18 4 
FOREST AND Sx>..i2-AM. 
[March lo, igoo. 
ant hours were spent in lounging on the beach about a 
fire of driftwood, over which was cooked some bacon. 
Some of the men took the boat and went fishing, and 
caught a few rock cod, and in the middle of the after- 
noon the steamer came along and took the party on 
board, and they returned to Sitka, 
Five or six miles below Muir Glacier, on the east side 
of the inlet, it is practicable to climb -without too much 
labor to the crest of the pine-clad mountains. Their 
lower slopes are covered with a tangled mat of alder, 
through which it is not alwaj'S easy to pass, and the 
mountain is steep, so that it is a hard pull to get high 
■ enough tip its sides to reach the heavy green timber and 
the snow which lies under the forest. 
•One day before the ship left the Muir Inlet three 
hunters climbed that hill. Before leaving the flat at 
the inlet's level a marmot was seen sitting upright on a 
tall rock. It sat there, occasionally whistling, but with 
a weak cry, something like the noise made by a large 
penny trumpet, not with the volume and shrillness of 
the Rocky Mountain woodchuck, which sometimes 
whistles like a steam whistle, a positive shriek. One of 
the party, by a good shot, secured the specimen, which 
proved to be a male, very large, pale gray on tlie back 
and yellowish below. On the way up the liill many 
others wei"e seen, all of them whistling occasionally and 
sometimes chattering shrilly. Some looked intensely 
black, as they sat on the rocks, while others seemed yel- 
low. 
On reaching the green coniferous forest the trees were 
found to be of considerable size — from to inches to a 
foot in diameter. At the base, all these trees are slanted 
a little down the hill, this being apparently caused by the 
weight of the snow lying on them when the trees are 
young and slender. As soon as they become strong, 
however, the stems grow upward toward the light, and 
usually incline very slightly up the hill, so that the center 
of gravity of the tree is just over its base. Still further 
up the hill, where the snow grew deeper, the trees were 
larger. One was seen that was guessed to be 4 feet in 
diameter, and later one was measured that taped 116 
inches, or nearly 10 feet in circumference at the height of 
a man's head above the ground. 
Soon after entering the large green timber, as the 
party were climbing up over the snow, the characteristic 
smell of a bear was noticed, and some little time was 
spent in looking about for his tracks. Nothing was seen 
of him, and they went on, moving as quietly as possible 
and looking for tracks. Before long the hooting of a 
blue grouse was heard higher up the hill, and this 
sound was followed for some little distance, one of the 
party imagmiag that it was the noise made by a bear, 
though of course the cry would not deceive any one who 
had heard it before. 
Shortly after midday, high up on the mountain, they 
stopped in a group of heavy trees, where the ground was 
bare of snow, built a fire, cooked the tea and ate their 
lunch. After a pipe or two they set out again, but before 
going far one of the party announced that he had found 
a bear track. The track was a small one, made early 
that morning, and they followed it for a short distance 
until it turned and went straight down the hill toward 
the salt water. It was useless to follow it there, for it 
would be necessary to climb the cliffs again, and already 
they were late, if they were to meet the launch at the 
shore at the appointed time. Turning back to the crest 
of the hill, they came on another bear track, very fi^esh, 
apparently made within two hours. Both the tracks 
seen were those of small bears, the last a cub, and were 
quite different from those usually seen in the Rocky 
Mountains. The toes were widely spread and somewhat 
long, and gave to the track an appearance of roundness 
not commonly seen in bear tracks. Both bears were 
short-clawed animals, but whether they were black bears 
or glacier bears could not be determined. 
The climb down to the boat was long, steep and hard. 
Much of it was through alders and willows, and over 
slippery ground. On the way down the botanist cut 
through a spruce tree less than 4 inches in diameter, 
and counted in it 128 rings. It seemed hard to believe 
that a tree so small should be so old, and it is perhaps 
doubtful whether the rings always indicate a year of 
growth. 
Many marmots were seen sitting on the rocks, as they 
passed down the hill; often two sitting side by side. 
Numbers of those seen here were small and quite black 
in color. One of these when shot proved to be a female. 
It is very likely that among these animals there are two 
color phases, as among the woodchuck of the East, 
though the proportion of black ones here seemed much 
larger than usual, and all the black ones seemed small, 
while the yellow ones all seemed large. 
