River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-09-16

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Rainier National park, made new
series Of measurements by Triangular
ton methods at close range. These
give the peak an elevation Of IA ,40S
feet. This last figure, it should be
added, is not likely to be in error
by more than foot or two and may
with some confidence be regarded as
final. Greater exactness of determin-
alton is scarcely practicable in the
case of Mount Rainier, as its highest
summit consists actually of a mound
of snow, the height of which natural
ly varies somewhat with the seasons
and from year to year.
This crowning snow mound, which
was once supposed to be the highest
point in the United States, still bears
the proud name Of Columbia Crest.
1t is essentially a huge snowdrift or
snow dune heaped up by the furious
westerly winds.
Six great glaciers originate at the
very summit They are the Nisgually,
the Ingraham, the Emmons, the
Winthrop, the Tahor1a and the Kautz
glaciers. But many of great size and
stateliness are born Of the SHOWS in
rock pockets or irqueS-ice-sculp
tured bowls of great dimensions and
ever-incrcasing depth-from which
they merge into the glistening armor
of the huge volcano The most dis
tinguishea of these are the CowlitZ,
the Paradise, the Frying Pan, the Car
bon, the Russell, the North and South
Mowich, the Puyallup and the Pyra.
mid glaciers.
Remarkable Glaciers.
More than twenty glaciers, great
and small, clothe Rainier; rivers of
ice, with many of the characteristics
of rivers Of water, roaring at times
over precipices like waterfalls; rip
ping and tumbling down rocky
slopes-verita5le noisy cascades; ris
ing smoothly up on hidden rocks to
foam, brooklize, over it's lower edges
Each glacier, whether originating at
the bright summit OF in vast spring
like cirques, begins in even, iTmacu
late snow. A Thousand feet or so be
weight to acquire movement. Here.
looking down into a crevasse, one sees
| nothing but clean snow, piled in lay
ers; slightly compacted and loosely
granular snow, called neYe in the
| Swiss Alps. Gradually, as the cur
rent sweeps along, it compacts, under
| the pressure and the surface melt
ings, into hard, dense, blue ice.
| In glowing contrast to this marvel
Gus spectacle of ice are the gardens
of wild flowers surrounding the gla
ciers, pushing, wherever the rock and
| ice will permit, up the giant slopes
These f1owery spots are called parks
Spray park, ST. Andrews park, Hen
rvs hunting ground, Paradise, Sum
merland and many others
above the forests writes John
Muir, there is a zone Of the lowell
est flowers, SO niles in circuit and
nearly two miles wide, SO closely
planted and luxurious that it seems
as if nature, glad to make an open
space between woods so dense and
| ice so deep, were economiZing the
precious ground AID trying to see how
many of her darlings she can get to
gether in one mountain wreath
daisies, anemones, columbine, cry
! throniums, larkspurs, ETC., among
which we wade knee-deep and waist
deep, the bright corollas in myriads
touching petal to petal. Altogether
this is the richest subalpine garden
I have ever found, a perfect flower
elysium."
The lower attitudes of the park are
densely timbered with fir, cedar, hem.
lock, maple. alder, cottonwood and
spruce. The fcrested areas, extending
to an altitude of about $500 feet,
gradua lly decrease II density of
growth after an altitude of 1000 feet
is reached, and the high, broad pla.
teaus between the glacial canyons
present incompatible scenes of diver
sified beauties, seemingly arranged to
suit every taste.