THE VALLEY OF TEN THOUSAND SMOKES 



51 



where else all was clear except the 

 "steamers." Over the isthmus connect- 

 ing Katmai and Trident we saw, as we 

 had in 191 5, similar signs of activity. 



These were, however, very puzzling, 

 elusive, uncertain — quite different from 

 the steady columns rising from Mageik 

 and Martin ; for thev were not only in- 

 constant and variable in volume, but 

 equally uncertain in position, appearing 

 now at one point and now at another 

 (see page 65). 



STARTING FOR THE FIRST ASCENT 



On finding the sky clear and bright 

 the morning after our arrival, July 19, 

 we decided to see how the river was and 

 to reconnoiter the volcano with a view to 

 picking our path for the climb when the 

 proper time should come. 



When we started we had little idea of 

 making the ascent, expecting to content 

 ourselves with reconnoitering the lower 

 slopes. But as we went on we became 

 more and more anxious to try the climb. 

 So, leaving the mud-flow at about 800 

 feet, we started up the long ridge which 

 runs out parallel with the canyon. This 

 was easy going, with a gentle ascent up 

 to 2,000 feet, when we suddenly came 

 into sight of the upper valley of Katmai 

 River. 



THE TREMENDOUS FEOOD EXPLAINED 



We found that the canyon was only as 

 long as Mount Katmai itself, while far- 

 ther on, the valley turned to the east and 

 expanded again into a flat, in which we 

 discovered three large lakes, blue as the 

 sky, in strong and grateful contrast to the 

 gray land. 



But what especially surprised us was 

 suddenly to discover the origin of the 

 flood which had so sorely puzzled our 

 party the year before (see pages 20 and 

 38). A stream flowing between Katmai 

 Volcano and its neighbor had piled up 

 an immense dam across its valley. Be- 

 hind this dam a vast lake had accumu- 

 lated until the pressure of the impounded 

 water became irresistible, when the dam 

 burst and the torrent, like a Johnstown 

 flood, rushed seaward, fortunately with- 

 out human toll. 



Turning from the lakes with the hope 



that we might be able to return and ex- 

 plore them, we roped ourselves together 

 and decided to have a try at the slopes 

 above. 



We were on dangerous ground from 

 the outset. The surface was covered by 

 many feet of ash overlying snow, which, 

 melting out from beneath, made the sur- 

 face slump away and crack open in all 

 directions, while at intervals boiling tor- 

 rents issued from the cavernous depths. 

 No experience with snow bridges could 

 give any precedent for judging the 

 strength of such ash bridges and we had 

 no means of knowing what to expect. 



It was with fear and trembling that I 

 ventured out across the first and, as it 

 proved, the worst of these bridges. It 

 was only a few feet wide, with perpen- 

 dicular edges 30 feet high, while from 

 beneath came a roaring torrent, which 

 divided just below, part going down be- 

 hind the arrete we had come up and part 

 tumbling directly down the face of the 

 mountain. 



CLIMBING THE MUD-PLASTERED SLOPES 



The slopes were all plastered with mud 

 of varied colors — gray, yellow, chocolate, 

 red, black, and blue — the results of the 

 last spasms of the great eruption. 



At the lower levels the mud was dry 

 and hard, making easy going; but as we 

 ascended, it soon became slippery, and a 

 little higher soft and sticky. Most of the 

 way it was about ankle deep, but in spots 

 we went in nearly to our knees ; and at 

 times it required all our strength to ex- 

 tricate ourselves (see page 53). Un- 

 pleasant and laborious as walking through 

 deep mud is under any circumstances, we 

 found traveling up the slope very hard 

 work indeed. 



Above 4,000 feet the way was mostlv 

 through soft snow, with only occasional 

 mud patches, and the slope became 

 steeper as we advanced. 



As we reached the higher levels the 

 scenery became superb. We could see 

 Kodiak Island across the strait over the 

 tops of the nearer mountains, which pre- 

 sented a magnificent mass of sharp peaks 

 and intervening snow-fields. 



But finer than these was the canvon of 

 Katmai River, which lay stretched below 

 us. Flanked by the multicolored mud- 



