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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



dare not go to sleep for fear of rolling 

 off upon one of the patent camp-fires. 



The ascent from this temporary camp 

 to the crater requires about ten hours of 

 actual climbing ; so, however one arranges 

 it, part of the trip up or down must be 

 made at night. Although with nightfall 

 the cold becomes extremely severe, there 

 is the compensation of enjoying the won- 

 derfully luminous moonlight of Persia 

 under very unusual conditions. Soft, 

 mellow, yet throwing almost the radiance 

 of day on every peak and crag and snow- 

 field, it holds one entranced by a scene 

 more glorious than befalls the lot of most 

 mortals to behold ; for, far below, the 

 feathery clouds roll and swirl like a soft 

 ethereal ocean, dashing their gentle bil- 

 lows against the lesser mountain peaks 

 that raise their black summits like is- 

 lands above this fairy sea. 



Considering the aridity of the region, 

 it is not surprising that there are no 

 great glaciers to be traversed ; but the 

 remains of glacial formations, in particu- 

 lar one immense chasm-like groove, at 

 the head of which is a huge immovable 

 ice-mass, suggest that at one time the 

 country enjoyed a more salubrious cli- 

 mate. The angle of the incline varies 

 only from 40 to 55 degrees, thus render- 

 ing the ascent as monotonous and tiring 

 as that of an endless ladder. 



NATURE BUILDS LADDERS OE SNOW 



The steeper portions of the snow-fields 

 present a most peculiar formation. The 

 snow, or coarsely crystallized ice, instead 

 of offering a smooth surface, is molded 

 into tier upon tier of narrow, tapering 

 cones, averaging two feet or more in 

 height, which evidently are produced by 

 the daily routine of thawing and freezing. 

 A rather uneven melting process starts 

 little trickles of water which seek out 

 miniature channels, and the night's freeze 

 establishes these slight elevations and de- 

 pressions. 



The next day's thaw finds small chan- 

 nels waiting, which are deepened and 

 connected and the elevations accentuated 

 thereby. After this process continues 

 for two or three months, the results are 

 these strange stalagmitic arrangements, 

 which serve admirably as natural ladders 

 for the more difficult sections of the 

 climb. 



The sliding, shifting fields of powdered 

 pumice not far below the summit seri- 

 ously obstruct progress, for the climbing 

 here is similar to what one would en- 

 counter in trying to ascend a steep roof 

 covered with two feet of loose snow. 

 Although it requires one and one-half 

 hours for this portion of the ascent, the 

 descent over the same ground is easily 

 made in four minutes and with compara- 

 tive safety. 



ON THE SUMMIT OE THE GREAT 

 LANDMARK 



The expanse of the great golden sul- 

 phur cap, the edge of which is reached 

 a hundred yards below the rim of the 

 crater, is startling. Thousands of tons 

 of sulphur are exposed to view and the 

 fumes which permeate the air are almost 

 nauseating. 



The rocky rim of the bowl-like crater, 

 about 300 yards in circumference, is 

 practically level for a width of five yards, 

 and then slopes gradually inward to the 

 snow which fills the crater itself. The 

 only signs of present volcanic activity are 

 the gaseous fumes issuing from small 

 fissures in the sulphur area. 



The lofty isolation of the great peak 

 makes it an admirable observation point. 

 On a clear day the country spreads out in 

 every direction like a giant relief map on 

 which a comprehensive view of the whole 

 complex arrangement of mountain chains 

 and drainage systems replaces the re- 

 stricted vision of one on the plains. 

 Close at hand the great inter-mountain 

 valleys and far away to the south the 

 green desert fringe and the vast desert 

 itself are visible, while to the north hover 

 the mists and vapors that rise over the 

 Mazandaran jungles and the Caspian Sea. 



A feeling of utter insignificance comes 

 over one with the realization that he is 

 at last on the summit of the great land- 

 mark which has borne the scrutiny of 

 heroes of many ages of history and is at 

 present the focus for the gaze of the 

 camel-driver of the Persian Desert and 

 the sailor cruising on the Caspian, of the 

 peasant in his rice-fields on the Caspian 

 shores and the village or city-bred dweller 

 on the plateau, of the Turkoman tent- 

 dweller on the transcaspian steppes and 

 his Aryan brother, the shepherd nomad 

 of the Iranian tableland. 



