"a5c867c7-8a2d-4ea5-abca-223b38f3dcaf"@en . "CONTENTdm"@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1557776"@en . "British Columbia Historical Books Collection"@en . "Wilcox, Walter Dwight, 1869-1949"@en . "2017-01-05"@en . "1897"@en . "\"Along with the works of John Palliser and George Mercer Dawson, this book is one of the best early sources of information on the Alberta-British Columbia border region.
Second edition: London, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1897. With map.
Also see entry ['The Rockies of Canada; a revised and enlarged edition of Camping in the Canadian Rockies'].\" -- Lowther, B. J., & Laing, M. (1968). A bibliography of British Columbia: Laying the foundations, 1849-1899. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria, p. 137."@en . ""@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcbooks/items/1.0340553/source.json"@en . "xiii, 283 pages : photographs, illustrations, map (folded) ; 26 cm"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " \nTHE LIBRARY\nTHE UNIVERSITY OF\nBRITISH COLUMBIA\nGift of\nUniversity of Toronto\n\u00C3\u00A0 Mount Assiniboine. CAMPING IN THE\nCANADIAN ROCKIES\nAN ACCOUNT OF CAMP LIFE IN THE WILDER PARTS OF\nTHE CANADIAN ROCKY MOUNTAINS, TOGETHER\nWITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE REGION ABOUT\nBANFF, LAKE LOUISE, AND GLACIER,\nAND A SKETCH OF THE EARLY\nEXPLORATIONS\nBY\nWALTER DWIGHT WILCOX\nSECOND EDITION, WITH MAP\nWITH TWENTY-FIVE FULL-PAGE PHOTOGRAVURES, AND MANY TEXT\nILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR\nG. P. PUTNAM'S SONS\nNEW YORK LONDON\n27 West Twenty-third Street 24 Bedford Street, Strand\n&\u00C2\u00A7t JLnitkubocker |)rcss\n1897\n*m Copyright, i8q6\nby\nG. P. PUTNAM'S SONS\nEntered at Stationers' Hall, London\nUbe Knickerbocker press, flew Borft\ni PREFACE.\nTHE Canadian Rocky Mountains offer exceptional\nattractions to those who enjoy natural scenery\u00C2\u00BB\nsport, and camp life. Few regions of the world\ncombining mountain, lake, and forest scenery possess the\nadditional advantage of a delightful summer climate, such\nas obtains in the Canadian Rockies.\nThe extremely wild character of this part of the Rocky\nMountains, and the very short time since it was opened\nup to travellers, are probably, in great part, the reasons\nfor the lack of literature and the absence of any thoroughly illustrated publication concerning this region.\nDuring a period of four years, the author has made\ncamping excursions into many of the wilder parts of the\nmountains and effected a considerable number of ascents.\nAn excellent camera has been an almost inseparable companion in every excursion, so that photographs of the\ntypical scenery have been obtained from every possible\npoint of view. Moreover, throughout all the processes of\nphotographing, no expense of time or labor has been\nspared in order to obtain true and artistic representations\nof nature. Nor have these results been obtained without iv Preface.\nconsiderable sacrifice, for in many cases the proper light\neffects on lakes and forests required hours of delay, and\nfrequently, on lofty mountain summits, high winds made\nit necessary to anchor the camera with stones ; while the\ncold and exposure of those high altitudes made the circumstances unfavorable for successful work.\nThe author makes grateful acknowledgment of the\nassistance received from many friends in the preparation\nof this book. Special thanks are due to Prof. J. H. Gore,\nof Columbian University, and to the Hon. Chas. D. Wal-\ncott, Director of the United States Geological Survey, for\nthe valuable aid and information given by them ; to M.\nGuillaume La Mothe for an interesting letter concerning\nthe first exploration of the Fraser River ; and to Sir\nWilliam Van Home for the many courtesies extended.\nWashington, D.C., July, 18\nW. D. W. CONTENTS.\nCHAPTER I.\nBanff\u00E2\u0080\u0094Its Location\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Village\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tourists\u00E2\u0080\u0094Hotels\u00E2\u0080\u0094Topography\nof the Region\u00E2\u0080\u0094Rundle and Cascade Mountains\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Devil's Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sir\nGeorge Simpson's journey to this Region\u00E2\u0080\u0094Peechee the Indian Guide\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nAn Indian Legend\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Missionary Rundle\u00E2\u0080\u0094Dr. Hector\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Climate\nof Banff\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Summer Snow-Storm\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Mountains in Winter I-I5\nCHAPTER II.\nLake Louise\u00E2\u0080\u0094First Impressions\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Abode of Perpetual Winter\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nThe Chalet\u00E2\u0080\u0094Visitors\u00E2\u0080\u0094Stirring Tales of Adventure\u00E2\u0080\u0094Primeval Forests\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nForest Fires\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mosquitoes and Bull-Dog Flies\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mortal Combats between\nWasps and Bull-dogs\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Old Chalet\u00E2\u0080\u0094Morning on the Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Approach\nof a Storm\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sublimity of a Mountain Thunder- Storm\u00E2\u0080\u0094Cloud Effects\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nThe Lake in October\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Magnificent Avalanche from Mount Lefroy\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nA Warning of Approaching Winter ...... 16\u00E2\u0080\u009435\nCHAPTER III.\nSurroundings of the Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Position of Mountains and Valleys\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The\nSpruce and Balsam Firs\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Lyall's Larch\u00E2\u0080\u0094Alpine Flowers\u00E2\u0080\u0094The\nTrail among the Cliffs\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Beehive, a Monument of the Past\u00E2\u0080\u0094Lake\nAgnes, a Lake of Solitude\u00E2\u0080\u0094Summit of the Beehive\u00E2\u0080\u0094Lake Louise in the\nDistant Future ......... 36-46 vi Contents.\nCHAPTER IV.\nOrganizing a Party for the Mountains\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our Plans for the Summer\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nWilliam Twin and Tom Chiniquy\u00E2\u0080\u0094Nature, Habits, and Dress of the\nStoney Indians\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Excursion on the Glacier\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Surface Debris and\nits Origin\u00E2\u0080\u0094Snow Line\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ascent of the Couloir\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Terrible Accident\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nGetting Down\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Exhausting Return for Aid\u00E2\u0080\u0094Hasty Organization of\na Rescue Party\u00E2\u0080\u0094Cold and Miserable Wait on the Glacier\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Unpleasant\nSurmises\u00E2\u0080\u0094\"I Think You Die\"\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Fortunate Termination . 47-64\nCHAPTER V.\nCastle Crags\u00E2\u0080\u0094Early Morning on the Mountain Side\u00E2\u0080\u0094 View from the\nSummit\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ascent of the Aiguille\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Avalanche of Rocks\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Glorious\nGlissade\u00E2\u0080\u0094St. Piran\u00E2\u0080\u0094Its Alpine Flowers and Butterflies\u00E2\u0080\u0094Expedition to\na?i Unexplored Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Thirsty Walk through the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Discovery\nof a Mountain Torrent\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Lake in the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Mountain Amphitheatre\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Saddle\u00E2\u0080\u0094Impressive View of Mount Temple\u00E2\u0080\u0094Summit of\nGreat Mountain\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Ascent in Vain\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Sudden Storm in the High Mountains\u00E2\u0080\u0094Phenomenal Fall of Temperature\u00E2\u0080\u0094Grand Cloud Effects, 65-83\nCHAPTER VI.\nParadise Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Mitre Glacier\u00E2\u0080\u0094Air Castles\u00E2\u0080\u0094Climbing to the\nCol\u00E2\u0080\u0094Dark Ice Caverns\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mountain Sickness\u00E2\u0080\u0094Grandeur of the Rock-\nPrecipices on Mount Lefroy\u00E2\u0080\u0094Summit of the Col at Last\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Glorious\nVision of a New and Beautiful Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Temple of Nature\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sudden\nChange of Weather\u00E2\u0080\u0094Temptation to Explore the New Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Precipitate Descent\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sudden Transition from Arctic to Temperate Conditions\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nDelightful Surroundings\u00E2\u0080\u0094Weary Followers\u00E2\u0080\u0094Overtaken by Night\u00E2\u0080\u0094A\nBivouac in the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Fire in the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Indian Sarcasm, 84\u00E2\u0080\u0094100\nCHAPTER VII.\nThe Wild Character of Paradise Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094Difficulties with Pack-\nHorses\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Remarkable Accident\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our Camp and Surroundings\u00E2\u0080\u0094Animal Contents.