FIRST SUCCESSFUL ASCENT, 1870 



by some trail, before plunging into the unbroken forest. 

 The Nisqually River, which rises on the southern and 

 western slopes of Takhoma, and empties into the sound 

 a few miles north of Olympia, offered the most direct 

 and natural approach. Ten years before, moreover, 

 a few enterprising settlers had blazed out a trail across 

 the Cascade Range, which followed the Nisqually 

 nearly up to its source, thence deflected south to the 

 Cowlitz River, and pursued this stream in a northeast- 

 ern course to the summit of the range, thus turning 

 the great mountain by a wide circuit. The best-in- 

 formed mountain men represented the approaches on 

 the south and southeast as by far the most favorable. 

 The Nisqually-Cowlitz trail, then, seemed much the 

 best, for the Nisqually, heading in the south and 

 southwest slopes, and the Cowlitz, in the southeastern, 

 afforded two lines of approach, by either of which the 

 distance to the mountain, after leaving the trail, could 

 not exceed thirty miles. 



One August afternoon, Van Trump and I drove out 

 to Yelm Prairie, thirty miles east of Olympia, and on 

 the Nisqually River. We dashed rapidly on over 

 a smooth, hard, level road, traversing wide reaches of 

 prairie, passing under open groves of oaks and firs, 

 and plunging through masses of black, dense forest 

 in ever-changing variety. The moon had risen as we 

 emerged upon Yelm Prairie ; Takhoma, bathed in 

 cold, white, spectral light from summit to base, ap- 

 peared startlingly near and distinct. Our admiration 

 was not so noisy as usual. Perhaps a little of dread 

 mingled with it. In another hour we drove nearly 

 across the plain and turned into a lane which con- 

 ducted us up a beautiful rising plateau, crowned with a 

 noble grove of oaks and overlooking the whole prairie. 

 A comfortable, roomy house with a wide porch nestled 

 among the trees, and its hospitable owner, Mr. James 

 Longmire, appeared at the door and bade us enter. 



The next morning we applied to Mr. Longmire for 



H 97 



