260 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



vision (see color plates, pages 271 to 278, 

 inclusive). 



LIFK AT BAKED MOUNTAIN CAMP 



When we first camped in the valley, 

 in 191 7, we were so overawed by its 

 volcanoes that our guiding" maxim was 

 "safety first" ; but when we returned in 

 1919 we were willing to take a chance 

 and experiment with things we had not 

 dared attempt before. 



At the suggestion of the photographers, 

 the camp was placed at a corner of Baked 

 Mountain, close beside some of the big- 

 gest vents in the valley, in a situation that 

 commanded magnificent views of Mt. 

 Mageik and Mt. Martin, and was at the 

 same time convenient of access from all 

 directions (see map, page 227). 



Although this position proved unten- 

 able, as we afterward found from a 

 series of disastrous experiences, it per- 

 mitted camera men to secure some mag- 

 nificent photographs which could not 

 otherwise have been obtained. Pictorial 

 conditions in the valley are so dependent on 

 fleeting light effects that one cannot hope 

 to obtain the pictures he wants except 

 by camping on the spot and rushing out 

 with his camera at favorable moments. 



The light is usually best either early in 

 the morning or late at night. Our most 

 successful pictures were taken at these 

 times. The Alpine glow on the volcanoes 

 reproduced in its natural color on page 

 277 is limited to a few moments after 

 sunset, which in July occurs about 10 

 p. m. in the valley. 



ACID FROM THE "COOK-STOVF," £ATS THE) 

 POTS 



As far as the conveniences of the camp 

 were concerned, this location was all that 

 could be desired. The big fumaroles in 

 front furnished any degree of heat that 

 might be needed for cooking, while the 

 snowdrift directly behind the tents sup- 

 plied an abundance of good water, as well 

 as facilities for refrigeration. 



The different situation required meth- 

 ods of cooking somewhat different from 

 those we had employed previously. We 

 soon found that it was impossible to 

 hang a pot down into the fumaroles here, 

 as we had done before. The steam from 

 this group of fumaroles was highly 



charged with acid (either hydrochloric or 

 hydrofluoric), which in the course <>t a 



few minutes attacked the rope to such an 

 extent that it fell to pieces when we tried 

 to pull out the pot. More embarrassing 

 still was its effect on the pots themselves, 

 for it was not long before they developed 

 holes where the fumes had eaten away the 

 aluminum. 



Instead of attempting to hang the pots 

 into a fumarole, therefore, we dug holes 

 in the hot ground and banked Up the 

 steaming earth around them. The differ- 

 ent holes we used stood at different tem- 

 peratures, so that we were able to vary 

 our procedure according to the results 

 desired (see page 278). 



If on leaving in the morning we wished 

 to provide supper against our return, or 

 if we wished simply to keep a pot warm, 

 we would select a "slow" hole; but if we 

 were in a hurry for something, we would 

 put it into a hot place, where it would boil 

 away vigorously. 



In the hottest places our food would 

 burn up if left too long, just as when 

 cooked over a fire ; but a pot could be left 

 indefinitely in the slow holes without 

 harm. 



Once, when driven out by storm, we 

 found the oatmeal that had been put on 

 for breakfast in prime condition on our 

 return two days later. The wind had 

 been so fierce as to bury the pot entirely 

 in drifting pumice, so that it had to be 

 dug out with a spade; but it was none 

 the worse for having simmered away 

 nearly ten times as long as intended. 



With no temperature at our command 

 greater than that of ordinary steam, we 

 had been compelled in 191 7 to limit our 

 menu to boiled dishes; but the range of 

 temperature at Baked Mountain was great 

 enough to provide any sort of cookery we 

 might desire. 



CORN PONE A LA FUMAROLE 



The situation of the "cook-stove," 

 which made such varied temperatures 

 readily available in a short compass, was 

 characteristic of many areas in the val- 

 ley. It was located on the roof of one of 

 the great bridged-over fissures which en- 

 circle the margin of the valley. In several 

 places this fissure stood gaping open ten 

 feet wide — a great cleft, narrowing be- 



