Evening star., 1925-08-23


lightly on il with his left foot. and
swung into the chimney.
When he had firmly anchored IL was
but the work of a few moments for me
TO ascend with the aid of the rope,
and we were ready for the next stage.
1t was short but eXhausting climb
up the chimney. We had to be care
full to avoid slipping and dislodging
loose stones. We came out on to the
southern slope of the summit dome.
with but short climb farther to bring
us TO the top.
For several hours the smoke from
the crater had been hidden from us by
the south shoulder of the main peak.
Rut rs we emerged from the chimney
there burst upon our signt thI most
thrillingly weird spectacle / had ever
seen,
In the bowl.like depression immedi-
ately between the two peaks was
great orifice in the snow. 1t was per
haps so feet across. although the west
ern side was partly blocked with snow,
SO that the opening had somewhat the
shape of half.moon At a distance
of possibly 200 feet a semi-circular
crevasse swept halfway around it.
From the unknown depths of this
abyss the black smoke rolled. 1t
drifted away, shifting with the wind.
until it was finally dissipated in the
ra relied air. The wild, unearthly lone
illness of the scene impressed us pro
foundly, for it's counterpart perhaps
does not exist on earth.
* z
RUT il was getting late, and we
~ could not linger long 10 gaze upon
this awe-inspiring place, nor could we
take the time for n closer investiga-
tion. We turned summitward once
more We skirted the upper fringe of
the cliffs. partly upon frozen gravel.
partly on crystalliZed snow. both of
which We're steep and slippery We
soon topped the highest point of the
cliffs. To the west rose the final dome
of snow. A sharp climb brought
CantwelI. who was in the lead, to a
cornice shoulder high. over this he
peered
What can YOU see?" asked.
Nothing" answered he.
came up to him and gave him a
boost. He drew me up with the rope.
We were on the level snow plateau of
kulshan's great summit.
1t had taken us II tremendous hours
from our camp at timber line.
Our climb of kulshan seems to have
been the seventh recorded ascent.
Since then many others have climbed
il. Some noted mountaineering clubs
have conquered il. For several wears
IL was the object of the annual Mount
Baker marathon. an event wherein
hardy climbers competed for prize in
being the first to make the trip from
the city of Bellingham to the summit
of the mountain and back again
Cantwell goI a picture of the crater.
which was probably the last ever taken
of it in activity, and was an excellent
ntthnnoh 20 In
great rolls of black smoke scarcely
showed on the prints. But a fine pho
tograph taken from the summit some
time later by F. II. kiser gives no sign
either of orifice in the snow or smoke
An apparently firm field of snow Gov
cred the great mysterious hole we
saw, and the only remaining traces of
1t were a slight depression In the snow
and a remnant of the circular ere
vase. The weird crater was seeming
ly dead
II earth ever approaches Heaven in
it's physical aspects it must do so
through the medium OF great noun
tain.
To one standing upon the shore of
that lordly Western river, the Column
bia, and looking up the Hood River
valley, tar beyond the stretch of happy
homeia fids and across the pea ceful
vision of sublime purity, beauty and
grandeur in perfect blending glory
seemingly apart from earth, distant
and yet near, celestial ma jesty su-
preme, white, calm and lone. evanes-
cent yet substantial gift of God to
nnan-the ethereal mountain.
NY experiences on Mount Hood in
ciude one of the most thrilling | have
to record.
A LTHOCGH Mount Hood had come
down to me through the long
vista of years, together with that other
sublime mountain. Adams, the oppor-
tunity to visit Oregon's premier pea k
was never presented to me until after
had said my last farewell to the more
nertherly giant. In August, 1922, l
turned toward it's glittering spire to
add it to my list of ice kings.
A sharp pull brought me we'll up on
to the spur. The terrifcally precipi-
tous tower of the mountain seemed al
most to lean over me. so near at ha nd
1t was. Surely no man could hope
alone to climb that frightful snow
slope and the cliffs beyond, From
summit ridge to amphitheater of Eliot
Glacier 1t looked to be an almost per
pendicular drop. Scarcely less for
bidding were the snowfields and crags
by which / must ascend.
The crevasses cut straight across
the face of the mountain. and l had to
work around them on the left.
Such climbing produced results in
the way of attaining altitude. 1t was
not a great distance from the big
creva sse to the first of the cliff ridges
leading to the summit. 1t was q re-
lief TO set foot on rocks again and to
look back at the near ice precipice !