When they readied the shore the launch was gone, 
but a note was found stating that it would return before 
very long. Again a fire was built, and tea cooked. The 
launch returned about 7 o'clock, and after taking on her 
load, turned up the inlet. The tide was running down 
and the vessel kept close to the shore, so as to be out 
of the current. On the way gulls and cormorants were 
seen resting and apparently sleeping on the cliffs, as if 
at night, though of course the sun had not yet set. It 
is probable that the water fowl here sleep during the 
hours of night, even though it may be plain daylight. 
This is the case further north, as Mr. E. W. Nelson tells 
us; the difference^ in the actions of the birds between 
midday and midnight being very marked, even though 
there is little difference in the amount of daylight. 
In Yakutat Bay, June ig, besides a considerable party 
of botanists, bird men, foresters and mammal men, set 
ashore to collect specimens, two parties of hunters left 
the ship. In each of these there were four men and each 
party was provided with a tent, bedding and provisions 
for five or six days. About 2 o'clock in the afternoon 
two of these hunters left the ship in a little canvas canoe 
:and paddled off through the floating ice toward the dis- 
tant shore. In some places the bergs covered the water 
so thickly that some care was needed to avoid them, for 
it might_ easily happen that a sharp-pointed spear of ice 
might pierce the canvas of the frail canoe and cause a 
leak which could not be mended. Approaching the 
shore, however, they were at last within the line of 
jrrounded bergs, and in open water, where ice no longer 
need be feared. There was a good ground swell on, but 
very Ji uc surf, and the canoe, working in behind a 
bar, muvtd forward freely toward a little river which 
came in on the north side of the bay, where the two other 
members of the party had landed, and were now seen 
signaling. When the four had come together on the 
bank of this little river the baggage was transferred to 
the two canvas canoes, and preparations were made to 
follow up the stream, which in the season is a great resort 
for salmon. 
Before the start was made an Indian and his wife 
landed from their canoe and examined us and our prop- 
erty with some interest. Our intercourse with them was 
not very free, for they could talk no English, and we 
no Tlinkit. The Avoman made it evident, however, tliat 
she wished to trade a handkerchief full of gulls' eggs 
which she had, and after a little talk and many signs a 
bargain was made, by which she took away as many 
potatoes as she could carry and left her gulls' eggs. 
Later, when we came to cook these eggs, it developed 
that the woman had made the better bargain, for all the 
eggs except one contained young gulls of considerable 
size and substance. 
Proceeding up the stream, one man walked ahead tow- 
ing the canoe, while his companion walked beside it and 
kept it off the rocks. At first the way was easy, the 
water being of ample deptli, but rapids were soon en- 
countered and these constantly became more and more 
shallow. When a rapid was reached where there was so 
little water that the boat groinided, eacJi man would take 
a side of the canoe and lift or slide her up the rapid, 
taking care of course not to rub the bottom on the 
rocks, so as not to tear the canvas nor to wear it. As 
the stream was ascended the water grew more shoal and 
the work harder, and often it would be necessary for all 
four men to lift each canoe up a rapid. In the sand 
and gravel of the bars and beaches bear tracks were seen 
qtute often, but none very fresh. A pair of gadwall 
ducks flew over us up stream, and some black-throated 
divers down it toward the bay. A few small birds were 
se'en now and then in the brush along the stream. 
About half past ten camp was made in a little open 
park near some young cottonwoods, and there was wood 
and level ground. For some little time one of the boats 
had been making water badly, and when she was unloaded 
it appeared that she had been snagged by a sharp willow 
branch, and also had a stone hole, where the canvas was 
worn through. Until it had been well patched this boat 
was entirely unserviceable. 
This camp was not far from the southern edge of the 
Malaspina Glacier, which extends away seventy miles to 
the north, flowing down on the steep sides of Mount St. 
Elias. It is said to be 1,000 square miles in area. It 
no longer reaches the sea at Yakutat Bay, and a great 
forest grows at and upon its foot. 
It was midnight before camp had been made, supper 
cooked and we were ready to turn in, yet it was still 
plain daylight, and the birds were singing in the forest 
near by; but whether it was their evening or their morn- 
ing song we cotild not determine. 
