MOUNT RAINIER 



The first ascent of the upper 5,450 feet was begun at 

 5 o'clock A.M., August 1 6 [1913], and dawn broke with 

 every indication of developing into a beautiful day. On 

 reaching the summit the men encountered a terrific 

 gale, clouds enveloped the mountain, preventing ob- 

 servations, and by noon snow began to fall. A descent 

 was attempted, but the party became hopelessly lost 

 in a labyrinth of crevasses, the storm developing into 

 a blizzard. To descend further was impossible ; to 

 remain was suicide. Consequently a return to the 

 crater was ordered, and the men reached it after a 

 two hours* climb, utterly exhausted and nearly frozen. 

 Here they sought shelter in one of the steam caves, 

 where during the long night they were thoroughly 

 steamed and half frozen in turn. Strenuous measures 

 were employed by the men to keep from falling asleep 

 and freezing to death. As it was, their fingers and 

 ears were badly frozen. Finally, with a rising barome- 

 ter, they succeeded in descending 9,000 feet to a tem- 

 porary camp, making the descent in three hours. Here 

 they recuperated and prepared for another ascent, 

 which was accomplished on August 20, the start being 

 made at I o'clock in the morning. Good weather was 

 encountered and the mapping of the entire summit was 

 finished by i o'clock. 



"If anyone thinks that American glaciers are play 

 glaciers, or that the weather which may be encountered 

 at the summit of Mount Rainier in August is uniformly 

 balmy and springlike," said Mr. Birdseye, whose 

 fingers and ears were badly frosted, "let him climb 

 Mount Rainier during one of its summer blizzards. 

 The steam caves in the crater are not the pleasantest 

 places imaginable to spend the night in, but had they 

 not been there, not one of us would be alive today to 

 tell the tale." 



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