Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-09-09

Ill
30 zqM 81 ~ zAzz1 cz2Ae.
posed to be the highest point in
ss#$$#$%##MMI the United States still bears the
ssss*ssssss proud name of Columbia Crest.
1t is essentially huge snow
drift dune heaped up
1 &sass$S$ #I by the furious westerly Winds
s$&SSsS One of the largest glacier sys-
Es%ssS SS#%%SsI tens in the world radating from
s*ME any single peak is situated on
sSg$@ q this mountain. study of the
$S% | map will show a snow-covered
HIM #x$%%% H summit with great arms Of ice
80 #%%#H II extending from it down the
d :#%####=### EHdN mountain sides, to end in rivers
=###=###= IMAM far below. Six great glaciers
#-~-x& wv appear to originate at the very
NO7AW summit. They the MIS-
S1Kk1 qually, the Ingraham the EN-
mons the Winthrop, the Ia
homa and the Kautz glaciers. But many of great
size and impressiveness are born of the SHOWS
in rock pockets or cirques, tce-sculptured bowls
of great dimensions and everncreastng depth
from which they merge into the glistening armor
of the huge volcano. The most notable of these
are the Cowltz the Paradise, the Fryingpan, the
Carbon, the Russell, the North and South Mowich
the Puyallup, and the Pyramid glaciers.
Twenty-eght glaciers, great and small clothe
Rainier-rivers of ice, with many Of the charac-
teristics Of rivers of water, roaring at times over
preclplces like waterfalls, ripping and tumbling
down rocky slopes-veritable noisy cascades, ris-
ing smoothly up hidden rocks to fOam brook
like, its lower edges.
Every winter the moisture-laden winds from the
Pacific suddenly cooled against its summit, deposit
upon It's top and sides enormous SHOWS These,
settling in the crater which was left after the
great explosion in some prehistoric age carried
away perhaps 1000 feet of the volcanoes former
height, press with overwhelming weight down the
mountains sloping Sides
Thus are born the glaciers, for the snow under,
its own pressure quickly hardens into ice Through
IA valleys selfcarved In the solid rock flow these
rivers of ice, now turning rivers of water turn
to avoid the harder rock strata, roaring
preclpices like CONCEALED waterfalls, now ripping
like water currents, rough bottoms pushing,
pouring reentlessly on until they reach those
parts of their where air turns
them into rivers of water.
In glowing contrast to this marvellous spectacle
of Ice are the gardens of wild flowers surrounding
the glaciers. These fowery spots are called parks
One will find on the accompanying map Spray
Park, st. Andrews Park, Indian Henry's Hunting
Ground, Paradise Summer Land; and there are
many Others
"Above the forests" writes John Muir, there
is zone OF the lONelleSl mowers, lIly miles III cir
cult and nearly two miles wide, so closely planted
and luxurious that 1t seems If nature, glad to
make an open space between woods so dense and
Ice so deep, were ecOnomizing the precious ground
and trying to see how many of her darlings she
can get together in one mountain wreah-daisies
anemones, cOlumbine, erythroniums, larkspurs etc.
among which wade knee deep and waist deep,
the bright corollas in myrads touching petal to
petal. Altogether this is the richest subalpine
I a oil
The lower attitudes of the park are densey tim
bered with fir cedar, hemlock, maple, alder cot
tonwoOd and spruce. The forested areas extend
ing to an altitude of about $500 feet, gradually
decrease in density of growth after an altitude of
1000 feet is reached, and the high broad plateaus
between the glacial canyons present Incompatible
scenes of diversified beauties.
A large part of the area above the 4,50O-foot
contour consists of open grassy parks, rocky and
barren SUBMITS snow fields, and glaciers. Tracts
Of dense subalpine forest occur in sheltered loca-
lions, but they are nowhere very extensive and
their continuity is broken by open swamp glades
and meadows and small bodies of standing wa
ter The steep upper slopes of the spurs d.
vulgng from the main ridges frequently COW
cred with stunted, scraggy growth Of low trees
firmly rooted in the crevices between the rocks
The most beautiful of the alpine trees are about
the mountain parks. Growing In scattered groves
and standing in groups singy in the open
grassland and on the margins of the lakes they
produce a peculiarly pleasing landscape effect
which agreeably relieves the traveller from the
extended outlook to the snow fields Of the noun.
tain and broken ridges about it. At the lower
levels Of the subapne forest the average height
Of the largest trees is from 80 to 60 feet The
size dminishes rapidly the elevation increases
The trees dwarfed by the cold, and their
trunks bent and twisted by the wind Small
patches of low weaherbeaen, and stunted noun
tain hemloCk, alpine fir, and whteEar, pine occur
up TO 1000 feet The trunks are quite PROSTATE
and the crowns are fatened mats OF branches
lying close to the ground. The extreme limit OF
tree growth on Mount Rainier Is about 1900 feet
10 no distinct NH