Evening star., 1925-08-23

had just come up and TO wonder how
I had done it.
] soon found the end Of one OF the
long ropes that are stretched from the
summit to the lower end of the cliffs
to aid climbers.
Suddenly | heard hail from above.
Looking up. | saw a man standing on
rock slightly to my right.
How far am ] from the top?" /
called
only about three hundred feet"
What time is it?''
Eleven O'Clock"
I'm be up by noon cried |.
Yes. you'll be mp in half an hour, 4"
he replied.
] was mp in 20 minutes
/ was now on the summit-a long
narrow, irregular. gra avel-coVered back
bone. breaking off terribly steep on the
south, but frightfullS steep on the
north. | saw at a short distance the
United States Forest Services FIRE
lookout station, replica OF the one on
Mount Adams. lofty watch tower of
Uncle Sans wooded domains. II ,225
feet above the sea. 1t was the look
out who had greeted me.
| now had char nee to form an inn
preston OF the terrifying grandeur of
the north side of Mount Hood Break,
ing squarely off, the slope drops in
one almost perpendicular sweep to the
tioor of Eliot Glacier. thousa nds of
feet below. Fascinating as is this
awful precipice. one can scarcely look
over 1t for the first time without the
hair rising on his head and cold
shivers running over his body
l. One step from the Arm surface of
the top would hurl a person down this
desperate incline, unable TO stop until
he had plunged, a shapeless mass. into
the NAV of the glacier. Although SO
terrible and forbidding when close at
hand. this imposing spectacle when
seen from the Hood River Valley. or
distant points. blends into the sym
metrical beauty and esthetic charm
of the Ethereal Mountain.
/ DECIDED 1t was time to trust my
the northern slope.
! dropped rapidly down along the
ropes. The rocks gave me little trou-
BILE. | paused now and then to study
the picturesque volcanic cliffs north
of my route and to note the stern
menace of the terrible slope. Far be
low the Eliot Glacier spread like a
great white map, its corrugated sur
face beaming brightly i'm the half
moraines in the edge OF the primal
forest. From my craggy height the
floor of the vast ice field looked almost
level, although | knew 1t to have a
steep slope toward the foothills.
Feathery clouds were hanging low
above the frozen cataract.
All too soon / came to the end of
the largest rope. I now realize to the
full the seriousness of my situation.
II. h,,t 1tv,rr
of the snow during the day. What
was worse. ii was now beginning to
harden again. A chilly little breeze
was blowing, and, so close that I
could almost touch il, cloud was
drifting across the face of the noun
tain.
Getting the best grip possible upon
my nerves, | left the last protecting
point of rock, and stepped out on to
the icy snow. 1t seemed hardly pos
sible for a man to work his way un-
aided down that frightful steep.
had but one ally to help me in my
battle with the cruel slope. This was
my Swiss ice ak. Today 1T was to
prove it's life-saving value
Although | moved so slowly-for /
had to test each foothold ere I trusted
my weight to It, and had frequently to
reach down and cut steps below me
| was soon a long way from the rocks
and upward retreat was cut off by the
ice.snow above. | had carefully ana
lived my chances In case of accident.
The big crevasse was directly below
me. yet ! did not reckon 1t as a
serious factor.
In the event of an unchecked slide !
should probably shoot across it as
though 1t were not there. II such a
thing should happen, the contour of
the mountain would undoubtedly urge
me toward Eliot Glacier and | should
be hurled over it's bordering precipice
on to the jagged ice field.
realized that If | once lost my foot
ing / must stop myself within a short
distance, for a man sliding over that