The Western outlook., 1915-10-16

| its topographic surveys of the Mount
Rainier National park, made a new
series of measurements by triangula.
ton methods at close range. These
| give the peak an elevation of 4,408
| feet. This last figure, it should be
added, is not likely to be in error
| by more than a 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 it's highest
summit consists actually of mound
of snow, the height of which natural
ly varies somewhat with the seasons
and from year to year.
This browning snow mound, which
was once supposed to be the highest
point in the United States, still bears
the proud name of Columbia Crest
It is essentially a huge snowdrift or
snow dune heaped up by the furious
westerly winds.
Siv onAnt glaciers originate at the
very summit. They are tho ryr1q ur.rIy,
the Ingraham, the Emmons, the
Winthrop, the Tahoma and the Kautz
glaciers. But many of great size and
stateliness are born of the SHOWS in
rock pockets or cirques-ice-sculp-
tured bowls of great dimensions and
ever-increasing depth-from which
they merge into the glistening armor
of the huge volcano. The most dis
tinguished 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-veritable noisy cascades; ris,
ing smoothly up on hidden rocks to
foam, brooklike, over it's lower edges
Each glacier, whether originating at
the bright summit or in vast spring
like cirques, begins in even, immacu
late snow. A thousand feet or so be
low it attains sufficient density and
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 neve 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 ant
ice will permit, up the giant slopes
These flowery spots are called park
Spray park, st. Andrews park, Hen
RVS hunting ground, Paradise, Sum
merland and many others.
above the forests" writes Johl
Muir. there is a zone of the loveli
! est flowers, so miles in circuit AM
nearly two miles wide, so closet
, planted and luxurious that 1t seem
as if nature, glad to make an ope1
space between woods so dense an
[ ice so deep, were economizing tn
precious ground and trying to see hoy
J many of her darlings she can get tt
gether in one mountain wreath
| daisies, anemones, columbine, cry
throniums, larkspurs, ETC., anon
/ which we wade knee-deep and wais
J deep, the bright corollas in myriad
} touching petal to petal. Altogethe
2 this is the richest subalpine garde
| | have ever found, a perfect fowe
' elysium."
The lower attitudes Of the park ar
: densely timbered with fir, cedar, hen
l lock, maple, alder, cottonwood an
a spruce. The forested areas, extendin
|, to an altitude of about $500 fee
:, gradually decrease in density {
8 growth after an altitude Of 1000 fec
v is reached, and the high, broad pli
teaus between the glacial canyon
present Incompatible scenes of dive
t sified beauties, seemingly arranged
t. suit every taste.