The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-09-16

horna and fine Kautz glaciers But many Of great
size and impressiveness are born OF the SHOWS
in rock pockets or cirques ice-scuptured DoWls
of great dimensions and ever-increasing depth'
from which they merge into the glistening armOr
of the huge volcano. The most notable OF these
are the Cowlitz the Paradise, the Fryingpan. the
Carbon, the Russell the North and South MOW1ch'
the PuyaIup. and the Pyramid glaciers.
Twenty-eight glaciers, great and small clothe
Rainier-rivers of ice, with many Of the charac-
teristics of rivers of water roaring at times over
preciDices like waterfalls ripping and tumbiing
down rocky slopes-veritable noisy cascades. ris-
ing smoothly up on hidden rocks to foam, Orook-
like, over its lower edges.
Every winter the moisture-Iaden winds from the
Pacific suddenly cooled against its summit. deposit
upon its 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 sOping sides.
Thus are born the glaciers, for the snow under
its own pressure quickly hardens into ice Through
II valleys self-carved In the solid rock flow these
rivers Of ice turning. rivers OF water turn,
to avoid the harder rock strata, now roaring over
precipices like CONCEALED waterfalls, ripping,
like water currents. over rough bottoms, pushing.
pouring relentlessly until they reach those
parts of their courses where warmer 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 n0Wery spots are called PARKS
One viii 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 a Of the IoveeSt flowers. fifty miles in cir
cult and nearly two miles wide, closely planted
and luxurious that it seems II nature glad to
make an open space between woods so dense and
ice deep, were ecOnomizing the precious ground
and trying to see how many Of her dariings she
can get together In one mountain wreath-daisies,
anemones columbine, erythroniums, larkspurs. etc,
among which we wade knee deep and waist deep,
the bright corOlas in myriads touching petal to
petal. Altogether this is the richest subalpine
garden have found, perfect flower eIysiun."
The lower attitudes of the park are densely 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 altitude Of
1000 feet is reached and the high, broad piateaus
between the glacial canyons present Incompatible
scenes of diversified beauties.
large part of the area above the 45O0-foot
contour consists of open. grassy parks, rocky and
barren SUBMITS, snow fields, and glaciers Tracts
of dense subalpine forest in sheltered Ioca-
tions. 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.
vulging from the main ridges are frequently Gov
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 or singly in the open
grassland and 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 subalpine forest the average height
OF the largest trees is from so to 60 feet. The
size diminishes rapidly the elevation Increases
The trees are dwarfed by the cold, and their
trunks are bent and twisted by the wind. Small
patches OF low Veather-beaten. and stunted noun
tain hemIock alpine flr, and white-bar- pine occur
up to 1000 feet. The trunks quite PROSTATE
and the crowns are hattened mats OF branches
lying close 30 the ground The extreme limit OF
tree growth on Mount Rainier IS about 1900 feet
There Is distinct timber line