296 Canadian Forestry Journal December, 1915. 



attained a summit and returned by Causes of Destruction. 



a still more nearly impossible route Most of the large tracts of burned 



the interest has ended. While such forest are of ancient origin and can 

 persons exist, they are a very small be traced to either natural causes^ 

 minority and form by no means its or causes resulting from careless- 

 most lasting or most important sec- ness in the earlier days, when rail- 

 tion of members. Your real alpine ways were pushing lines of com- 

 climber is a lover of Nature in her munication into new districts. In 

 primeval fastnesses — the outposts of those days precautions were at a 

 the earth — where the forces of con- minimum and many of the large 

 struction are at work, where all are burns occurred during construction, 

 extremes, and types of greatest I have seen as many as four distinct 

 beautiy lie side by side with those fires going at the same time along a 

 of grotesque ugliness. Here, in line of railway construction. Even 

 what may well be termed a factory now, when the law demands very 

 of creation, are seen at work forces strict precautions on the part of rail- 

 that lead to the construction of fer--^ v«ay operations, fires are started by 

 tile plains and wide agricultural val- sparks from locomotives. It is true 

 leys thousands of miles distant, and they are closely watched for and sel- 

 as such are of intense interest to dom get beyond control, but .former- 

 those who care to give them a care- ly the supervision and means of con- 

 ful study. trol were wholly inadequate and 



Moreover, apart from the wonder- much destruction of valuable timber 

 ful and unexplained exhilaration was the consequence. Once let a fire 

 that comes from climbing on snow get a good hold and it was not extin- 

 and ice, and the overwhelming de- guished until the winter had set in. 

 sire to see what lies beyond, your I remember on one occasion moving 

 true alpine enthusiast glories in the my camp to the Columbia Valley 

 wide-spreading spectacular panor- not far south of Revelstoke. The 

 ama that is seen from a mountain forest at this point was on fire and to 

 top, when all in view is spread be- reach the ground selected, the team 

 fore him as on a living map. It is in and wagon conveying the outfit had 

 places such as these, where the pre- to pass through blazing bush. The 

 science of an Almighty Power is bush in which we camped was burn- 

 ever present, and which can only be ing on three sides. The crash of 

 attained through hard bodily exer- falling trees could be heard during 

 tion, that he loves for a brief space the silence of the night and in the 

 to enjoy the wonders that are spread morning the tents would be thickly 

 at his feet. covered by ashes. Gangs of men 



It will thus be readily understood were fighting the fire day and night 

 how deeply the true mountain lover and soon had it under control, but it 

 deplores the ravages of the fire de- was not finally extinguished until 

 mon in the destruction of the forests the first snow fell in September, 

 that are so necessary to a complete jyj^^ -^ Responsihlef 



realization of his ideals. Nowhere -r, , ^ . , 



else in the world can similar forests Bush fires ^occurring at places 

 to those of the Rocky Mountains be situated far from the line of railways 

 found, and it is their special charm are usually attributed to campers, 

 in .contrast with the vast deposits of hunters, surveyors, prospectors and, 

 • snow and ice, for which the Can- most of all, to travelling Indians, 

 adian portion of the range is remark- While this may be so in a few iso- 

 able, that render the alpine districts lated cases, I have found, during an 

 of the North American continent experience of thirty-five summers 

 unique, and fashioned on a pattern spent in the wilds, that all such are 

 of their own. as a rule careful to extinguish the 



