The Mountaineer 95 



mountain and awakened to discover gnomes and elves 

 in mystic ceremony? 



Not at all. You are quite safe in advancing and 

 joining the weird procession. You have only caught the 

 Mountaineers in the act of breakfasting. 



"Fall in!" came the order, and all mystery vanishes, 

 Thirty-nine men and women spring to their places, and 

 we are off — off to conquer Kulshan. 



Our quarry rears his head defiantly before us; the 

 unclouded crown seems just a little way beyond. 



No artist could paint that dawn. A world of 

 mountains on either side, mysterious in the light from 

 the starlit sky. As the line rose to upper levels the stars 

 faded and the silhouette of Mt. Shuksan stood out 

 against a more brilliant sky. And clearer could we see 

 mountain succeeding mountain in this marvelous pano- 

 rama. Then a sudden brightness and the exquisite 

 morning is radiant with sunlight. In the dark line, 

 slowly advancing, hearts leap with the joy of being a part 

 of this upper world, and glory in their power to indulge 

 in their chosen sport. As the sun reached its zenith 

 the last icy rampart had yielded and the great white 

 peak is conquered. In an azure world we stand, pulses 

 thrilling with exultation. We realize why Balboa of 

 old, chanted the Te Deum when from the heights he 

 first beheld a new-found ocean. 



The cloudless sky was purple above us, with paler 

 tints at the horizon. Mt. Rainier and Glacier Peak 

 seemed only a stone's throw apart. A misty spot was 

 pointed out as Puget Sound, and the Nooksack River 

 looked like a tiny silver thread. 



We looked down upon the lower peak of Mt. Baker, 

 and between, the crater sent forth sulphurous vapors, 

 showing that the heart of the old volcano was still alive. 

 Reluctantly we began our descent, slowly at first, for 

 in the upper levels there are many crevasses and pit- 



