CHAPTER VIII 



EXPLORATION OF THE STICKEEN GLACIERS 



NEXT day I planned an excursion to the so-called 

 Dirt Glacier, the most interesting to Indians 

 and steamer men of all the Stickeen glaciers from its 

 mysterious floods. I left the steamer Gertrude for the 

 glacier delta an hour or two before sunset. The cap- 

 tain kindly loaned me his canoe and two of his Indian 

 deck hands, who seemed much puzzled to know what 

 the rare service required of them might mean, and on 

 leaving bade a merry adieu to their companions. We 

 camped on the west side of the river opposite the 

 front of the glacier, in a spacious valley surrounded 

 by snowy mountains. Thirteen small glaciers were in 

 sight and four waterfalls. It was a fine, serene even- 

 ing, and the highest peaks were wearing turbans of 

 flossy, gossamer cloud-stuff. I had my supper before 

 leaving the steamer, so I had only to make a camp- 

 fire, spread my blanket, and lie down. The Indians 

 had their own bedding and lay beside their own fire. 

 The Dirt Glacier is noted among the river men as 

 being subject to violent flood outbursts once or twice 

 a year, usually in the late summer. The delta of this 

 glacier stream is three or four miles wide where it 

 fronts the river, and the many rough channels with 

 which it is guttered and the uprooted trees and huge 

 boulders that roughen its surface manifest the power 

 of the floods that swept them to their places; but 



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