MOUNT RAINIER 



mountain, showing that even the boldest ridges were 

 formerly ice-covered. Our route took us around the 

 head of the deep canyon through which flows Cataract 

 Creek. In making this circuit we followed a rugged 

 saw-tooth crest, and had some interesting rock-climb- 

 ing. Finally, the sharp divide between Cataract 

 Creek and a small stream flowing westward to Crater 

 Lake was reached, and a slide on a steep snow slope 

 took us quickly down to where the flowers made a 

 border of purple and gold about the margins of the 

 snow. Soon we were in the forest, and gaining a 

 rocky ledge among the trees, could look down on 

 Crater Lake, deeply sunk in shaggy mountains which 

 still preserve all oif their primitive freshness and beauty. 

 Snow lay in deep drifts beneath the shelter of the 

 forest, and the lake was ice-covered except for a few 

 feet near the margin. This was on July 20. I have 

 been informed that the lake is usually free of ice 

 before this date, but the winter preceding our visit 

 was of more than usual severity, the snowfall being 

 heavy, and the coming of summer was therefore much 

 delayed. 



The name Crater Lake implies that its waters occupy 

 a volcanic crater. Willis states that Nature has here 

 placed an emerald seal on one of Pluto's sally ports ; 

 but that the great depression now water-filled is a 

 volcanic crater is not so apparent as we might expect. 

 The basin is in volcanic rock, but none of the charac- 

 teristics of a crater due to volcanic explosions can be 

 recognized. The rocks, so far as I saw them, are 

 massive lavas, and not fragmental scoriae or other 

 products of explosive eruptions. On the bold, rounded 

 rock ledges down which we climbed in order to reach 

 the shore, there were deep glacial scorings, showing 

 that the basin was once deeply filled with moving ice. 

 My observations were not sufficiently extended to 

 enable me to form an opinion as to the origin of the 

 remarkable depression, but whatever may have been 



166 



