ee 
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The Mountaineer 
two people lned up ready for the start. At four-fifty we 
marched out of camp. In nine hours and twenty minutes we 
stood on the summit of Mt. Adams, 12,307 feet above the sea. 
No difficulties were encountered at any point. For nearly five 
thousand feet the climb was on lava rock affording good foot- 
ing, then almost a mile across a snow-field of easy grade to 
within three hundred feet of the top where the snow piled 
steep and dome-like. The day was clear only in the upper 
regions. Below, a smoky haze filled all the valleys and hid 
the lesser peaks. The cones of Mt. Raimer and Mt. St. Helens 
were clear above it all day, and when the top was reached 
Mt. Hood appeared in the southern heavens, a while peak 
with no apparent base upon the earth. 
The time on top was short. After the usual picture-taking 
by companies and groups, the flag was unfurled and one verse 
of America sung and with a cirele around the east end to look 
down on the head of the great Klickitat Glacier, we dropped 
over the south side to find the Mazama record box chained to 
a little rocky ledge. To open this, examine its assortment of 
ecards and papers, and then sign the record book took all too 
long, and the leader’s face grew anxious as he announced the 
hour and the possible distance from camp. The descent on the 
south was rock-work; an occasional pocket of snow gave a 
brief rest from the rocks, but we were too far to the west for 
the fine coasting slopes, and the best sliding we had was a sort 
of bump-the-bumps performance. Sharp eyes kept a look-out 
for the pack train or the friendly smoke of the camp-fire we 
knew would be built somewhere below. None appeared. At 
six o'clock a trail was reached that soon led into another much 
traveled trail showing the tracks of many horses. Dark com- 
ine on seemed to double the miles, but at nine a cheerful whistle 
announced a friend with the message, “Camp only half a mile 
away. There a hot dinner was waiting, and hands ready to 
serve it. The members of the party who had gone around the 
west side had not only walked nearly twenty miles over hard 
trail but had selected a camping spot for everybody and carried 
each one’s dunnage to it. Never were conquerors more warmly 
welcomed, never did they find more preparations for their com- 
fort. This place was Morrison Creek ranger’s station. Next 
day we rested there, and the report of the climb was sent out 
to the papers. 
