The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-01-15
THE SHUSHANNA TRAIL
OVER MANY GLACIERS
ONE OF TRAIL BLAZERS TELLS
OF MANY DANGERS EN-.
COUNTEREO.


over which horses and freight could be
taken in. was told to the Post Intelll-
gencer by D. Il Hooker, who returned
to Seattle this week from the newdiy-
his partner. were the FIRST in over the
ice. The journey began November /,
and required 81 days. During this
time food and fuel supplies gave cut,
horse intended for food was shot, but
when it fell dropped into a crevasse in
the glacier. The situation was all but
hopeless until second trail blazing
party was found with supplies sum
cient for both
Mr.. Hooker believes that If the Idea
Of building a trail across the Nizina
and Chisana glaciers proves imprac-
ticable, freight. supplies and winter
travel will go either by way of skag
way, over the White Pass railroad and
the Lake klouane trail, or out of VAL
trail
rerned ~ Their Tents,
1T took us seven days to get our
outfits up to the ice on the Nzina
glacier, a distance of IS miles, Nj.
Hooker said, in telling of the trip
November ! a portion of the party
started up the glacier. Crevasses were
encountered time and again. The snow
averaged Is feet in depth and the crust
was very treacherous, From this time
on we encountered all sorts of Difficult
ties. Once for two days we were un-
able to leave our tents on account of a
raging blizzard. and for four days
severe, The wind reached velocity
of 50 miles an hour and the tempera-
tIre was between 20 and 80 degrees
below zero.
our horses played out entirely when
the feed for the animals was gone. Our
own food ran short and we decided to
shoot one of the horses for food When
the animal fell dead It dropped into a
crevasse. Just after this occurrence
our advance guard encountered anoth
err trail blazing party, led by a Mr..
Hepler and a Mr. Chase, They had
sufficient supplies to afford us relief
and we joined forces
Made for Relief Tent.
"On November 10 we reached a
point about miles below the summit
on the Shushanna side, where seven
glaciers come together and where the
ice Is buckled up and twisted in every
direction, 1t took us an entire day to
make less than half a mile. Fully 100
crevasses were encountered
Finally our party ran out Of fuel
and food. The next to the last day we
were on the glacier we worked from
daylight until four hours after dark in
order to reach little relief tent IA
miles from the Shushanna end of the
glacier. That night we were obliged
to sit up because the tent was too
small to house the entire party.
1--WE left the tent before daybreak,
using bug which Is tin can open
at one end. with candle inside. to
light our way. Luckily the wind was
not blowing, and when we finally got
half an inch of candle left. If we had
run out Of candles ! am sure we all
would have frozen TO death.
j am not saying that It will be i'm
possible to keep this glacier trail open
this winter, but do say that it Is al
most criminal to misrepresent condi-
tons Of the trail, as has been done by
some Cordova residents AS a result
of this misrepresentation men are led
to start in over the trail without the
necessary to prevent abso-
lutte suffering and probable death from
freezing or starvation.
Possibility Of Freezing,
AT the present time any one tray
cling over the trail must take wood
bedding, tent, stove and other supplies
Naturally no one can take more wood
than necessary for two or three days.
The result is that should blizzard be
which would prevent
travel for several days, fuel would
give out and possible freezing result.
when | came ont there were some
20 or 2o men at Shushanna who want
ed to come along, but as the tents
could not accommodate so many was
obliged to outwit them as matter Of
self preservation ] came out in three
and a half days with two dog teams.
In the party were Ned Hill. Howard "
Fields, Angus Holiday and Henry Ell
Ter We also assisted three other men
10 get over the trail"