The Mountaineer 35 
delicious lunch, we idly wondered how long it would take to 
complete the process of parboiling, should a miniature ava- 
lanche suddenly deposit us in some remote corner of the cavern. 
The presence of steam caves is easily explained. The snow 
falling on warm surfaces at higher altitudes is reduced to water, 
runs through the still hot rocks of the extinct volcano, and 
escapes as steam at various points below the snow crust, which 
is melted in the immediate vicinity of the jets, forming a cave. 
Luncheon over, we scrambled again to the upper world and 
continued our arduous journey, soon encountering a wide mar- 
gin of small loose rocks extending downward from the rim of 
the crater, possibly two hundred feet, and swept entirely clear 
of snow. This, as viewed from Camp Curtis, appears a faint, 
dark band around the summit. The party reached the crater 
at three-fifteen o’clock and there across the comparatively level 
area of the smaller crater was our goal, the semi-spherical, 
snow-clad Columbia Crest. A few minutes and we stood upon 
the pinnacle of Rainier’s icy mantle. <A thick haze obscured 
the horizon. The utmost heights of Hood, St. Helens, and 
Adams pierced the cloud canopy and appeared as floating 
islands in a sea mist. 
Two important ceremonies were now observed. The 
leaders were corralled and a wobbly war dance done around 
them, then we stood, a row of icicles, while the camera fiends 
accomplished their fell purpose. 
It is interesting to note that several had a heart-beat of 
approximately one hundred per minute, though he who claimed 
to be the oldest in the party reported one hundred and thirty. 
He had been quite sick as we approached twelve thousand feet 
but recovered after the summit was reached. Respiration with 
most was somewhat labored while exercising. 
The descent was commenced at three-fifty o’clock. The 
rim of the crater again reached, we cached a paper bearing our 
signatures and sang a song to the good old tune of “Never 
again.” The ground just here was too warm in places to afford 
a comfortable seat. Possibly old Rainier may some day pay us 
its respects in the form of a lava flow and evil smelling gases, 
who knows? 
The higher altitudes above us, the descent became quite 
rapid, Curtis being reached shortly after six. A half-hour rest 
encouraged three of the party to continue the descent to Glacier 
