OUR ALASKAN EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 



95 



As we were pulling away, one of the fis-h- 

 ermen tossed a magnificent king salmon 

 into our boat, weighing at least 35 lbs, re- 

 marking as he did so, " there's your sup- 

 per." I have no desire to excite the 

 envy of my readers, but when camp was 

 pitched that night, on one of the low, 

 sparsely timbered islands, 5 miles farther 

 on, juicy salmon roasts and thick, luscious 

 steaks, disappeared in a manner most agree- 

 able to tired, hungry men. 



How different to eat one of these fish 

 when just leaving the salt water, fat and 

 fresh, from taking even the same fish, a 

 year later, as dealt from a tin can. 



Salmon were now plentiful in the river 



principal growths. These are thickly un- 

 derlined with willows, alders, and devils 

 thumbs in such tangled masses, as to make 

 it next to impossible to penetrate them. 



The climate is moist and the heavy 

 growth of moss that covers the earth, bury- 

 ing rocks and tree trunks in its slippery 

 folds, makes an unsafe footing. 



After passing the canyons, however, the 

 country is much drier, and in many places 

 rolls back into softly rounding but high 

 hills. A perceptible change in the timber 

 also takes place, birch and black pine be- 

 coming quite frequent. 



One of the first objects of interest, on the 

 way up the river, is the Popoff glacier. We 



PHOTO BY A. J. STONE. 



VIEW FROM THE GREAT GLACIER, STICKEEN RIVER, ALASKA. 



and as we traveled up stream together, we 

 feasted on them day and night. Whenever 

 we hungered the cruel salmon hook would 

 bring us food, fresh from the icy flood. 

 The man in the prow, pole in hand, would 

 lift a big salmon without checking the mo- 

 tion of the boat. 



The principal tributaries of the Stickeen 

 are the Iskoot, the Scud, the Porcupine, the 

 Clearwater, the Tahltan, the Tooya, the 

 Tanzilla, and the 3 South forks. 



The principal glaciers are the Popoff, the 

 Great, or Olebar, the Mud, the Flood and 

 the Porcupine. 



For more than 100 miles from its mouth, 

 the Stickeen's narrow valley is shut in by 

 precipitous mountain walls, whose white 

 mantling never disappears. The banks of 

 the stream are heavily wooded, spruce, hem- 

 lock, cottonwood, and cedar being the 



viewed it from the opposite side of the river, 

 some 2 miles from its base. Here the sun 

 shines fairly on its deeply corrugated face, 

 just where it forces its way down a steep 

 incline, from among higher mountains be- 

 yond, and displays a great variety of shade- 

 ings, or tintings, from its snowy crest to 

 the deep blue of its lower strata. 



Some 15 miles farther up, the Iskoot 

 joins its waters with those of the Stickeen, 

 cutting its way through the rugged and im- 

 posing Iskoot mountains, a branch of the 

 Glacier range, to the South. 



The Glacier range shows hundreds of 

 glittering needle points, apparently shaped 

 from blocks of snow and ice. Recreation 

 Range, so named in honor of the great 

 magazine which sends out this expedition, 

 lies farther inland and to the West of the 

 Clearwater. This range is also clad in per- 



