The Nome daily nugget., 1937-09-04

 plished climbers of the day. And ev- cry one knew that the veterans heart was set on conquering Mount Glacier.
 No living man had ever reached Gla cier's lofty summit. It was one of the few remaining ascents that still held out an insuperabe defense to the strength and endurance of man.
 One after another of the worlds greatest pinnacles had succumbed to the skill and perseverance of the great Leonard. Lesser peaks, they were, but testing his skill and that of others to the utmost. And now Mount Glacier l! Hundreds of others had failed. It had been said that no living man would ever reach its summit. And yet to ac- complish that very end had become an obession with Neal Leonard. It meant the crowning achievement of his ca reer.
 There were three in Leonard's party Turner Cameron, who had scaled the most precipitous trail up the Natter horn in record time; Orris Markham,  ment among mountain climbers of the Alps, and Leonard himself Both Cam eron and Markham were comparatively young. They were not as sober and concerned about the success of the at tempt as was their leader. To them 1t was glorious adventure; to Leonard the accomplishment of burning am bition.
 The trio set out early one morning In late spring, following farewell party sponsored by guests at the Alpine House as tribute to the three daring men. It took the party a week to reach Glaciers base; week of climbing that would have taxed the skill of unladen men, let alone these three who were forced to struggle over lesser ridges. each bearing on his back minimum of 40 pounds of food and equipment.
 Leonard had chosen his companions with foresight. When the base camp was established, both Markham and Cameron were as eager for the ascent as when they started. The discomf- ture of the weeks preparatory" work had not discouraged them in the slight est
 Following a days rest, the party awoke before daylight and prepared to make their first ascent-the south wall At the first flush of dawn they set out. Roped together, with Leonard in the lead, they made quick time over the comparatively easy southern defense Once atop the wall they rested, ate and began climbing again by two in the afternoon. High above them lowered the cone-shaped summit.
 Their present encumbrance was a mob known as the Camels Hump At first the slope was easy; the snow we'll packed for climbing purposes. But by late afternoon, with the humps top still good hour away, the trail. became more precipitous. The slope shot up ward at a dangerous angle.
 Leonard kept in the lead, digging out footholes with his ax with studous care. He surmounted one ledge after another, gave his companions the ad vantage of tight rope whenever pos sible, and finally, just as daylight be- gan to fade, reached the top of the final ledge, and halted.
 They made camp on the wind blown summit of the Camel's Hump and went immediately to bed.
 At dawn they were up and ready to begin again. Caching quantity of their food supply, they began at once the ascent of the dangerous Pulpit Rock. The rock presented the first real difficulties of the climb. It was accomplished by hitchng the body up through a series of chimneys-narrow crevices with an almost perpendicular climb. Leonard, as usual in the lead reached the last chimney's top at 30 in the afternoon. Below him his com. panions were obscured from view by an angle of rock.
 Alone, with hundred miles an hour wind threatening at any moment to unseat him from his precarious perch, the veteran confronted and overcame one of the most hazardous of all as. cents.
 At the chimney's top a fat slab of rock, smooth as glass, sloped upward at nearly perpendicular angle for a distance of 15 feet. barely visible crack, not large enough for man to insert in it his finger tips extended the length of the slab. It looked impossi. ble, but Leonard knew 1t had to be done.
 Inserting the point of his climbing ax in the crack and making it secure by twisting the handle outward he hoisted