After breakfast next morning the four started together 
on foot up the stream, which winds interminably and 
grows constantly smaller. Bear tracks were frequently 
seen. One of them was very fresh — that is, not more 
than twenty-four hours old, for the grass on which the 
heavy animal stepped had not yet begun to straighten 
itself. Frequently along the stream were seen old.salnion 
heads and. bones, showing where the year before bears 
had caught and eaten the fish. At present, however, 
bears were evidently feeding on grass. The level ground 
through which the stream flowed was overgrown with 
thick alderis, through which it was possible to pass, but 
only with a great deal of noise and breaking of 
sticks. 
At last the stream grew so narrow, deep and over- 
grown with alders that it was impossible conveniently 
to follow it any longer. The hunters, therefore, turned 
off toward the mountains, and soon one of them climbed 
a tree taller than the rest and looked over the country. 
He reported that the mountains were four or five miles 
distant, but that to the southeast was a belt of young 
Cottonwood trees, with more open country, through 
which it seemed likely that there would be easy traveling, 
either toward camp or away from -it. Pushing on 
toward this belt, a course was taken away from the 
camp, and at length tlie trees ended and the party 
emerged on the broad w^ash of a glacial stream running 
down from the mountains. The stream itself was t3ut 
30 or 40 feet wide, but deep and swift- running; but the 
washed area, which it evidently covered in tlie spring, 
was a quarter of a mile wide. A half mile above this point 
the great wash narrowed, and the rocky bed of the stream 
was followed up stpme distance further to a ])oint where 
it flowed between high hills and almost cafioned. The way 
grew more and more rough, and nothing living was seen, 
so that at length we turned about, followed the stream 
down to where we had left the brush, entered the wil- 
lows, and passing through the open country returned to 
camp. 
The afternoon was devoted to mending the canoes, 
painting their bottoms and turning them over to dry. 
The flowers about the camp were very beautiful. The 
showiest were great blue lupins, brilliant meadow pinks, 
violets, blue and yellow, aneinones and great beds of 
strawberries in bloom. A few warblers were heard — 
robins, thrushes and fox sparrows. Some Canada geese 
flew over the camp, and a red-tailed hawk; while toward 
evening a short-eared owl flew by. About 8 o'clock the 
sky grew lighter and the clouds lifted, so that a superb " 
view was had of the mountains about the beads of the 
Turner and Hubbard glaciers, with Vancouver, Cook 
and Hubbard plainly revealed. The last named was 
cov-ered with a mantle of snow, unbroken by any ex- 
posure of bare rock. The lower and nearer mountains 
were snow-capped only, and their sides were streaked 
with snow. _ The distant pure white masses of their 
summits, which seemed to support the sky, were im- 
pressive. 
The next day the canoes were put in the water and 
packed for the return to the beach, The way down was 
much easier than the ascent of the stream, though the 
water was apparently lower than before. One man led 
the vessel by a rope in the bow. and the other by means 
of a stern rope held back and guided it. On the shallow 
riffles a little lifting had to be done, but the water helpet, 
the boat forward. 
Passing over a long, deep pool, just before tide wate: 
was reached, a dozen great salmon were seen which hat 
just run up from the sea. Although we had carefuUj! 
looked for salmon going up we had seen none, and thi; 
was the beginning of the run. One of the party in thfl 
leading boat saw a fish working its way up a rapid and 
shot it. It was a beautiful lo-pound salmon — a femah 
that had spawned. The ball had not hit the fish, but thi; 
concussion had stunned it and enabled the men to cap- 
ture it un marred. 
For the last ftw hundred yards of the Journey we rode- 
in a canoe and paddled. Landing on the beach, lunch- 
eon was cooked, of which the salmon was the principal 
part. The wind blew strongly across the point, and here 
for the first time since landing there were no mosquitoes 
to trouble us. Across the stream and half a mile below 
we could see the tents occupied by the biologists, and a 
little later we crossed over and made our camp near 
them, but on the beach where the wind had free sweep. 
The collectors, who were in a sheltered place, had beeni 
ncarl.v devoured by mosquitoes. 
The evening was spent in hunting, and the next morn- 
ing the ship hove in sight, and shortly afterward we saw' 
two life boats coming to the shore. A little later the 
camps were broken up, the baggage loaded in the boats: 
and the party were soon pulling through the thick ice out 
to the ship. Many seals were seen during the row, some- 
times quite close to the boat; and many of the bergs, 
close to which we passed^ were covered with young 
Kittiwake gulls. 