\nFriends\u00E2\u0080\u0094Midsummer Flowers\u00E2\u0080\u0094Desolation Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ascent of Hazel Peak\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Alpine Lake in a Basin of Ice\u00E2\u0080\u0094First Attempt to Scale Mount Temple\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our Camp by a Small Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Wild and Stormy Night\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Impassable\nBarrier\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Scene of Utter Desolation\u00E2\u0080\u0094All Nature Sleeps\u00E2\u0080\u0094Difficulties\nof Ascent\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Highest Point yet Reached in Canada\u00E2\u0080\u0094Paradise Valley in\nWinter\u00E2\u0080\u0094Farewell to Lake Louise ...... 101\u00E2\u0080\u0094118\nCHAPTER VIII.\nThe Selkirks\u00E2\u0080\u0094Geographical Position of the Range\u00E2\u0080\u0094Good Cheer of\nthe Glacier House\u00E2\u0080\u0094Charming Situation\u00E2\u0080\u0094Comparison between the Selkirks\nand Rockies\u00E2\u0080\u0094Early Mountain Ascents\u00E2\u0080\u0094Density of the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ascent of\nEagle Peak\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Magnificent Panorama\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Descent in Hie Darkness\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nAccount of a Terrible Experience on Eagle Peak\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Trails through the\nPoorest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Future Popularity of the Selkirks\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Forest Primeval\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nAn Epitome of Human Life\u00E2\u0080\u0094Age of Trees\u00E2\u0080\u0094Forests Dependent on\nHumidity . ....... 119-136\nCHAPTER IX. -\nMount Assiniboine\u00E2\u0080\u0094Preparations for Visiting it\u00E2\u0080\u0094Camp at Heely's\nCreek\u00E2\u0080\u0094Crossing the Simpson Pass\u00E2\u0080\u0094Shoot a Pack-Horse\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Delightful\nCamp\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Difficult Snow Pass\u00E2\u0080\u0094Burnt Timber\u00E2\u0080\u0094Nature Sounds\u00E2\u0080\u0094Discovery of a Beautiful Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Inspiring View of Mount Assiniboine\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nOur Camp at the Base of the Mountain\u00E2\u0080\u0094Summer Snow-Storms\u00E2\u0080\u0094Inaccessibility of Mount Assiniboine 137\u00E2\u0080\u0094157\nCHAPTER X.\nEvidence of Game\u00E2\u0080\u0094Discovery of a Mountain Goat\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Long Hunt\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nA Critical Moment\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Terrible Fall\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Unpleasant Experience\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nHabitat of the Mountain Goat\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Change of Weather\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Magnificent\nPanorama\u00E2\u0080\u0094Set out to Explore the Mountain\u00E2\u0080\u0094Intense Heat of a Forest\nFire\u00E2\u0080\u0094Struggling with Burnt Timber\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Mountain Bivouac\u00E2\u0080\u0094Hope and\nDespair\u00E2\u0080\u0094Success at Last\u00E2\u0080\u0094Short Rations\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Topography of Mount Assiniboine\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Vermilion River\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Wonderful Canyon\u00E2\u0080\u0094Fording the Bow\nRiver 158-182 Contents.\nCHAPTER XL\nThe Waputehk Range\u00E2\u0080\u0094Height of the Mountains\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Vast Snow Fields\nand Glaciers\u00E2\u0080\u0094journey up the Bow\u00E2\u0080\u0094Home of a Prospector\u00E2\u0080\u0094Causes and\nFrequency of Forest Fires\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Visit to the Lower Bow Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Muskegs \u00E2\u0080\u0094\nA Mountain Flooded with Ice\u00E2\u0080\u0094Delightful Scenes at the Upper Bow\nLake \u00E2\u0080\u0094 Beauty of the Shores \u00E2\u0080\u0094 Lake Trout \u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Great Bow\nGlacier ........... 183-204\nCHAPTER XII,\nSources of the Bow\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Little Fork Pass\u00E2\u0080\u0094Magnificence of the\nScenery\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mount Murchison\u00E2\u0080\u0094Camp on the Divide\u00E2\u0080\u0094A High Mountain\nAscent\u00E2\u0080\u0094Future of the Bow Lakes\u00E2\u0080\u0094Return down the Bow\u00E2\u0080\u0094Search for a\nPass\u00E2\u0080\u0094Remarkable Agility of Pack-H or ses\u00E2\u0080\u0094The u Bay\" and the \"Pinto \"\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mountain Solitudes\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mount Hector\u00E2\u0080\u0094Difficult Nature of Johnston\nCreek \u00E2\u0080\u0094 A Blinding Snow-Storm \u00E2\u0080\u0094 Forty-Mile Creek\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mount Edith\nPass 205-219\nCHAPTER XIII.\nHISTORICAL.\nOrigin and Rise of the Fur Trade\u00E2\u0080\u0094 I he Coureurs des Bois and the\nVoyageurs\u00E2\u0080\u0094Perils of the Canoe Voyages\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Hudson Bay Company and\nthe Northwest Company\u00E2\u0080\u0094Intense Rivalry\u00E2\u0080\u0094Downfall of the Northwest\nCompany\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sir Alexander Mackenzie\u00E2\u0080\u0094His Character and Physical Endowments \u00E2\u0080\u0094 Cook's Explorations \u00E2\u0080\u0094 Mackenzie Starts to Penetrate the\nRockies\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Peace River\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Marvellous Escape\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Pacific Reached\nby Land\u00E2\u0080\u0094Perils of the Sea and of the Wilderness . . . 220-236\nCHAPTER XIV.\nHISTORICAL.\nCaptain Cook's Explorations\u00E2\u0080\u0094The American Fur Company\u00E2\u0080\u0094First\nExploration of the Fraser River\u00E2\u0080\u0094Expedition of Ross Cox\u00E2\u0080\u0094Cannibalism\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Simplicity of a Voyageur\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sir George Simpson's Journey\u00E2\u0080\u0094Discovery Contents.\ni\nof Gold in 1858\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Palliser Expedition\u00E2\u0080\u0094Dr. Hector's Adventures-\nMilton and Clieadle\u00E2\u0080\u0094Growth of the Dominion\u00E2\u0080\u0094Railroad Surveys\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nConstruction of the Railroad\u00E2\u0080\u0094Historical Periods\u00E2\u0080\u0094Future Popularity\nof the Canadian Rockies . . . . . . 237~257\nCHAPTER XV.\nThe Pleasures of the Natural Sciences\u00E2\u0080\u0094Interior of the Earth\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nThickness of the Crust\u00E2\u0080\u0094Origin and Cause of Mountains\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Their Age atid\nSlow Growth\u00E2\u0080\u0094System in Mountain Arrangement\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Cordilleran System\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Canadian Rockies\u00E2\u0080\u0094Comparison with Other Mountain Regions\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nClimate\u00E2\u0080\u0094Cause of Chinook Winds\u00E2\u0080\u0094Effect of High Latitude on Sun and\nMoon\u00E2\u0080\u0094Principal Game Animals\u00E2\u0080\u0094Nature of the Forests\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mountain\nLakes\u00E2\u0080\u0094Camp Experiences\u00E2\u0080\u0094Effect on the Character . . 258-275\nIndex\n277-283\n^J FULL-PAGE PHOTOGRAVURES.\nMount Assiniboine\t\nBanff Springs Hotei\t\nBow River and Cascade Mountain\nLake Louise\t\nMount Lefroy and Mirror Lake\nLAKE AGNES (In early July, 1895)\nTOM CHINIQU Y (By courtesy of Mr. S. B. Thompson, New We\nFrontispiec\nMount Temple, from the Saddle\nDiscovery of Paradise Valley .\nCamp in Paradise Valley\nMount Sir Donald, from Eagle Peak\nHead of Rocky Mountain Sheep\nNorth Lake . . .\nSummit Lake, near Mount Assiniboine\nHead of Rocky Mountain Goat (shot juiy rs, ^5)\nTHE WAPUTEHK RANGE (Looking across the range from near I\n4\nIO\nl8\n38\n42\n50\n78\n92\nIO8\n126\n132\n152\n154\nI64\n184 mmm\nFull-Page Photogravures.\nMount Daly 192\nUpper Bow Lake (Looking east) 196\nUpper Bow Lake (Looking west) 200\nSource of the Little Fork of the Saskatchewan\nRiver 206\nStorm in Little Fork Valley ..... 208\nMount Hector and Slate Mountains\n(From summit of a mountain near Little Fork Pass, 10,125 feet in altitude) . 2IO\nCamp at Little Fork Pass 212\nUpper Bow Lake (Looking south) 270\nEmerald Lake and Mount Field .... 272 ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT.\nRundle Mountain and Bow River\nLAKE LOUISE Crooking toward chalet) .\nAnemones . \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 .\nA Cool Retreat in the Forest\nSummit of Mount Temple\nGlacier House\nPeyto ....\nPacking the Buckskin\nCalypso\nApproaching the Pass\nNORTH LAKE (Looking northwes\nHaunt of the Mountain Goat\nMount Assiniboine (From northwest)\nLake on Vermilion Pass\nReady to March\nCamp at Upper Bow Lake\nThe \" Bay \"...\nFalls of Leanchoil\n15\n31\n40\n75\n115\n120\n140\n142\n143\n149\n157\n165\n167\n181\n186\n202\n214\n249 CAMPING IN\nTHE CANADIAN ROCKIES.\nCHAPTER I.