The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-04
MT, BAKER QUICKLY CONQUER
 ED.


 
 MT. BAKER QUICKLY CONQUER
 ED.
 With an absolute, almost disdainful, disregard of the cut and dried methods, prescribed routes, and book regulations of the professional mountain climber. J. R. Glasscock, a young man not over average size, and claiming no temerity above the ordinary, has plunged over untred trials to the top of Mount Baker, accredited with being the most difficult and endurance-taxing feats of such organizations as the Mazamas and other regularly amalgamated associa- I tions of mountaineers. He was three days in making the trip, and not the least wonderful of his exploit is that he was alone throughout. ] Mir. Glasscocks narrative of the jour ney, which he describes as not too dangerous, contains many thrill be- meath it's quiet wording. He had in- tended going with the Mazamas on l their contemplated ascent of this l. peak, but having another trip in view plL lLlC lQGllLlNll llllle PlOlJ5CNs 0NNANA|A to 'beat them to it." He hunted for companion, but finding none, he started only July for Sumas, on the Canadian border, by himself. Here seven hours were wasted in waiting for a train of the B. B and B. c, to take him to 1 Glacier station. The route chosen by Mir. Glasscock, at the suggestion of C.. c. Cornell of Glacier, was what he de- scribes as over the 'coal trail'' and the l northwest backbone.
 l He bravely discarded the proposed Mazama route and hunted up the Coal Hill trail, a steep one, on warm night with twenty-five pounds of pack on his back, He camped the first night at the branching of the well-travelled Coal Hill trail,
 l After fifteen minutes travel along the | left branch he found an old prospector' g cabin near which three miners were met and set him to rights as to his route, which led steadily and steadily land steeply upward It was not until the second divide was sur1nounted that This first view of Baker was obtained.
 Again and again he tried promising trails which ended in culs-de-sac. Then he struck boldly for the Bon Canon, and crossed the creek after ultimate efforts l on d fallen log. Then a 45-degree climb I until night fall, when more dead than alive he camped and ran out of provis- ions except a can of sardines. Daybreak's appetite took the sardines Dead tired he took up his way again over the yielding snow, lodging cre- vases, often to his waist in snow. Fi- 1nally, after a 7O-degree climb on his iach he reached the top and found a rounded dome ten feet across and per- hans 200 or 800 feet sheer in three di- lrections. Here, after close examina- ton of his locality, he found a dead mouse,
 Mir. Glasscock determined that the tiny rodent was dropped by some bird. and then buried beside it message to l the Mazamas when they should come.
 In returning, foodless and and hun gry, he slid the first three-fourths of mile. At one time he narrowly missed dropping 200 feet through snow bridge.
 When he became puzzled as to the route he had come he decided to follow Glacier Creek, which he crossed to the left bank, and. exhausted almost to the point of Authorization, he camped a night, and at quarter to twelve the next day he came in sight of the old prospectors cabin, passed on his way up He had been lost a dozen times ere he found it.
 At Glacier Hotel, in a starving con- dition, he had his first bite of food since leaving the summit. From accounts of people at the hotel. MT. Glasscock's s route had been faster by whole day than any before taken. He believes that it can be made practical for horses with a small outlay.-Seattle Post-Tnteln- gencer.