loo 



THE FORESTER. 



May, 



son in the morning and watch the sunset 

 from a camp at an elevation of 7,000 

 feet on the northwestern side of the 

 snow peak. The wanton destruction by 

 fire of a bridge across Carbon River ren- 

 ders necessary a dangerous ford at that 

 stream, and now makes this route un- 

 available for any except mountaineers. 



Other lines of access which may be 

 opened up but are not now used are (1) 

 from the southwest up the Cowlitz River, 

 which rises in the glaciers on the south- 

 eastern slope of Mount Rainier, (2) from 

 the east through the Cowlitz Pass in the 

 Cascade Range, and (3) from the north 

 along the summit of the Cascades. The 

 Cowlitz Pass has repeatedly been ex- 

 amined as a possible route for railroad 

 construction, and it is probable that the 

 establishment of a National Park may 

 lead to the construction of a railroad 

 across the range at this point. In all 

 legislation relating to the National Park, 

 care should be taken not to close the 

 Cowlitz Pass against traffic, as it affords 

 an important line of communication 

 between the Yakima and the lower 

 Columbia Valleys. 



Access to Mount Rainier from the 

 north along the summit of the Cascade 

 Range is at present practicable only with 

 a pack train. There is a rough trail 

 which may be followed by mountaineer- 

 ing mules, and which may serve to sug- 

 gest a great driveway that shall be built 

 to connect the Northern Pacific Railroad 

 with the Cowlitz Pass and the National 

 Park. Such a road will be about 50 miles 

 in length, and will throughout much of 

 the distance run at altitudes of 5,000 to 

 6, 500 feet along the somewhat even crests 

 of the range. For many miles the traveler 

 along this road will have Mount Rainier 

 in view beyond mountain slopes which 

 sink from his feet into the vast expanse 

 of the great forest. Abreast of Mount 

 Rainier the road will be 12 miles distant 

 from the summit, and the splendid snow 

 peak will rise from the depths of canyons 

 far below to a height of 8,000 feet above 

 it. That it is practicable to lay out this 

 road there is no doubt, and that it will be 

 found profitable and will be built is more 



than probable. It will challenge the 

 world for its equal in variety and majesty 

 of scenery. 



Two central points for tourists are de- 

 termined by the topography of the dis- 

 trict. These are Paradise Park on the 

 south and Spray Falls Park on the north. 

 Both of them lie at elevations of 6,500 

 to 7,000 feet, between adjacent glaciers. 

 Routes within the Park will be developed 

 chiefly for communication between these 

 two points and for the ascent of the 

 mountain. At the present time to pass 

 around Mount Rainier at a low altitude 

 is an extremely arduous undertaking, and 

 at higher altitudes across the glaciers a 

 task requiring alpine experience. At the 

 higher levels the construction and main- 

 tenance of trails will neverbepracticable, 

 as four-fifths of the way is across the ice 

 and through mazes of crevasses, but 

 below the glaciers trails may be laid out 

 to the east or to the west of Rainier, 

 traversing the canyons and winding 

 through the forests, where the traveler 

 will be charmed with the harmony of 

 tints in the vegetation, delighted with 

 waterfalls, and transported with glimpses 

 of the snowy summit far above them all. 



The ascent of Mount Rainier can 

 never become a popular pastime, as 

 under the best conditions it demands 

 unusual strength and steadiness of nerve, 

 yet a considerable number of climbers 

 have already ascended the peak, and 

 with due care the ascent may be made 

 from Paradise Park across Gibraltar 

 Rock and the snow fields beyond without 

 serious risk. Many who might be un- 

 equal to the task of ascending and de- 

 scending the peak in the same day will 

 avail themselves of the caverns within 

 the crater of the mountain. There, pro- 

 tected by a roof of ice from the freezing 

 blasts without, and warmed by the steam 

 which issues from many vents in the old 

 volcano, they may pass the night, divid- 

 ing their dreams between Jack Frost and 

 Pluto. All other ascents of Mount Rai- 

 nier than that by Gibraltar involve great 

 risk and should be undertaken only by 

 experienced mountaineers familiar with 

 work among crevasses. The climb has 