\nBanff-\u00E2\u0080\u0094Its Location\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Village\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tourists\u00E2\u0080\u0094Hotels\u00E2\u0080\u0094Topography\nof the Region\u00E2\u0080\u0094Rundle and Cascade Mountains\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Devil's Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sir\nGeorge Simpson's Journey to this Region\u00E2\u0080\u0094Peechee the Indian Guide\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nAn Indian Legend\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Missionary Rundle\u00E2\u0080\u0094Dr. Hector\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Climate\nof Banff\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Summer Snow-Storm\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Mountains in Winter.\nTHE principal resort of tourists and sportsmen in\nthe Rocky Mountains of Canada is Banff. The\nlocation of the town or village of Banff might be\nbriefly described as being just within the eastern-most\nrange of the Rocky Mountains, about one hundred and\nfifty miles north of the International boundary, or where\nthe Canadian Pacific Railway begins to pierce the complex system of mountains which continue from this point\nwestward to the Pacific coast.\nBanff is likewise the central or focal point of the\nCanadian National Park. There is so much of scenic\ninterest and natural beauty in the surrounding mountains\nand valleys, that an area of some two hundred and sixty \u00C3\u00AE\u00C3\u00AEiCTfmfff]\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nsquare miles has been reserved in this region by the government and laid out with fine roads and bridle-paths\nto points of special interest. Order is enforced by a body\nof men known as the Northwest Mounted Police, a detachment of which is stationed at Banff. This organization\nhas been wonderfully effective for many years past in\npreserving the authority of the laws throughout the vast\nextent of northwestern Canada by means of a number of\nmen that seems altogether insufficient for that purpose.\nThe small and scattered village of Banff occupies a\nflat plain near the Bow River. This large stream, the\nsouth branch of the Saskatchewan, one of the greatest\nrivers of North America, is at this point not only deep\narid swift but fully one hundred yards in width. A fine\niron bridge spans the river and leads to the various hotels\nall of which are south of the village. The permanent\npopulation numbers some half thousand, while the various\nstores, dwellings, and churches have a general air of neatness and by their new appearance suggest the fact that\nthe history of Banff extends back only one decade.\nDuring the summer season, the permanent population\nof Banff is sometimes nearly doubled by a great invasion\nof tourists and travellers from far distant regions. Overland tourists from India, China, Ceylon, and England, the\nvarious countries of Europe and the Dominion of Canada,\nbut chiefly from the United States, form the greater part\nof this cosmopolitan assemblage, in which, however,\nalmost every part of the globe is occasionally represented.\nSome are bent on sport with rod or gun ; others on Tourists. 3\nmountaineering or camping expeditions, but the great\nmajority are en route to distant countries and make Banff\na stopping-place for a short period.\nArrived at Banff, the traveller is confronted by a\nline of hack drivers and hotel employes shouting in loud\nvoices the names and praises of their various hotels.\nSuch sights and sounds are a blessed relief to the tourist,\nwho for several days has witnessed nothing but the\nboundless plains and scanty population of northwestern\nCanada. The chorus of rival voices seems almost a welcome back to civilization, and reminds one in a. mild\ndegree of some railroad station in a great metropolis.\nOn the contrary, the new arrival finds, as he is whirled\nrapidly toward his hotel in the coach, that he is in a mere\ncountry village surrounded on all sides by high mountains,\nwith here and there patches of perpetual snow near their\nlofty summits.\nThough the surrounding region, the adjacent mountains, and valleys represent nature in a wild and almost\nprimitive state, one may remain at Banff attended by all\nthe comforts of civilization. The several hotels occupy\nmore or less scattered points in the valley south from the\nvillaee. The one built and managed by the railroad\nstands apart from the village on an eminence overlooking\nthe Bow River. It is a magnificent structure capable of\naccommodating a* large number of guests. From the\nverandas and porches one may obtain a fine panoramic\nview of the surrounding mountains, and on the side\ntowards the river the view combines water, forest, and The Canadian Rockies.\nmountain scenery in a most pleasing manner. The Bow\nRiver, some three hundred feet below, comes in from the left\nand dashes in a snowy cascade through a rocky gorge, then,\nsweeping away towards the east, is joined by the Spray\nRiver, a mad mountain torrent deep and swift, but clear\nas crystal, and with cold water of that deep blue color\nindicating its mountain origin. The wonderful rapidity\nwith which these mountain streams flow is a source of\nastonishment and wonder to those familiar only with the\nsluggish rivers of lowland regions. Standing on the little iron bridge which carries the road across the stream\nand looking down on the water, I have often imagined I\nwas at the stern of an ocean greyhound, so rapidly does\neach ripple or inequality sweep under and away from the\neye. Though the water is less than a yard in depth, the\ncurrent moves under the bridge at the rate of from nine\nto ten miles an hour.\nThe best point from which to get a good general idea\nof the topography of Banff and its surroundings is from\nthe summit of a little hill known as Tunnel Mountain.\nIt is centrally located in the wide valley of the Bow, above\nwhich it rises exactly 1000 feet, an altitude great enough\nto make it appear a high mountain were it not dwarfed\nby its mighty neighbors. The view from the summit is\nnot of exceeding grandeur, but is well worth the labor of\nthe climb, especially as a good path, with occasional seats\nfor the weary, makes the walk an easy one. The top of\nthe mountain is still far below the tree line, though the\nearth is too thin to nourish a rich forest. The soil was Banff Springs Hotel. 1 View from Tunnel Mountain.\nall carried away in the Ice Age, for there are abundant\nproofs that this mountain was once flooded by a glacier\ncoming down the Bow valley. The bare limestone of the\nsummit is grooved in great channels pointing straight up.\nthe Bow valley. In some places scratches made by the ice\nare visible, and there are many quartz boulders strewed\nabout which have been carried here from some distant\nregion.\nThe meandering course of the Bow River, the village,\nthe hay meadows and grassy swamps, all form a pretty\npicture in the flat valley below. The eastern face of\nTunnel Mountain is wellnigh perpendicular. The trail\nleads along near the summit and allows thrilling views\ndown the sheer precipice to the flat valley of the Bow\nRiver far below. The trees and prominent objects of the\nlandscape seem like toys, and the adjacent plains resemble\na colored map. There are no houses or dwellings in view\non this side, but a drove of horses grazing contentedly in\na pasture near the river, awaiting their turn to be sent out\ninto the mountains in the pack train of some sportsman\nor mountaineer, gives life and animation to the scene.\nOn either side are two high mountains, conspicuous by\ntheir unusual outlines and great altitude. The one to\nthe south is Rundle Mountain. It rises in a great curving\nslope on its west side, and terminates in a rugged escarpment with precipitous cliffs to the-east, which tower in\nwonderful grandeur more than 5000 feet above the flood\nplains of the Bow River near its base.\nOn the opposite side is Cascade Mountain, which is\nremarkable in being of almost identical height, and is in 6 The Canadian Rockies.\nfact just two feet lower, as determined by the topographical survey. The name .of this mountain was given by\nreason of a large stream which falls from ledge to ledge\ndown the cliffs of its eastern face in a beautiful cascade.\nBoth this and Rundle Mountain are composed of the old\nDevonian and Carboniferous limestones, the strata of\nwhich are plainly visible. The structure is that of a\ngreat arch or anticline which has been completely overturned, so that the older beds are above the newer.\nSeveral miles towards the east, the end of Devil's Lake\nmay be seen appearing through a notch in the mountains.\nA fine road nine miles in length has been made to this\nlake and is one of the most popular drives in the vicinity\nof Banff. The lake is very long and narrow, about nine\nmiles in length by three fourths of a mile in extreme\nbreadth. The scenery is grand, but rather desolate, as the\nbare mountain walls on either side of the lake are not\nrelieved by forests or abundant vegetation of any kind.\nThe lake is, however, a great resort for sportsmen as it\nabounds in large trout, of which one taken last year\nweighed thirty-four pounds. The name of the lake gives\nillustration of the tendency among savages and civilized\npeople to dedicate prominent objects of nature to the\ninfernal regions or the master spirit thereof. There is no\napparent limit to the number of places named after the\nDevil and his realm, while the names suggested by more\ncongenial places are conspicuous by their absence. The\noriginal name, Lake Peechee, was given by Sir George\nSimpson in honor of his guide.\n-5i\u00C3\u00AE*u_ Sir George Simpson. 7\nThe scattered threads of history which relate to this\npart of the Rocky Mountains are suggested by these\nnames and indeed this lake has an unusual interest for this\nreason. In a region where explorations have been very\nfew and far between, and where only the vague traditions\nof warlike events among the Indians form a great part of\nthe history, each fragment and detail set forth by the old\nexplorers acquires an increased interest.\nPrevious to the arrival of the railroad surveyors, the\nchief men on whom our attention centres are Sir George\nSimpson, Mr. Rundle, and Dr. Hector.