The Mountaineer 63 
CHANGE IN WILLIS WALL 
J. B. Fuert 
About eighteen years ago the writer visited the vicinity of 
Willis Wall in an attempt to find a route around the east side 
of the mountain. The weather was quite foggy in the early 
part of the day, but about noon the clouds began to break 
away. As we approached the Carbon Glacier from Spray Park 
the fog cleared away from the base of the mountain and re- 
vealed Willis Wall in all its rugged grandeur, while in front 
and below us the Carbon Valley was full of fog. It appeared 
like a body of water. We cautiously approached the edge of 
the precipitous bank above the glacier and rolled stones down 
for we could not see the bottom. We judged from the distance 
the stones rolled and the way they crashed and bounded from 
cliff to cliff that we did not wish to descend at that high 
altitude. 
While we were deliberating on the next move, a huge 
avalanche came from the top of Willis Wall and bounded from 
cliff to cliff as it made its rapid descent in the form of a massive 
cumulus cloud. When it reached the upper end. of the glacier 
the cloud-like appearance ceased. It then came tearing down 
the steep slope of the glacier presenting the appearance of a 
train of cars as the snow and ice were ground into dust-like 
particles which rose like smoke and steam from a locomotive. 
At that time the slope of the mountain was much more gradual 
near the lower part of the wall, so that the avalanche moved 
down for a long distance before it finally came to rest. The 
vast mass of ice falling for more than three thousand feet, 
grinding and abrading the rocks, has wrought great changes 
on this slope, so that now Willis Wall presents a hollow circular 
appearance which is dark during the early part of the forenoon. 
Some observers have thought that great changes have 
taken place quite recently and that volcanic action has been 
in some measure responsible. Several parties have observed 
steam issuing from crevices in this dark circular portion already 
referred to. Our party this summer saw it very plainly and 
