The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-08-11

carpeted eddy. But when the sun be-
gins to smile upon the mountain and
tickle the snow to water, Tilly Jane
beigns to giggle and she giggles along
from late in the morning until
after the sun has gone down on the
other side of the mountain and glaciers
have stiffened up for the night. As
the sun warns things up there are but
terifies to watch. Just why butterfly
takes to the side of snow-capped
mountain and even seems to enjoy life
on top the peak is hard to understand
but the butterflies are there. 1t also
seemed little queer to meet squirrel
up on the middle of an ice field running
about on the snow. One member OF
the party who not yet acquired his sec
ond wind and was wishing himself
down suggested that mayhap the squir-
rel had spied the "a nuts" ambling up
the snow.
The party was tied together soon af-
ter the snow field was reached. A line
of q men tied at intervals of about 10
feet on rope made long parade up
the mountain. Three members of the
party, Messrs. Wheeler, Tilleson and
Davenport, forged ahead and made the
summit of the mountain each by him.
self, getting to the top an hour before
the rest of the party. The difference
is the endurance qualities of the q
made the climbing harder and longer
than if fewer had been tied to the rope.
The mile of the crust of snow in
which it was often hard to get secure
footing was long one The ascent is
sleeper and sleeper until the last few
hundred feet seem to be almost straight
up. After the two crevasses which are
open this year are crossed the life
line which has been strung by Guide
Mark Weygandt is an absolutely neces-
sary assistance. This rope extends
from the top down about 1850 feet and
is over the steepest part of the noun
tain. The climb over the ice maybe
harder, but it is the excitement of
it makes it seem much3 easier than
the gruelling climb over the rocks of
Cooper's Spur.
When the top was finally reached
and the early arrivals dragged the men
on the lower end of the rope over the
edge of the ice thereswas no question
about what to do. 1t was to stretch
out on the rocks and rest. Some of
| the party had their appetites and de-
voured their sandwiches. Others were
too frazzled to eat. 1t was poor day
on the mountain so far as view was
concerned. Part of the time the peak
was enveloped in clouds which seemed
cold winter mist to the climbers,
| while an occasional break only allowed
| 81 g h., - bn 20,
The old crater down toward Govern
ment Camp, on the west side of the
mountain, was steaming and the odor
of sulphur was still more impressive
suggestion of the extinct volcano.
The tapping on the rocks on top of
| the peak give the mountain a hollow
sound and it makes you wonder if
there is chance of breaking through.
In little tin box on the top of the
mountain is the Mazama register
| which contains the names of all those
who have reached the peak since 1907
After spending seven hours to get up
the mountain was bit disconcerting
to read in the book that woman
climbed it in four hours. However, it
has been done in less time than that,
according to City Recorder II. B. Lam
gille, who with another man made It
in two hours and half number Of
years ago when Mr.. Langllle was a
guide at the Inn.
| After an hour at the top the party
started down, some of them going it
alone and the others tying together
| in two strings. While the descent
did not require the exertion that
going up did, it took greater care to
keep ones footing. The fellows alone
went ahead and the first string was
down far enough to see DIR. Nichols s
mishap, while the second section of
the party was ignorant of the near
catastrophe until they caught up with
the first string. After the two ere
vases are passed on the way down it
is safe to take a long slide down the
snow for about half mile which
generally calls for patches in trousers
seats at the nnish. However, the
party was so unnerved by seeing DIR.
| Nichol dashed down the sleeper part
of the mountain that few of them tried
the slide. TO miss the slide was to
miss the greatest and most exhilarat-
ing sport of the whole trip. 1t is
rather thrilling to go dashlng and
bouncing down over the uneven snow
and the fact that the ice field becomes
less steep makes it impossible to be
carried into danger If the start is not
made too high up. When the leveller
field is reached the soft snow stops
| the coasting.
The party got back to the Inn late
in the afternoon after the climb to a
point II, ,225 feet above the sea. Most
of them were glad they had made the
trip but not many of them say they
want to 90 again. 1t was surely an
| experience worth while and the writer
would enjoy going again. 1t is hard
but the pleasure in it is great. While
the party last Sunday was unable to
get any view, which is considered
the best part of the trip by most
climbers, it seems to have been fine
enough for the effort even without the
view and it is surely worth going
again to get view which will show
all the high places and some Of the
lower ones in the Oregon and Wash
ington country.
Of the "a men who went up Sun
| Udyy only one, mdbOh buiu"lhb hoN
ever climbed the mountain before.
He, of course, was the unofficial
guide, but as the party was organ
ized informally without any official
leader, there was no discipline and the
novices did not realize the danger
which they were in when they went up
and down alone. The trip is safe
one and no person has ever been hurt
when they went properly guided and it
is comparatively safe when the party
is tied together, but after one has
climbed the peak he realizes that it is
foolhardiness or, rather, ignorance OF
the danger to try to go up and down
alone. Only one man has ever been
killed making the ascent from Cloud
Cap Inn and he tried to go up absolute,
ly alone. He lost his way, wandered
around to the south side of the noun
tain, lost his footing, slid down over
the snow and ice and finally dropped