\nThe expedition of Sir George Simpson possesses much\nof interest in every way. He claims to have been the first\nman to accomplish an overland journey around the world\nfrom east to west. After having traversed the greater\npart of the continent of North America, he entered the\nstupendous gates of the Rocky Mountains in the autumn\nof 1841. He travelled with wonderful rapidity, and was\nwont to cover from twenty to sixty miles a day, according\nto the nature of the country. His outfit consisted of a\nlarge band of horses, about forty-five in number, attended\nby cooks and packers sufficient for the needs of this great\nexpedition. Nevertheless the long cavalcade of animals,\nwhen spread out in Indian file along the narrow trails were\ndifficult to manage, and it not infrequently happened that\non reaching camp several horses proved to be missing, a\nfact which would necessitate some of the men returning\nfifteen or twenty miles in search of them.\nPassing to the south of the Devil's Head, a remark- The Canadian Rockies.\nable and conspicuous mountain which may be recognized\nfar out on the plains, Sir George Simpson entered the\nvalley occupied by the lake. In this part of his journey\nhe was guided by a half-breed Indian named Peechee,-a\nchief of the Mountain Cr\u00C3\u00A9es. Peechee lived with his wife\nand family on the borders of this lake, and Simpson\nnamed it after him, a name, however, which never\ngained currency. Dr. Dawson transferred the name to\na high mountain south of the lake, and substituted the\nIndian name of Minnewanka, or in English, Devil's Lake.\nThe guide Peechee seems to have possessed much\ninfluence among his fellows, and whenever, as was often\nthe case, the Indians gathered around their camp-fires\nand gossiped about their adventures, Peechee was listened\nto with the closest attention on the part of all. Nothing\nmore delights the Indians than to indulge their passion for\nidle talk when assembled together, especially when under\nthe soothing and peaceful influence of tobacco,\u00E2\u0080\u0094a fact\nthat seems strange indeed to those who see them only\namong strangers, where they are wont to be remarkably\nsilent.\nA circumstance of Indian history connected with the\neast end of the lake is mentioned by Sir George Simpson,\nand admirably illustrates the nature of savage warfare.\nA Cr\u00C3\u00A9e and his wife, a short time previously, had been\ntracked and pursued by five Indians of a hostile tribe into\nthe mountains to a point near the lake. At length they\nwere espied and attacked by their pursuers. Terrified by\nthe fear of almost certain death, the Cr\u00C3\u00A9e advised his wife An Indian Legend. 9\nto submit without defending herself. She, however, was\npossessed of a more courageous spirit, and replied that as\nthey were young and had but one life to lose they had\nbetter put forth every effort in self-defence. Accordingly\nshe raised her rifle and brought down the foremost warrior\nwith a well aimed shot. Her husband was now impelled\nby desperation and shame to join the contest, and mortally wounded two of the advancing foe with arrows.\nThere were now but two on each side. The fourth warrior had, however, by this time reached the Cree's wife and\nwith upraised tomahawk was on the point of cleaving her\nhead, when his foot caught in some inequality of the\nground and he fell prostrate. With lightning stroke the\nundaunted woman buried her dagger in his side. Dismayed by this unexpected slaughter of his companions,\nthe fifth Indian took to flight after wounding the Cr\u00C3\u00A9e in\nhis arm.\nRundle Mountain, which has been already mentioned\nand which forms one of the most striking mountains in\nthe vicinity of Banff, is named after a Wesleyan missionary who for many years carrried on his pious labors\namong the Indians in the vicinity of Edmonton. Mr.\nRundle once visited this region and remained camped for\na considerable time near the base of Cascade Mountain,\nprobably shortly after Sir George Simpson explored this\nregion. The wt>rk of Mr. Rundle among the Indians\nappears to have been highly successful, if one may judge\nby the present condition of the Stoneys, who are honest,\ntruthful, and but little given to the vices of civilization. ^ fHM\u00C3\u008A\u00C3\u008A\u00C3\u008BmnrmKmnmm\nnmswsmm\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nEven to this day the visitor may see them at Banff\ndressed in partly civilized, partly savage attire, or on rare\noccasions decked out in all the feathers and beaded belts\nand moccasins that go to make up the sum total of savage\nsplendor.\nOur attention comes at last to Dr. Hector, who was\nconnected with the Palliser expedition. It is exceedingly unfortunate that the blue-book in which the vast\namount of useful information and interesting adventure\nconnected with this expedition is so clearly set forth\nshould be now almost out of print. There are no available copies in the United States or Canada and but very\nfew otherwise accessible. Dr. Hector followed up the\nBow River and passed the region now occupied by Banff\nin the year 1858. He was accompanied by the persevering and ever popular botanist, Bourgeau. Under the\nmagic spell of close observation and clear description, the\nmost commonplace affairs assume an unusual interest in\nall of Dr. Hector's reports. It is very evident that\ngame was much more abundant in those early days than\nat present. For instance, Dr. Hector's men shot two\nmountain sheep near the falls of the Bow River, which are\nbut a few minutes'walk from the hotel. Likewise when\nmaking a partial ascent of the Cascade Mountain, Dr.\nHector came on a large herd of these noble animals, concerning which so many fabulous tales of their daring leaps\ndown awful precipices have been told. He also mentions\nan interesting fact about the death of a mountain goat.\nAn Indian had shot a goat when far up on the slope of Bow River and Cascade Mountain. iggg\u00C2\u00A7g ^\"\"^fl^iJMJi^^^^g^^^^i^^g^B^yg^^^^^^^^^^^\nmm 1\nThe Climate of Banff. 11\nCascade Mountain, but the animal, though badly wounded,\nmanaged to work its way around to some inaccessible\ncliffs near the cascade. Here the poor animal lingered\nfor seven days with no less than five bullets in its body,\ntill at length death came and it fell headlong down the\nprecipice.\nThe climate of Banff during the months of July and\nAugust is almost perfection. The high altitude of 4500\nfeet above the sea-level renders the nights invariably cool\nand pleasant, while the mid-day heat rarely reaches 8o\u00C2\u00B0 in\nthe shade. There is but little rain during this period\nand in fact there are but two drawbacks,\u00E2\u0080\u0094mosquitoes and\nforest-fire smoke. The mosquitoes, however, are only\ntroublesome in the deep woods or by the swampy tracts\nnear the river. The smoke from forest fires frequently\nbecomes so thick as to obscure the mountains and veil\nthem in a yellow pall through which the sun shines with\na weird light.\nAn effect of the high northern latitude of this part of\nthe Rocky Mountains is to make the summer days very\nlong. In June and early July the sun does not set till\nnine o'clock, and the twilight is so bright that fine print\ncan be read out doors till eleven o'clock, and in fact there\nis more or less light at midnight.\nIn June and September one never knows what to\nexpect in the way of weather. I shall give two examples\nwhich will set forth the possibilities of these months,\nthough one must not imagine that they illustrate the\nordinary course of events. In the summer of 1895, The Canadian Rockies.\nafter having suffered from a long period of intensely hot\nweather in the east, I arrived at Banff on the 14th of\nJune. It was snowing and the station platform was cov-,\nered to a depth of six inches. The next day, however,\nI ascended Tunnel Mountain and found a most extraordinary combination of summer and winter effects. The\nsnow still remained ten or twelve inches deep on the\nmountain sides, though it had already nearly disappeared\nin the valley. Under this wintry mantle were many varieties of beautiful flowers in full bloom, and, most conspicuous of all, wild roses in profusion, apparently uninjured\nby this unusually late snow-storm. I made a sad discovery near the top of the mountain. Seeing a little bird\nfly up from the ground apparently out from the snow,\nI examined more closely and observed a narrow snow-.\ntunnel leading down to the ground. Removing the\nsnow I found a nest containing four or five young birds\nall dead, their feeble spark of life chilled away by the\ndamp snow, while the mother bird had been, even when\nI arrived, vainly trying to nurse them back to life.\nThis storm was said to be very unusual for the time\nof year. The poplar trees in full summer foliage suffered\nseverely and were bent down to the ground in great\narches, from which position they did not fully recover\nall summer, while the leaves were blighted by the frost.\nAs a general rule, however, mountain trees and herbs\npossess an unusual vitality, and endure snow and frost or\nprolonged dry weather in a remarkable manner. The\nvarious flowers which were buried for a week by this late. Itl\nThe Mountains in Winter.\nstorm appeared bright and vigorous after a few warm\ndays had removed the snow.\nToward the end of September, 1895, there were two\nor three days of exceptionally cold weather, the thermometer recording 6\u00C2\u00B0 Fahrenheit one morning. I made\nan ascent of Sulphur Mountain, a ridge rising about\n3,000 feet above the valley, on the coldest day of that\nperiod. The sun shone out of a sky of the clearest\nblue without a single cloud except a few scattered wisps\nof cirrus here and there. The mountain summit is covered with a few straggling spruces which maintain a bare\nexistence at this altitude. The whole summit of the\nmountain, the trees, and rocks were covered by a thick\nmantle of snow, dry and powdery by reason of the severe\ncold. The chill of the previous night had condensed a\nbeautiful frost over the surface of the snow everywhere.