The Mountaineer 97 



THE MOUNTAINEERS' FIRST ASCENT OF 

 MT. BAKER. 



AsAHEL Curtis. 



The Mountaineers' ascent of Mount Baker, made on 

 July 29th, with a party of thirty-nine was remarkable only 

 for the ease and safety with which this, the first large 

 party reached the summit. Prior to this ascent, the climb 

 of Baker had been considered very difficult, particularly 

 with a large party, and no such party had succeeded in 

 reaching the summit. The route chosen was not a new 

 one, but it had been used only by small parties, because 

 of the difificulties in transporting supplies to a camp near 

 timber-line. When the Mountaineers had solved this, by 

 building a trail up the ridge between Park and Boulder 

 Creeks to timber-line, the rest of the outing was easy. 

 For this reason the outing and the climb stands as a 

 splendid example of the fulfillment of the purposes of 

 the club ; to make the mountains accessible and to make 

 mountain climbing one of the safest and cleanest of 

 sports. 



The ascent was made from a temporary camp at 

 timber-line at an altitude of 5,000 feet between Park 

 and Boulder Glaciers. From this point a ridge of broken 

 rock runs up the mountain side for thousands of feet, 

 until it is joined by the arete that makes down from the 

 rocks of the summit. This ridge was snow covered in 

 July this year, because the snows lay on longer than 

 usual, but when the ridge is bare, the ascent is as easy 

 as over the snows. There are no great crevasses that 

 have to be crossed, and the snow slopes are not danger- 

 ously steep. 



The party left temporary camp at 3 :30 in the morn- 

 ing in four companies in command of Captains Mc- 



