The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-07-30
High Peaks
Conquered By
nlOuntaineerS
Spokane Club Spends Week
Climbing Mountains In
Lake District
SAW GOATS, BEARS,
OTHER ANIMALS.

ANA Aa1co Al 0fOAAnc d1tSF SPSnOlnl
week camping and climbing noun.
tains In the Granite lake area. A weel
ago they were packed into the lax,
from the end of the auto road b,
Harry Goyen and during the trip one Of
the pack horses was crowded off mar
row place In the trail and fell distance
of some 40 feet before its fall was
checked by trees and brush. The horse
was quite badly injured. That was the
only casualty of the week. trip.
Following the arrival of the Noun
taineers in Spokane the Spokesman
Review had the following account OF
the outing.
Toughened by week in the open in
rough country, bronzed by the sun of
successive hot days at high attitudes
and with successful climbs of two Of
the three highest peaks in the Cabinet
range to their credit, the summer
outing party Of the Spokane Mountain
GERS returned Sunday night from the
base camp at Granite lake in the Cabi-
net mountain primitive area southwest
Of Libby, Mont
Climax of the outing was the ascent
last Thursday of 8634-foot A peak, sec
ond highest and one of the most diff
ficult in the range From the Granite
lake side the climb involved first an
ascent up the steep side Of Vimy ridge
to an elevation of about 7400 feet, then
passage across and up the nearly sheer
face of the peak to skyline ridge which
was followed to the summit
Slip Be Disastrous.
The rock climb on the face Of A peak,
requiring about three hours, was the
longest and most spectacular ever taken
by members of the Spokane club. rot
excluding climbs taken with other clubs
in the Cascades and on the big snow
peaks of the Coast region Several times
endangered by falling rocks, the party
worked across the face Of the peak on
narrow lodges where a single misstep
or false handhold would have meant
drop of 500 to 1000 feet. Safe progress
was possible only with use of 200 feet
of climbing rope.
Skill and ingenuity of George Felch,
assisted by Earl Ferrier, in handling
the rope and choosing the route, alone
made the climb possible, and the party
returned to the base camp full of praise
for the ability of the leaders. Others
who made the climb were Ross FL
Palmer, Mae E. Dennis Hilma Back
strom, Ed Dennis and Glover Peterson.
Returning from the summit, the climb
ers would have had to spend the night
in the alpine cold on the wall of the
Blackwell glacier basin but for the fact
that Mr.. Felch located place to rope
down" over a sheer point
Forced to Give Up.
Confident of their ability to climb
Snowshoe peak, highest in the Cabi-
net range, despite the steep snowfields
and knife edge ridges guarding all APP
proaches from the Granite lake basin,
the Mountaineers, with night approch-
ing after hours of hard climbing, fol-
lowed the prudent tradition Of good
mountaineering and abandoned the
climb within half mile of the summit,
rather than take the risks incident to
being caught in a bad place when
night came. Plans will be made to try
the climb again on a three-day outing
at later date.
The climb of Big Loaf, BAT feet on
Tuesday, required no rope work, but
was a long grind along skyline ridge
after a visit to the Blackwell glacier at
an elevation of 1000 feet. Descent of
the peak almost straight down a series
of very steep talus slopes was much
more difficult than the climb.
See Mountain Goats.
The weeks goat census" showed %
individual animals seen fairly close up
by members of the party; once group
Of eight but mostly in twos and threes.
While the climbing party was resting
on A peak magnificent ram came
within so feet before sensing the pres
ence of humans. Earlier, Mr. Ferrief
stalking the animals among large rocks,
approached to only 30 feet from a
nanny and kid.
Marmots, cony and once deer were
seen on the peaks, and mink, and one
bear were seen at the base camp. Fish
ing, both in Granite lake and in the
creek, was good throughout the week,
the trout being small but gamy.
Extending their activities under as
well as on the mountains, the outing
party went 1000 feet underground and
nearly a mile in from the entrance Of
the tunnel on the fourth level of the
Glacier Silver-Lead mine, six miles be-
low Granite lake, where camp was
made Saturday night. Hospitality o.
the mine officials included use of cook
ing facilities and "a hot bath for mem