20 The Mountaineer 
and earth from that eerie camping spot above the clouds or 
the delight of the descent into Glacier Basin across the face 
of Inter-Glacier ? 
Northeast of St. Elmo Pass and directly opposite the point 
where the glacier changes suddenly to a river and goes roaring 
and foaming down the mountain, stands a small pyramid of 
irregular rocks. It was at this spot that the seeds of the 
cherished edelweiss of the beautiful Bavarian Alps were planted 
with appropriate ceremony on August first by the women of 
the 1912 outing of the Mountaineers. In the Mountaineer Bul- 
letin of April of this year will be found a copy of the letter 
from Mr. Anton Lang, the donor, together with a short sketch 
of the traditional significance of this courageous little flower 
of the Alps, that dares to bloom upon the mountain tops. In 
improvised costume, the spirit of Bavaria in the name of her 
country presented the seeds which were graciously accepted 
by the spirit of the mountains of America, after which they 
were gently laid away in the brown mould, awaiting the time 
when the sun in heaven should wake them into life. There is 
a charm, an atmosphere, that surrounds all planting, from the 
grain of wheat to the oak tree; here was the added dignity of 
a mountain clothed in perpetual snow, standing guard over a 
treasure almost intangible yet associated with all that makes 
life significant. The few spoken words and the simple verses 
on the edelweiss, expressed the hope of a people whose free- 
dom rings indeed from every mountainside! 
On August first, after hearing the reports of the Major 
Ingraham party and of the four scouts sent on the preliminary 
climb, to the effect that snow conditions were extremely bad 
on the north side of the mountain this year, the main party 
took the trail for Grand Park by way of Lodii basin. The 
ascent of the mountain was made by nine men. 
Judged by almost any standard one can not be disappointed 
in Grand Park. A tableland six thousand feet high, it contains 
more than one thousand acres where the clean winds sweep 
across the levels and play forever in and out among the perfect 
groups of alpine firs. To look at sunset across this immense 
flowery plain at Mt. Rainier is to know it as a new peak and 
rejoice in the acquaintance. He is fortunate indeed who has 
thus seen it crowned in the gigantie cloud hood that promises 
storm. We fully realized the warning that was given us on 
