MOUNT RAINIER 



From the crest of this cliff the incline of the moun- 

 tain to the summit is less than at any other point and 

 consequently fewer crevasses, the terror of the moun- 

 taineer. Bracing ourselves for the final effort, we 

 resumed the march. On account of the continuous 

 ascent and the rarity of the atmosphere we have to 

 rest every twenty or thirty steps. Still ascending, 

 avoiding the crevasses by a zigzag path, we at last 

 reach the last one, or what might more properly be 

 called the first crevasse. This crevasse is formed by 

 the first breaking off of the snow as it begins to slide 

 down the mountain. The upper side is often a per- 

 pendicular wall of hard snow from ten to fifty feet 

 high. This same crevasse, for it extends half way 

 round the mountain, prevented our further progress 

 on two previous occasions, when attempting to reach 

 the summit from the northeast slope. Luckily on this 

 occasion we found a bridge that afforded us a safe 

 passage over. From this point we can see a clear path 

 to the summit. Upward we climb to where the rim of 

 the crater seems but a few hundred feet away. Look ! 

 there is a jet of steam right ahead ; one grand effort 

 and I sit upon the rim of the crater. I shout a word 

 of triumph which sounds strangely shrill to my com- 

 panions below, who, one by one, soon gain my exalted 

 position. The feeling of triumph that filled the heart 

 of each one as he gained that sublime height can be 

 realized by no one who has not been in a similar posi- 

 tion. 



Space precludes an extensive description of the view 

 from our elevated position ; Washington, Oregon and 

 the Sound and sea lay below us. A roll of clouds ex- 

 tending entirely around the horizon somewhat ob- 

 structed the prospect, yet added to the beauty of the 

 scene. Mts. Baker, Adams, Hood, St. Helens, and 

 Jefferson appeared above the clouds ; the Cascade 

 and Olympic ranges, Puget Sound and numerous river 

 basins appeared below, while the smoke of distant 



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