grand /
broken ice-clifs before the summit and 1
then. the panorama from the crest OF /
the enormous precipice that makes the 1
western side so strikingly superb from the /
Bush valley more than 5000 feet below. !
Next came the tedious descent The thrill 4
Of the wild scramble down that abomin- /
able seventy feet of cliff. after dark. fin
gers clutching and feet waving biindly in !
search OF any tiny projection solid enough /
to bear ones weight. The poking on by .
tho faint light OF \ clouded moon over
rocks and snow. glacier and scree. 5.0ao
feet to our cold biyouac al half-past ore.
The pictures are complete and extreme
y vivid to the minds Of those engaged.
whatever they may be In outline TO read /
srs in cold print.
Such are some Of the mountaineering
OF a single summer. ranging
rom easy climbs for novices to work
hat viii test the skill Of any expert
which with the boundiess wealth OF seem
ny. r1ggedly grand or exQuisitely beau
iful. is To be found in this western