EXPLORING THE MOUNTAIN AND ITS GLACIERS, 1896 



Surrounded as we were by the desolation and soli- 

 tude of barren rocks, on which not even a lichen had 

 taken root, and pure white snow fields, we were much 

 surprised to receive passing visits from several hum- 

 ming-birds which shot past us like winged jewels. 

 They came up the valley occupied by the Emmons 

 Glacier, turned sharply at The Wedge, and went down 

 the way of the Winthrop Glacier. What tempts these 

 children of the sunlight and the flowers into the frozen 

 regions seems a mystery. That the humming-birds 

 are bold explorers was not new to me, for the reason 

 that on several occasions in previous years, while on 

 the snow-covered slopes of Mount St. Elias, far above 

 all vestiges of vegetation, my heart had been glad- 

 dened by glimpses of their brilliant plumage. 



When the sun declined beyond the great snow- 

 covered dome that towered above us, and the blue 

 shadows crept down the previously dazzling cliffs, the 

 air became cold and a strong wind made our perch on 

 the rocks uncomfortable. Wrapping ourselves in our 

 blankets we slept until the eastern sky began to glow 

 with sunrise tints. 



Early on the morning of July 24 [1896] we began the 

 climb of the steep snow slopes leading to the summit of 

 the mountain. Roped together as we had been on the 

 previous day, we slowly worked our way upward, in a 

 tortuous course, in order to avoid the many yawning 

 crevasses. The way was steep and difficult. Some 

 members of the party felt the effects of the rarefied 

 air, and as we lacked experience in true alpine work our 

 progress was slow and laborious. Many of the cre- 

 vasses that our course crossed were of the nature of 

 faults. Their upper rims stood several feet above 

 their lower margins, and thus added to the difficulty 

 of passing them. Our aim at first was to traverse the 

 neve of Emmons Glacier and gain the less rugged slope 

 bordering it on the south, but the intervening region 

 was greatly broken and, as we found after several 



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