River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-03-14
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but very steep glaciers. Here we had
to harness 20 dogs to each sledge and
take the four sledges in two turns. In
some places it was so steep that it was
difficult to use our skis.
Some big crevices forced us from
time to time to make detours The first
day we climbed 1900 feet, the next
day mostly up some small glaciers,
camping at height of $500 feet. The
third day we were obliged to go down
on a mighty glacier, "Exelhybergs
Glacier" which divided the coast
mountains from the mountains further
south. The next day began the longest
part of our climb. Many detours had
to be made in order to avoid broad
cracks and open crevices. These were
apparently mostly filled up, as the
glaciers in all probability had long ago
stopped moving, but We had to be very
careful, never knowing for certain how
thick was the layer that covered them.
Our camp that night lay in very
picturesque surroundings at height of
5000 feet The glacier here was mar
rowed in between the two 15,000-feet
mountains, the 'Fridtj of Nansen" and
the don Pedro Christopherson." From
the bottom of the glacier rose mount
"Ole Englstad," a big snow cone 49,
500 feet high.
The glacier was very much broken
in this comparatively narrow pass.
The mighty crevices seemed to stop us
from going further but it was not so
serious as it appeared. Our dogs,
which up to this time had covered a
distance of about 1000 kilometers, the
last days hard work, ran this day So
kilometers, the ascent being $500 feet,
an almost incredible record. It took
us only four days from the barrier to
get up on a vast inland plateau.
We camped that night at a height
of 10000 feet. Here we had to kill
twenty-four of our brave companions
and keep eighteen, six for each of our
three sledges.
We stopped here four days on
account of bad weather. Tired of this,
we set out November %. On the 26th
snowdrift, absolutely nothing was to be
seen but we felt that, contrary to ex-
pectations, we were going fast down
hill The hipsometer gave us fall of
500 feet.
The next day was similar. The
weather cleared little at dinner time
and exposed to our view a mighty
mountain range to the east, not far
off, only for a moment, and then it
disappeared in the dense snowdrift. On
the 10Th it Gained down and the sun
shone, though it was not the only
pleasant surprise he gave. In our
course stretched big glacier running
toward the south. At it's eastern end
was the mountain range going in a
southeasterly direction. OF the western
part of it no view was to be had, it be-
ing hidden in dense fog.
At the foot of this glacier, the
Devils Glacier" depot for six days
was established; at Sc degrees south
latitude the hypsometer indicated 5000
feet above sea level. On November 30
we began to climb the glacier; the
lower part of it was very much brok-
en- and dangerous Moreover, the snow
bridges very often burst. From our
camp that night we had splendid
view over the mountain to the east.
There was ''Hefmer Hansen's summit, :"
the most remarkable of them all. 1t
was 10000 feet high and covered with
such broken glaciers that in all prob
ability no foothold was to be found.
oscar Wistings," "Svar Hassels," and
"Olav Hjanlands" mountains also lay
here beautifully illuminated in the
rays of the bright sun.
In the distance, and only alternately