The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-09-29
Former keokukian Tells
Of Trip to Glacier Park

, - A
1t was here we started to CLIMB int
the foothills that lifted us gradually
up toward the eternal SHOWS on inc
mountains dome.
Soon the mist and clouds that hung
around the sound were left far peioW
us and at $3.50 we entered the PARK
after paying the entrance fee TOT tue
auto. Each machine is charged Zee
Of Sc for the season; this to main
4 tain the roads within the park. The
/ roads were good all the way to the
i park. but now that we were WITHIN
j that wonderful forest that comes
l under the hand of Uncle Sam. they
were simply immense.
Through Dense Forests.
On and on the road plunges through
timber so dense that the earlier for
ests we had passed seemed pigmy
with glimpses of the smaller noun
tains breaking through every now
| and then and the sound Of many rush
| ing waters coming through the trees
| until at a sudden turn an evidence
| of civilization presents itself IN the
\ form of the National Park inn and
Longmire Springs.
/ The mountain road really begins at
| Longmire Springs. BY switchback
and crooked twists we rose gradually
up and above the clouds until the
grandest sunshine greeted us. The
| road doubling back and forth on It
self far below us revealed some new
| glory at every turn. After hye ana
| one-half miles the road led on to
| bridge at the left, less than 1000
/ feet away, huge wall OF Ice rears
/ into the air. Something awe inspir-
| ing seemed to strike US when we
came within sight of this and looked
M over that Eve miles of ice fields
and realized that they have been
there since away back in the dim
ages, as this wall Of ice was the
snout of the Nisqually glacier and the
beginning of the Nisqually river
At 10 O'Clock the forest ranger
gave the word, and about thirty five
machines fell into line and passed
over the bridge One at time they
| shifted into low gear and with a
growl commenced this thrilling climb
around the canyon. Blasted from
solid rock this road had no trees now
to hide the horror of what was below
you from sight. Just bare clins OF
| basaltic rock SO that you would hit
about half way down and splatter out
nice along the river bed.
Henry Ford" was leading the
parade and about half way up he
gave a jack rabbit hop or two.
wheezed, coughed, spit out couple
of bolts and died right there. The
whole bunch of us was stuck. Some
of the forward drivers went to the
head and helped this Ford engineer
give her the once over. A slight
operation and the parade moved on
once more. The rules of the park
don't allow you to stop on this strip
of road, so when we had this slight
delay, / looked back over the string
of machines and in every one 4
camera. fiend was limbering up ana
going into action.
| Trail to CIoudiand.
| In about twenty minutes we reach
ed Narada Fails and although there
| still remained five miles of winding
roadway that leads up to the Camp
| of the Clouds" it was closed to auto
| travel, owing to the amount OF snow
at this altitude. Leaving the MI
| chine here, we took trail a ME
and a half long through the woods
up over some of the lesser mountains
that would bring US to Paradise val
ley. We came out of the woods and
into a beautiful small valley, Follow
ing a trail up the sides out OF this
we rounded cIump of, bushes at the
top and burst upon the grandest view
it was ever my lot to look upon. be
fore US and away to the right ana
left lay Paradise valley; like a great
big meadow parts OF 1t looked Win
park-like evergreen trees planted mere
and there by nature. Patches OF snow
nc of mr.
bright, spring-like sun this August
day bathed it all, and the melting
SHOWS watered the most beautiful
wild flowers that grew at the SHOWS
very edge. Like a giant lowered
carpet it lay at the very feet OF this
greatest gladiator OF them all. With
nothing to district from his glory, al
alone he stood with a helmet OF snow
and an armor of ice, just across the
valley where the trees end and the
eternal SHOWS begin.
Crossing the valley we went as fal
as Reese's Camp of the Clouds
This is where the real, climb to thu
summit of the mountain begins ane
all those who intend to make the
climb must first spend week at THU
camp to become accustomed to th'
rarified air of the higher attitudes.
Such a variety of natural beaut!
: and splendor was here to be seer
D that words fail of description and ont
e almost felt that the very eyes mus
) become accustomed to it. as the mine
= could hardly comprehend it all.
e At o'clock we started back U
: Narada, reaching there just in tim
e to go down the canyon with the 2:o
l. bunch At $50 we were back to SCI
q level with the dust and heat OF tn
citv .sFo11r, hours from Tacoma [,