Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-08-19

" 7 is proposed to add about 1000,
square miles to Yellowstone Ma
tional park on the south; legisla-
ton to this effect is now pend
ing in congress. This enlargement in
cludes the Teton range near the Idaho
Wyoming line, Jackson lake and the
headwaters of the Yellowstone river.
1t will give Yellowstone National park
magnificent scenery of a kind it needs
Grand Teton Q3,747 feet), highest
peak of the Teton range, has been ia
nous as a landmark since the days of
the early fur trade. Mount Moran,
11,100, on the west side Of Jackson
lake, has never been assembled, ac-
cording to local belief.
In Country Life Leroy Jeffers, A.
c., f. r. G. S., secretary of the bu-
reau Of Associated Mountain Clubs of
North America, tells of his ascent Of
Mount Moran. His narrative runs:
My wife and entered Yellowstone
park by its scenic eastern approach
through ShoshOne canon, climbing
through tunnels in it's towering walls
Of gray and pink.
After renewing my acquaintance
with the exquisitely cOlOred Grand
canon Of the Yellowstone, we assembled
Mount Washburn for its comprehen-
sive view Of the, park. Visiting the
hot springs and geysers, we finally
left Old Faithful for the hamlet of
Moran on Jackson lake. 70 miles to
the south.
As the Grand Teton had already
been climbed, I was more interested
in the possibilities of Mount Moran,
which was said to be unclimbable.
H. M. Albright, superintendent Of
Yellowstone park, had just viewed it
from various sides, everywhere find
ing sheer cliffs. In August, 1917,
considerable party assembled as far as
the glacier on its eastern face, which
they named Huntley glacier. 1t was
then reported in the Scientific Amer
lean of March 80, 1913 that "the
summit has never been attained, and
probably never will be, as the last
1900 feet of the mountain are sheer
perpendicular walls of rock" Ben
Sheffield, who is the local authority
on the mountain, told us that he had
spent many years in hunting sheep
on it's crags, always searching for a
route to the summit, but always
turned back by unscalable cliffs. He
recounted a thrilling experience in
which he nearly lost his life, and had
come to the conclusion that the noun
tain could be assembled only by driving
staples into the cliffs.
Danger From Stones.
These reports made the mountain
seem all the more interesting, and we
| left Moran at eight o'clock that eve
\ ming for the nine-mile trip across
Jackson lake. Impressed with the
warning that the walls near the
glacier could not be climbed, we de-
cided to investigate the northern face,
and we landed as far to the right of
the central mass of the mountain as
it seemed safe for us to go in the
boat.
1t was after p. m. on hot day, a
most unfavOrable time for a serious
climb on any glacial mountain, for the
}, sun had long been melting the snow
on the heights. Already the glacier
\ was strewn with newly fallen rocks
but L passed on, jumping the open
assures and sounding in the snow
with my ice-ax where there was dan
ger of concealed crevices. 1 found
delicate work in crossing the Berg
schrund and surmOunting the cliff
above it, for 1 had to descend into
the edge of the chasm where there
were great passageways and cavern'
Of blue and green leading up to un
| fathOmed depths into which one NIGH
slip. The greatest danger, however
was from falling stones, which were
whizzing with tremendous speed dOwI
the cliffs to the glacier, and wal
not eager to intrude on their line o.
fire.
Ascending the grizzly walls of th'
cirque, / reached the summit just al
a giant mass of rock, tons in weight
came bounding and crashing dOwr
from unseen heights in tremendous
avalanche which passed within a few
feet of the trembling rock on which
stood. AS the rocks followed the
route of my ascent and spread Ovel
the entire glacier below me, it seemed
unwise to continue my climb, and
reluctantly retraced my steps. Thus
far my climb had involved only sucl
technical difficulties as are in ths
days work Of any competent noun
taineer, but it IS a safe rule never t.