When the hunters reached the ship they were received 
with the usual shouts of derision for their non-success, 
and many jests, not very witty to their minds, but greatly 
enjoyed by those who uttered them, were made at their' 
expense. To this, however, they were now becoming j 
accustomed. 
It appeared that the day previous the ship had en- 
tered Russell Fiord on the south side of Yakutat 
Bay, near its head; the first time that any large vessel , 
had entered this almost unknown arm of the sea. It is|j 
a place of magnificent scenery, walled ih on either hand 
by high mountains, down the slopes of which great 
glaciers pour their frozen currents, but at the head of the 
fiord — that is to say, toward the sea, for Russell Fiord 
turns to the west almost as soon as it is entered * 
and lies parallel to Yakutat Bay — the land is comparative- 
ly low, so much so that it was thought by the geologists . 
that at .some time in the not very distant past the lake 
which then filled Russell Fiord discharged into the 
ocean or else into Yakutat Bay, near where the village 
of Yakutat now stands. It was some poor satisfaction to 
the men who had been hunting on the little river to know i 
that the other parties who had been hunting, one on 
Yakutat Bay and another for bears at the head of Russell 
Fiord, had seen no game. G. B. G. 
Some Reminiscences of the Min- 
nesota National Park Excursion. 
For the last ten years, at ■ least, no man with phi- 
lanthropy in his make up has visited the Leech Lake 
region in Northern Minnesota without exclaiming, "Can 
not this always remain so, a pleasure ground for the : 
people for years to come? Can not this glorious pine be ' 
saved from the lumberman's axe?" 
Many have asked this question. Finally the women who. 1 
were fortunate enough to spend a few days camping iq 
that country began to ask the same question. When a ■ 
woman starts asking questions, as a rule, it leads to' 
something. ' ' 
They kept on asking questions individually until fin- 
ally the Federation of Women's Clubs began to ask 
questions, and kept at it until they had asked the Minne- 
sota State Legislature to memorialize Congress to set 
aside that beautiful Chippewa Indian Reservation as a 
park for the Nation. The legislature forthwith granted 
the request, and forthwith memorialized Congress. 
Women can't vote, but there are a few things that they 
can do if they once set out to do so. And now comes CoL 
Cooper, who likewise has fished and camped in that 
region. Finding that Congress had been memorialized, 
thinks it might be Avise to ask Congress to come and 
look at what the people are asking for. So he sets to 
work with the aid of a few trusty friends to ask Coij- 
gress to visit Minnesota and take a run into the pro- 
posed park region. 
It was a big proposition, perhaps, on the face of it, a 
ridiculous one, but then — well — nevertheless, that is what 
the Colonel and his friends did. They invited Congress 
to come and spend a few days in the primeval forests 
of Minnesota (incidentally to see what a pine forest 
looked like before the lumbermen got their last work 
in). To come and watch the bass and muscallonge 
sport in then* crystal homes, see the moose and deer 
flit among the noble pines, and hear the thunder of the 
millions of mallards as they arose from the wild rice 
beds for their morning flight. 
The Congi-essmen invited, then arose the question of 
transportation, lodging and refreshments, liquid and 
solid. 
The Colonel got on the right side of the Burlington — 
"the only" line out of Chicago for St. Paul, and they, 
agreed instanter to turn over their entire equipment of 
palace cars between Chicago and St. Paul, and, if neces- 
sary, draw at sight, a la John Allen, on the Pullman 
Company for more. They took good care to punctuate 
the fact that if one buffet car was not enough for the 
Congressmen they could have two; in fact, the Burling- 
ton were willing to put nothing but buffet cars on the 
train, omitting the .sleepers, if that would add to the 
joyousness and festivity of the occasion. The Burling- 
ton having "come down" royally, as is its wont always 
in any good cause, the Colonel tackled Mr, Hill, Presi- 
dent of the Great Northern Railway, sometimes known 
aft'ectionately around the Great Northern Castle at the 
foot of Third street as the "Old man." Well. I do not 
know how much of a foot-ball player the Colonel is, 
or whether he had himself well padded with front and 
rear guards when he tackled the "old man," but in he 
went— and the others, Whitney, Clark & Co., remained 