\nShining scales of transparent ice, thin as mica and some\nhalf-inch across, stood on edge at all possible angles and\nreflected the bright sunlight from thousands of brilliant\nsurfaces. This little glimpse of winter was even more\npleasing than the view from the summit, for the mountains near Banff do not afford the mountain climber grand\npanoramas or striking scenery. They tend to run in long\nregular ridges, uncrowned by glaciers or extensive snow-\nfields.\nA never failing source of amusement to the residents\nof Banff, as well as to those more experienced in mountain\nclimbing, is afforded by those lately arrived but ambitious\ntourists who look up at the mountains as though they The Canadian Rockies.\nwere little hills, and proceed forthwith to scale the very\nhighest peak on the day of their arrival. A few years\nago some gentlemen became possessed of a desire to\nascend Cascade Mountain and set off with the intention\nof returning the next day at noon. Instead of following\nthe advice of those who knew the best route, they would\nhave it that a course over Stoney Squaw Mountain, an\nintervening high ridge, was far better. They returned\nthree days later, after having wandered about in burnt\ntimber so long that, begrimed with charcoal, they could\nnot be recognized as white men. It is not known whether\nthey ever so much as reached the base of Cascade Mountain, but it is certain that they retired to bed upon arriving at the hotel and remained there the greater part of\nthe ensuing week.\nCascade Mountain, however, is a difficult mountain\nto ascend, not because there are steep cliffs or rough\nplaces to overcome, but because almost every one takes\nthe wrong slope. This leads to a lofty escarpment, and\njust when the mountaineer hopes to find himself on the\nsummit, the real mountain appears beyond, while a great\ngulf separates the two peaks and removes the possibility\nof making the ascent that day.\nBanff, with its fine drives and beautiful scenery, its\nluxurious hotels and delightful climate, will ever enjoy\npopularity among tourists. The river above the falls is\nwide and deep and flows with such gentle current as to\nrender boating safe and delightful. The Vermilion lakes,\nwith their low reedy shores and swarming wild fowl, offer Vermilion Lakes.\n15\ncharming places for the canoe and oarsman, at least when\nthe mosquitoes, the great pest of our western plains and\nmountains, temporarily disappear. Nevertheless, the climate of Banff partakes of the somewhat dryer nature of\nthe lesser and more eastern sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains. There is not sufficient moisture to nourish the\nthe higher ranges to the west, which in imagination we\nshall visit in the ensuing chapters.\nRUNDLE MOUNTAIN AND BOW RIVER. nrnr\u00C3\u00AEiiiiiimm\nmmmtmmmsf8888\nCHAPTER II.\nLake Louise\u00E2\u0080\u0094First Impressions\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Abode of Perpetual Winter\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nThe Chalet\u00E2\u0080\u0094Visitors\u00E2\u0080\u0094Stirring Tales of Adventure\u00E2\u0080\u0094Primeval Forests\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nForest Fires\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mosquitoes and Bull-Dog Flies\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mortal Combats between\nWasps and Bull-Dogs\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Old Chalet\u00E2\u0080\u0094Morning on the Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Approach\nof a Storm\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sublimity of a Mountain Thunder-Storm\u00E2\u0080\u0094Cloud Effects\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nThe Lake in October\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Magnificent Avalanche from Mt. Lefroy\u00E2\u0080\u0094A\nWarning of Approaching Winter.\nLAKE LOUISE is one of the most beautiful\nsheets of water in the Canadian Rockies. Many\nwho have travelled extensively say it is the\nmost charming spot they have ever beheld. The lake\nis small, but there is a harmonious blending of grandeur\nand quiet beauty in the surrounding mountains which\nin some way makes a perfect picture out of lofty snow\npeaks in the distance and dark forested slopes near at\nhand.\nThe lake is a little more than a mile long and about\none fourth of a mile wide. The outline is remarkably\nlike that of the left human foot. Forests come down\nnearly to the water's edge on all sides of the lake, but\nthere is a narrow margin of rough angular stones where\nthe ripples from the lake have washed out the soil and\n16 First Impressions.\nW\neven undermined the trees in some places. The water is\na blue-green color, so clear that the stones on the bottom and the old water-logged trunks of trees, long since\nwrested from the shores by storms and avalanches, may\nbe discerned even in several fathoms of water. The lake\nis 230 feet deep in the centre, and the bottom slopes down\nvery suddenly from the shores.\nThe west shore makes a gently sinuous or wavy line,\nforming little bays and capes. Ever new and artistic\nforegrounds are thus presented, with the forest making a\nretreating line of vegetation down the shore. Nothing\ncould be more beautiful than this border of the lake,\nrough and tangled though it is, with a strange mingling\nof sharp boulders and prostrate trees covered with moss\nand half concealed by copses of alder bushes and flowering\n-shrubs.\nI shall never forget my first view of Lake Louise.\nFrom the station, the old trail, constantly ascending as it\napproaches the lake, leads its irregular course through\nthe forest. After a walk of nearly three miles, partial\nglimpses of the lake and surrounding mountains were\nobtained from among the tall spruce trees. A short\nrapid descent of a small ridge placed us on the borders\nof the lake.\nIt would be difficult indeed to give even a partial description of the scene. Imagine a cool morning with the\nrising sun just beginning to touch the surface of a mountain lake. The air is tranquil and calm so that the glassy\n.surface of the water mirrors the sky and mountains per- mmmnmHmmmmm\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nfectly. In the realm of sound, too, all is repose but for the\ncall of birds near at hand among the balsam trees. From\nthe shores of the lake an either side rise great mountains,\nshowing cliffs and rocky ledges or long sweeping slopes\nof forest to the tree line. Higher still are bare slopes,\ncrags, ledges, and scattered areas of snow. At the end\nof the lake a great notch in the nearer mountains reveals\nat a distance the wall-like, lofty mass of Mount Lefroy.\nThis most imposing snowy mountain stands square across\nthe gap, and with a sharp serrated cliff piercing the very\nvault of heaven, shuts off the view and forms the most\nconspicuous object of all. The lower part of the mountain is a vertical cliff or precipice where the longitudinal\nstrata are distinctly visible. Above, rise alternating slopes\ncovered with perpetual snow and hanging glaciers, the\nwhite-blue ice of which is splintered by deep rents and\ndark yawning crevasses. This mountain forms part of\nthe continental water-shed, for on the other side the melting snows finally reach the Pacific Ocean, while on the\nnear side the snows swept into the valleys by avalanches,\nand melted by the warmer air of lower altitudes, find their\nway at length into the Saskatchewan River and Hudson\nBay.\nThere is something wonderfully attractive about this\nmountain. The pleasure grows as one continues to gaze\nat the immense mass ; harsh and stern and cold though it\nbe, it excites awe and wonder as though here were the\nrocky foundation and substratum of the globe. This is\nthe abode of perpetual winter, where ice and snow and Lake Louise. wmmmmsmmmBasasBa 1\nMountain Flowers. 19\nbleak rocks exist apart. Here all is grand but menacing,\ndangerous, and forbidding. And these high mountains and\ndeep valleys, suggesting that some awful storm at sea had\nbecome petrified into colossal waves to stand at rest forever, have been carved out by rain and running water, frost\nand change of temperature, through the lapse of countless ages.\nOur attention finally came to the quiet beauty of the\nsurrounding vegetation, where among the scattered skirmishers of the forest are flowering shrubs, and in the more\nopen grassy places forming the swampy borders of the\nlake, are many bright flowers. The white mountain anemones in several varieties, the familiar violets, the yellow\ncolumbine with beautiful pendent blossoms claiming relationship to its Eastern cousin with scarlet flowers, the\nfragrant spiranthes, and orchids with pale-green flowers,\nresembling insects on a leafy stem, may all be seen in\nprofusion near the north side of the lake. These humble\nherbs, with their gaudy coloring, are the growth of a single season, but on all sides are copses of bushy plants\nwhich endure the long winter, some of them clad in a garb\nof evergreen and, like the annual plants, bearing elegant floral creations. The most conspicuous is the sheep\nlaurel, a small bush adorned with a profusion of crimson-\nred flowers, each saucer-shaped, hanging in corymbs\namong the small green leaves. Various shrubs with\nwhite flowers, some small and numerous, others large and\nscattered, make a contrast to the ever present laurel, while\nthe most beautiful of all is a species of mountain rhodo- %asg#ssaa\n20\nThe Canadian Rockies.\ndendron, a large bush, the most elegant among the mountain heaths, with large white flowers in clustered umbels.\nIn early July this bush may be found, here and there, scattered sparingly in the forest in full blossom at the level\nof Lake Louise, but after this one must seek ever higher\non the mountain side as the advancing summer creeps to\naltitudes where spring is later.\nThe early morning visitor turns with sharpened appetite to the hotel, if we may call it such,\u00E2\u0080\u0094a little Swiss chalet\nof picturesque architecture built on an eminence in full view\nof the lake. Here the tourist may live in rustic comfort for\na day, or for weeks, should he desire to prolong his visit.