New Ulm review., 1916-09-06
VACATION JOYS.

AAtoh DufDahn recently returned
from his trip with John Kierzek in
Glacier National Park. A letter to
Review people from Mr.. Kierzek de-
scrlbes some ofthe joys of the trip the two
young men made and part Of the letter
will be enjoyed by those who have had
similar vacation trips;
But speaking seriously in accents of
levity | lived two weeks by the wayside
in a manner that you would have en-
]oyed thoroly. refer to our trodding
underfoot the beauty and the grandeur
that is Glacier National Park, the In
comparable.
my little trip Westward Ho last
year was in every way pleasurable living,
but this two weeks chiropractic ex-
ploration of the Backbone of America
was worth its weight in travellers
checks. Our first intention was to live
off the fat of the land by carrying our
humble abode and adjoined cafe with us.
But after we had climbed the most un-
godly pile of outstanding rock they call
Mt. Henry with our packs on our frail
backs we decided that perhaps pleasure
could be obtained with a little less
physical exertion. One does never
know how big mountain really is until
one climbs it with thirty pound pack
on ones back. From Two Medicine
Chalets, our second stop, we travelled
with only our army knapsacks@ on our
backs, stopping each night at a hotel
or Chalet Group. ~
"Our second trail was a real test of
nerve and endurance. AS little taste
OF what was before US we at the start
had to ford a stream where the water
came several degrees north of our knees,
and the water had been dripping off a
convenient glacier to get there. On
that trail, which was at that time a
combination of mud and crushed gran
mite lit was after rainy we forded fifty
four streams in the course of climb of
twenty two miles. There were two
young ladies travelling with us, and, be-
lieve me, for clear nerve and grit they
have everything beat from the Heroines
OF Homer to the schoolteacher of New
Ulm. That was our worst trip. The
others were easy holiday hikes, includ-
ing the last wherein we combined four
days journey into one in one of the most
sensational forced marches that ever
adorned the pages of history forced
because of lack of hotel space). We
crossed the Piegan and Swiftcurrent
Passes twice. That word "Pass" is
the most delicate satire of the humour-
loving West. A PASS means the
callous on the bare back of mountain
which it acquires by rubbing against
the clouds; the restricted mode of ap-
proach is by several miles of quasi stairs
scraped out of crushed granite and
elevated toward the stars. at an angle
of forty five degrees. To climb one of
these so-called passes requires hope,
faith, perseverance, energy, endurance,
resignation, ambition, humility and all
the other virtues possessed by angels
and schoolteachers.
s'But the whole process of pussyfoot-
ing over the backbone of America is the
finest emotional hypodermic that I ever
wished upon myself in my mad career.
If could juggle the lost languages in
Guiding the Queens English with the
skill of O. Henry or Shakespeare I might
try to describe the beauties of Glacier
Park. In effect it's sort of emotional
cocktail. You will find therein the
wild JOY Of basketball game, the thrill
of love at first sight, the delight of a
dance on the Armory Floor, the full
satisfaction of good dinner, the ecstasy
of champagne drunk, the pleasure of a
glorious picnic, the lordly pride and self
alteration of a dollar tip, and the halo
of duty we'll done. Or to bring it down
to New Ulm, its like spending your last
dollar on a thousand to one shot that
Germany will win the war. There's
nothing like it; itmust be seen to be ap-