\nTourists come sparingly to Lake Louise. Unlike\nBanff with its varied attractions, there is little here outside of nature, and few have the power to appreciate\nnature alone. Of those who do come, only a small\nnumber really see the lake with its forests and mountains\ncombined in exquisite attractiveness. They see the outlines of mountains, but know not whether they are near\nor distant, nor whether their scale is measured in yards or\nmiles ; they see the water of the lake, but not the reflections in it, the ever changing effects of light and shade,\nsun and shadow, ripple and calm. There are trees tall\nand slender, but whether they be spruce or pine, larch or\nhemlock, is all the same ; and as to the flowers\u00E2\u0080\u0094some are\ndifferently colored from others.\nA visitor to the lake once asked in good faith, apparently, if the mountains at the head of the lake were not\nwhite from chalk ; another, why the water of the stream \u00C3\u00AF\nVisitors. 21\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094which leads out from the lake and rushes in roaring\ncascades over its rocky channel toward the Bow River\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nruns so fast down hill.\nFortunately, however, those who are not blessed with\nthat ever present source of pleasure, a love for nature, at\nleast to a slight degree, are exceptional. Nevertheless,\nthat most people lose much pleasure from a lack of close\nobservation is often painfully evident. I have seen, altogether, several hundred tourists arrive at the lake, coming\nas they do in small parties, or singly, from day to day,\nand have found it a very interesting study to observe\ntheir first impressions as the lake bursts on their view.\nSome remain motionless studying the details of the scene,\nusually devoting their chief attention to the lake and forests, but less to the mountains, for mountains are the least\nappreciated of all the wonders of nature, and are not fully\nrevealed except after years of experience. Others glance\nbriefly and superficially towards the lake, and rush hastily\ninto the chalet for breakfast, balancing their love for\nnature against hunger for material things in uneven scale.\nSome remain a week or ten days, but the great majority\nspend a single day and leave, feeling that they have exhausted the charms of the place in so short a time. A single\nday amid surroundings where there are such infinite possibilities of change in cloud and storm, heat and cold, the\ndazzling glare of noon, or the calm romantic light of a\nfull moon, and the slow progress of tire seasons, gives but\none picture, a single mood from out a thousand, and it\nmay perchance be the very worst of all. The Canadian Rockies.\nUpon climbing the steps to the open porch of the\nchalet and entering the large spacious sitting-room, the.\neye falls at once on a fireplace of old-time proportions,\nand within its walls of brick, huge logs are burning, with\nmore vigor indeed but hardly less constancy than the\nancient fires of the Vestal Virgins. Round this spacious\nhearth visitors and guests gather, for the air at Lake\nLouise is always sharp at morning and evening. Indeed,\nfrosts are not rare throughout the summer and may occur\nany week even in July and August. The high altitude of\nthe lake, which is a little more than 5600 feet above\nsea-level, is in great part the cause of this bracing\nweather. On the hottest day that I have ever seen at the\nlake in the course of three summers the thermometer\nregistered only 780.\nThe visitors who come to Lake Louise are of the same\ncosmopolitan character and varied nationality as those at\nBanff. Often of a cold night have I sat by the large fire,\nour only source of light, and listened to tales of adventure\ntold by those who have visited the most distant and unfrequented parts of the earth. Englishmen, who have\nspent the best years of their life in India, were among\nour entertainers, and while beverages varying in nature\naccording to nationality or tastes of each were passed\naround, I have heard thrilling accounts of leopard and\ntiger hunts in the jungle, blood-curdling tales of treachery\nand massacre or daring exploits in the Indian wars, and\nrare experiences in unknown parts of Cashmere and\nThibet. Primeval Forests.\n23\nThough the great majority of visitors to the lake are\nstrangers, there are some half-dozen whose familiar faces\nreappear each successive season ; like pilgrims they make\nthis region the termination of a long annual journey, and\nhere worship in \" temples not built by human hands.\"\nAmong these lovers of nature, far distant England and\nCeylon are represented no less than the nearer cities of\nthe United States. The peculiar charms of this locality\npresent an inexhaustible treasurehouse of delightful experiences that grow by familiarity. One's impressions of\nthe beauty of the lake increase year by year as the full\nmeaning of each detail becomes more thoroughly appreciated.\nA fact of great importance, which goes far to make up\nthe ensemble of the surroundings of Lake Louise, is the\nperfect condition of the forests, which rise in uniform,\nswelling slopes of dark-green verdure from the rocky\nshores of the lake far up the mountain sides to those\nhigh altitudes where the cold air suggests an eternal winter\nand dwarfs the struggling trees into mere bushes. The\nfrequent forest fires, which have wrought so much destruction throughout the entire Canadian Rockies, have not as\nyet swept through this valley. The great spruces and\nbalsams of this primeval forest indicate by their size that\nfor hundreds of years no fire has been through this region.\nSome large tree stumps near the chalet show hundreds of\nrings, and one that I counted started to grow in the year\n1492, when Columbus set forth to discover the western\nworld. 24 s The Canadian Rockies.\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 Nevertheless, on hot days after a long period of dry\nweather, when the air is laden with the fragrant odor of\nthe dripping balsam and of the dry resin hardened in yellow\ntears on the scarred trunks of the trees, and when the\ndead lower branches hung with long gray moss seem to\noffer all the most combustible materials, one feels certain\nthat the slightest spark would result in a terrible conflagration. Apparently, however, the past history of this\nvalley has never recorded a fire, whether started by careless Indian hunters or that frequent cause, lightning.\nSo far as I am aware, there are no layers of buried charcoal or reddened soil under the present forest which\nwould indicate an ancient fire.\nSome years ago\u00E2\u0080\u0094apparently more than twenty,\u00E2\u0080\u0094a\nfire destroyed the forest near the station of Laggan, which\nis less than two miles from the lake in a straight line.\nThe fire approached within a mile of the lake and then\ndied out. There are two causes which will always tend\nto preserve these beautiful forests if the visitors are not\ncareless and counteract them. The prevalent wind is out\nof the valley toward the Bow valley, so that a fire would\nnaturally be swept away from the lake. Another cause\nis the natural moisture of this upland region. The very\nluxuriance of the vegetation indicates this, while in the early\nmorning the whole forest often seems reeking with moisture, even when there has been no rain for weeks. The\nchill of night appears to condense a heavy dew under the\ntrees and moistens all the vegetation, so that the forest\nrarely becomes so exceedingly dry as often happens in\nwide valleys at lower altitudes. Mosquitoes and Bull-Dogs. 25\nThough the scenery and climate at Lake Louise seem\nalmost ideally perfect during the summer time, nature\nalways renders compensation in some form or other, and\nnever allows her creatures to enjoy complete happiness.\nThe borders of the lake and the damp woods breed myriads\nof mosquitoes, which conspire to annoy and torture both\nman and beast. They appear early in spring and suddenly vanish about the 15th or 20th of August each year.\nThe chill of night causes them to disappear about ten\no'clock in the evening, not to be seen again until the\natmosphere begins to grow warm in the morning sun.\nAnother insect pest is a species of fly called the \" bulldog,\" a name suggested by its ferocious bite. These\nlarge insects are about an inch in length and are armed\nwith a formidable set of saws with which they can rapidly\ncut a considerable hole through the skin of a man or the\nhide of a horse. The bull-dogs frequent the valleys of the\nCanadian Rockies, varying locally in their numbers, and\nseem to prefer low altitudes and a considerable degree\nof heat, for they are always most voracious and numerous\non hot dry days. These flies, when numerous, will almost\nmake a horse frantic. Their bite feels like a fiery cinder\nslowly burning through the skin, but fortunately they do\nnot cause much trouble to man, for they are led by instinct\nto seek the rough surfaces of animals and almost invariably\nlight on the clothes instead of the hands or face. They\nhave a most blood-thirsty and cruel enemy in the wasp,\nand if it were not for the inexhaustible supply of the bulldogs, the wasps would annihilate the species. Nothing\nin the habits of insects could be more interesting than the tmmmmmmm\nmismfflftimsssm\n26\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nstrange manner in which the wasps set out deliberately in\npursuit of a bull-dog fly, to overtake and seize the clumsy\nvictim in mid air. Both insects fall to the ground with a\nterrible buzzing and much circling about while the mad\ncontest goes on. Meanwhile the wasp works with the\nrapidity of lightning, and with its sharp powerful jaws dissevers legs and wings, which fall scattered in the melee,\ntill the bull-dog is rendered helpless and immovable.\nLast of all, the wasp cuts off the head of its victim, then\nleaves the lifeless and limbless body in order to continue\nthe chase.\nI have seen a wasp thus dismember and kill one of\nthese large flies in less than thirty seconds. They seem\nto perform their murderous acts out of pure pleasure, as\nthey do not linger over their prey after the victim is dead.\nThe water of Lake Louise is too cold to admit of\nbathing except in a very brief manner. The temperature\nof the water near the first of August is about 56\u00C2\u00B0.\nThe old chalet, built in rustic fashion with unhewn\nlogs, was placed near the lake shore much closer than the\npresent building. One day in 1893, when every one was\nabsent, the building caught fire and burned to the ground.\nRemarkably enough the forest did not take fire, though\nsome of the trees were close to the building.\nUsually in the early morning, before the sun has\nwarmed the atmosphere and started the breezes of daytime into motion, the lake is tranquil and its surface\nresembles a great mirror. About nine o'clock, the first\npuffs of wind begin to make little cat's-paws at the far Approach of a Storm.\n27\nend of the lake, which widen and extend until finally the\nwhole water becomes rippled. A gentle breeze continues\nto sweep down the lake from the snow mountains toward\nthe Bow valley all day long, and the water rarely becomes\nsmooth till after sunset. This is the usual order of events\nin fair weather, a condition which may continue for several\nweeks without a drop of rain.\nThe approach and progress of a storm, the wonderful\natmospheric changes attending it, and the ever moving\nclouds obscuring the mountain tops reveal the lake in\nthe full grandeur of its surroundings. An approaching\nstorm is first announced by scattered wisps of cirrus\ncloud, which move slowly and steadily from the west in\nan otherwise blue sky. In the course of twenty-four\nhours the cirrus clouds have become so thick that they\noften resemble a thin haze far above the highest mountains. The sun with paled light can no longer pierce this\never thickening hazy veil. The wind blows soft and warm\nfrom out the south or southwest, and generally brings up\nthe smoke of forest fires from the Pacific coast, and renders the atmosphere still more obscure, till at length the\nsun appears like a great ball of brass set in a coppery sky.\nThe trees and grass appear to change their color and\nassume a strange vivid shade of green in the weird light\nSometimes light feathery ashes are wafted over the high\nmountains south of the lake and settle down gently like\nflakes of snow. The falling barometer announces the\ncoming storm, and presently another layer of clouds, the\nlow-lying cumulus, form just above the highest peaks and\n111*3,,. m mmmmmmEgmmesmmmsmmsmmimmm\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nsettle gradually lower till they touch the mountain tops.\nRain soon follows, the clouds settle till they almost rest\non the water of the lake, and the wind increases in violence.\nSometimes thunder-storms of considerable fury sweep\nthrough the valley and among the mountains, one after\nanother for several days. A violent thunder-storm at\nnight among these lofty mountains is one of the grandest\nphenomena of nature. The battling of the elements, the\nunceasing roar of the wind in the forest, and the crash of\nthunder redoubled by echoes from the rocky cliffs,\u00E2\u0080\u0094all conspire to fill the imagination with a terrible picture of the\nmajesty and sublimity of nature. From the lake there\ncomes up a low, hoarse murmur, not the roar of ocean\nsurf, but the lesser voice of a small mountain lake lashed\nto fury and beating with its small waves on a rocky shore.\nThe noise of the forest, the sound of colliding branches\nas the tall trees sway to and fro in the furious wind, and\nthe frequent crack and crash of dead forest giants overcome by the elements form the dull but fearful monotone,\nabove which the loud rumble of thunder rises in awful\ngrandeur. These are the sounds of a mountain storm.\nThe bright flashes of lightning reveal a companion\npicture, for in the momentary light succeeded by absolute\ndarkness the lake is revealed covered with foamy white\ncaps. The forests on the mountain side seem to yield to\nthe blast like a field of wheat in a summer breeze, and the\ncircling clouds sweep about the mountain slopes and conceal all but their bases.\nShould the storm clear away during the daytime one Cloud Effects.\n\u00C3\u008E1\nmay witness grand cloud effects. The low-hanging masses\nof clouds left behind by the battling elements slowly rise\nand occasionally reveal small areas of blue sky among the\nmoving vapors. Gentle puffs of air sweep over the calm\nsurface of the water, making little areas of ripples here\nand there, only to be succeeded by a tranquil calm, as if\nthe storm spirit were sending forth his dying gasps intermittently. While the air is thus calm below, the circling\n- wisps of vapor high up on the mountain, rising and descending, show that the battle between the sun and the clouds is\nstill raging. From above the saturated forests, the rising\nvapors condense and increase in size till at length, caught\nin some counter-current, they are swept away or carried\ndownward, while the dissolving cloud spreads out in wisps\nand streamers till suddenly it disappears into transparent\nair,\u00E2\u0080\u0094a veritable cloud ghost. At length the mountain\ntops appear once more, white in a light covering of new\nsnow, and, as the great masses of cumulus rise and disappear the sky appears of that deep blue-black color peculiar to mountain altitudes, while the sun shines out with\ndazzling brilliancy through the clear atmosphere.\nThe last visit I made to Lake Louise was toward the\nmiddle of October, 1895. A very snowy, disagreeable\nSeptember had been followed by a long period of milder\nweather with much bright sunshine. The new snow,\nwhich had been quite deep near the lake, had altogether\ndisappeared except high up on the mountain side. It\nwas the true Indian summer, a season with a certain mellow charm peculiar to it alone, characterized by clear jo The Canadian Rockies.\nsunny weather, a calm atmosphere, a low, riding sun, and\nshort days. Most of the flowers were withered. The\ndeciduous bushes, lately brilliant from frost, were rapidly losing their foliage, and the larches were decked in\npale yellow, far up near the tree line. However, the\ngreater part of the vegetation is evergreen, and the\nspruces, balsams, and pines, the heaths, ericaceous plants,\nand the mosses contrive to set winter at nought by wearing the garb of a perpetual summer in a region where\nsnow covers the ground three fourths of the year.\nI could not resist the temptation as the morning train\nrolled up to the station at Laggan to get off for the day\nand make another visit to the lake. The sunrise had\nbeen unusually brilliant and there was every promise of\na fine day. There is rarely much color at sunrise or sunset in the mountains. The dry clear atmosphere has\nlittle power to break up the white light into rainbow\ncolors and give the brilliancy of coloring to be seen near\nthe sea-coast or in the lowlands. The tints are like the\nair itself\u00E2\u0080\u0094pure, cold, and clear. With more truth they\nmight be called delicate shades or color suggestions.\nThey recall those exquisite but faint hues seen in topaz\nor tourmaline crystals, or transparent quartz crystals,\nwherein the minutest trace of some foreign mineral has\ndeveloped rare spectrum colors and imprisoned them\nforever. Oftimes the snow of the mountain tops is thus\ntinted a bright clear pink, beautifully contrasted against\nthe intensely blue sky. I have never seen a deep red on\nthe mountains or clouds at these altitudes. The effect The Lake in October.\n31\nof forest-fire smoke is to give muddy colors : the sun\nresembles a brazen globe, and the sky becomes coppery\nin appearance.\nAfter breakfast at the station house, I set off over the\nhard frozen road toward the lake. I carried my camera\nand luncheon on my back, my only companion being a\nsmall dog which appeared ready for exercise. The air\nwas frosty and cold ; the low-riding sun had not as yet\nstruck into the forest trees and removed the rime from\nthe moss and leaves on the ground.\nIn somewhat less than an hour, I arrived at the lake.\nAll was deserted ; the chalet closed, the keeper gone,\nand the tents\ntaken down.\nE v en the\nboats, which\nusually rested near the\nshore, had\nbeen put\nunder cover.\nThe cold air\nwas perfectly\ncalm, and my\nvapory breath\nrose straight\nupwards. The\nmirror surface of the water was disturbed by some wild\nfowl\u00E2\u0080\u0094black ducks and divers\u00E2\u0080\u0094which swarm on the lake\nLAKE LOUISE LOOKING TOWARD CHALET. ^^^m^^^^&mmm^^ssmsm\u00C3\u00AFs^^^\n, 32 The Canadian Rockies.\nat this season. Their splashings, and the harsh cries of\nthe divers came faintly over the water. It seemed\nstrange that these familiar haunts could appear so fearfully wild and lonely merely because man had resigned\nhis claim to the place and nature now ruled alone. All\nat once a wild unearthly wail from across the water,\nthe cry of a loon, one of the most melancholy of all\nsounds, startled me, and gave warning that activity alone\ncould counteract the effect of the imagination.\nAccordingly I walked down the right shore of the lake\nwith the intention of going several miles up the valley and\ntaking some photographs of Mount Lefroy. The flat\nbushy meadows near the upper end of the lake were\ncold, and all the plants and reedy grass were white with\nthe morning frost. The towering cliffs and castle-like\nbattlements of the mountains on the south side of the\nvalley shut out the sun, and promised to prevent its\ngenial rays from warming this spot till late in the afternoon, if at all, for a period of several months. In the\nfrozen ground, as I followed the trail, I saw the tracks\nof a bear, made probably the day before. Bruin had gone\nup the valley somewhere and had not returned as yet, so\nthere was a possibility of making his acquaintance.\nI was well repaid for my visit this day, as a magnificent\navalanche fell from Mount Lefroy. Mount Lefroy is a\nrock mountain rising in vertical cliffs from between two\nbranches of a glacier which sweep round its base. A\nhanging glacier rests on the highest slope of the mountain, and, ascending some distance, forms a vertical face of T\nA Magnificent Avalanche. 33\nice nearly three hundred feet thick at the top of a great\nprecipice. The highest ridge of the mountain is covered\nwith an overhanging cornice of snow, which the storm\nwinds from the west have built out till it appears to reach\nfull one hundred feet over the glacier below. At times,\nmasses of ice break off from the hanging glacier and fall\nwith thundering crashes to the valley far below.\nI was standing at a point some two miles distant\nlooking at this imposing mountain, when from the vertical\nice wall a great fragment of the glacier, some three hundred feet thick and several times as long, broke away, and,\nslowly turning in mid-air, began to fall through the airy\nabyss. In a few seconds, amid continued silence, for the\nsound had not yet reached me, the great mass struck a\nprojecting ledge of rock after a fall of some half thousand\nfeet, and at the shock, as though by some inward explosion,\nthe block was shivered into thousands of smaller fragments\nand clouds of white powdery ice. Simultaneously came\nthe first thunder of the avalanche. The larger pieces led\nthe way, some whirling around in mid-air, others gliding\ndownward like meteors with long trains of snowy ice dust\ntrailing behind. The finer powdered debris followed after,\nin a long succession of white streamers and curtains resembling cascades and waterfalls. The loud crash at the\nfirst great shock now developed into a prolonged thunder\nwherein were countless lesser sounds of the smaller pieces\nof ice. It was like the sound of a great battle in which the\nsharp crack of rifles mingles with the roar of artillery.\nLeaping from ledge to ledge with ever increasing velocity,\nH\nsssm 34 The Canadian Rockies.\nthe larger fragments at length reached the bottom of the\nprecipice, while now a long white train extended nearly\nthe whole height of the grand mountain wall 2500 feet\nfrom base to top.\nImagine a precipice sixteen times higher than Niagara,\nnearly perpendicular, and built out of hard flinty sandstone.\nAt the top of this giant wall, picture a great glacier with\nblue ice three hundred feet thick, crevassed and rent into\na thousand yawning caverns, and crowding downwards,\never threatening to launch masses of ice large as great\nbuildings into the valley below. Such avalanches are\namong the most sublime and thrilling spectacles that\nnature affords. The eye alone is incapable of appreciating\nthe vast scale of them. The long period of silence at first\nand the thunder of the falling ice reverberated among the\nmountain-walls produce a better impression of the distance\nand magnitude.\nI arrived at the lower end of the lake toward one\no'clock. The lake was only disturbed in one long narrow\nstrip toward the middle by a gentle breeze while all the\nrest was perfectly calm. This was one of those rare days\nof which each year only affords two or three, when the\nlake is calm at midday under a clear sky. The mirror\nsurface of the water presented an inverted image of the\nmountains, the trees on the shore, and the blue sky. The\ntrue water surface and the sunken logs on the bottom of\nthe lake joined with the reflected objects in forming a\npuzzling composite picture.\nThe brilliant sun had taken away the chill of morning Approaching Winter.\n35\nand coaxed forth a few forest birds, but there were no flowers or butterflies to recall real summer. It seemed as\nthough this were the last expiring effort of autumn before\nthe cold of winter should descend into the valley and with\nits finger on the lips of nature cover the landscape with a\ndeep mantle of snow and bind the lake in a rigid layer of\nice. Even at this warmest period of the day the sun's rays\nseemed inefficient to heat the atmosphere, while from the\ncold shadows of the forest came a warning that winter was\nlurking near at hand, soon to sweep down and rule uninterrupted for a period of nine long months.\ni ^mmmmmmmmmmsm:\nCHAPTER III.\nSurroundings of the Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Position of Mountains and Valleys\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The\nSpruce and Balsam Firs\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Lyall's Larch\u00E2\u0080\u0094Alpine Flowers\u00E2\u0080\u0094The\nTrail among the Cliffs\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Beehive, a Monument of the Past\u00E2\u0080\u0094Lake\nAgnes, a Lake of Solitude\u00E2\u0080\u0094Summit of the Beehive\u00E2\u0080\u0094Lake Louise in the\nDistant Future.\nAMONG the mountains on all sides of Lake Louise\nare many scenes of unusual beauty and grandeur.\nWhile the lake itself must be considered the\nfocal point of this region, and is indeed wonderfully\nattractive by reason of its rare setting, the encircling\nmountains are so rough and high, the valleys separating\nthem so deep and gloomy, yet withal so beautiful, that\nthe scenery approaches perfection. The forces of nature\nhave here wrought to their utmost and thrown together\nin apparently wild confusion some of the highest mountains in Canada and carved out gloomy gorge and rocky\nprecipice till the eye becomes lost in the complexity of it\nall. Lakes and waterfalls reveal themselves among the\nrich dark forests of the valleys, and afford beautiful foregrounds to the distant snow mountains which seem to\ntower ever higher as one ascends.\nA brief description of the topography in the vicinity of\nLake Louise would be now in place. Southwestward from w\nThe Summit Range. 37\nthe lake is a range of very high and rugged mountains\ncovered with snow and glaciers. This range is the crest\nof the continent of North America, in fact the great\nwater-shed which divides the Atlantic and Pacific drainage. In this range are many peaks over 11,000 feet\nabove sea level, an altitude which is near the greatest\nthat the Rocky Mountains attain in this latitude. While\nfarther south in Colorado there are scores of mountains\n13,000 or 14,000 feet high, it must be remembered that\nno mountains in Canada between the International\nboundary and the railroad have yet been discovered that\nreach 12,000 feet. Nevertheless, these mountains of lesser\naltitude are far more impressive and apparently much\nhigher because of their steep sides and extensive fields of\nperpetual snow.\nThis great range, forming the continental water-shed\nruns parallel to the general trend of the Rocky Mountains\nof Canada, or about northwest and southeast. Several\nspur ranges branch off at right angles from the central\nmass and run northeast five or six miles. Between these\nspur ranges are short valleys which all enter into the wide\nvalley of the Bow. Lake Louise occupies one of these\nlesser valleys.\nThe several lateral valleys are all comparatively near\nLake Louise and differ remarkably in the character of the\nscenery and vegetation. One is beautiful and richly covered with forests ; another desolate and fearfully wild. The\nvalley of Lake Louise contains in all three lakes, of which\nthe smallest is but a mere pool, some seventy-five yards\nacross. 38 The Canadian Rockies.\nFar up on the mountain side to the north of Lake\nLouise two little lakes were discovered many years ago.\nThey are now to the visitor who spends but one day,\nalmost the chief point of interest in this region. The trail\nthither leads into the dense forest from near the chalet\nand proceeds forthwith to indicate its nature by rising\nsteadily and constantly. The tall coniferous trees cast a\ndeep cool shade even on a warm day. So closely do the\ntrees grow one to another that the climber is entirely\nshut out from the world of mountains and surrounded by\na primeval forest as he follows the winding path. Among\nthe forest giants there are two principal trees, the spruce\nand the balsam fir. Each is very tall and slender and at\na distance the appearance of the two trees is closely similar. The spruce is the characteristic tree of the Rockies\nand is found everywhere. It reaches a height of 75' or\n100 feet in a single tapering bole, closely beset with small\nshort branches bent slightly downward, as though better\nto withstand the burden of snow in winter. In open\nplaces the lower branches spread out and touch the\nground, but in forests they die and leave a free passage\nbetween the trees. The balsam tree is quite similar but\nmay be discerned by its smoother bark which is raised\nfrom underneath by countless blisters each containing a\ndrop of transparent balsam. Here and there are a few\ntall pines rivalling the spruces and firs in height but\naffording a strong contrast to them in their scattered\nbranches and larger needles.\nThe ground is covered with underbrush tangled in a T\nMount Lefroy and Mirror Lake. &^^^S^3^^3\u00C2\u00A7S\u00C3\u008B\u00C2\u00A3^ __^\u00C3\u00A9\u00C3\u008AM\n4$\n\"4'!^S5\nj\u00C3\u0089p^ Jj\nEPS\nM\n1 HP?3i\n\u00C2\u00A7^^:s^||H|H\nH^l\u00C3\u0089i\u00C3\u0089 ^\nThe Lyall's Larch. 39\ndense luxuriance of vegetable life and partly concealing\nthe ancient trunks of fallen trees long since covered with\nmoss and now slowly decaying into a red vegetable mold.\nAt length, after half an hour of constant climbing, a\ncertain indefinable change takes place in the forest. The\nair is cooler, the trees grow wider apart, and the view is\nextended through long vistas of forest trees. Presently\na new species of tree, like our Eastern tamarack, makes its \"\nappearance. It is the Lyall's larch, a tree-4hat endures\nthe rigors of a subalpine climate better than the spruces\nand balsam firs, so that it soon becomes to the climber\namong these mountains an almost certain indication of\nproximity to the tree-line.\nIt is not far from the truth to say that the Lyall's\nlarch is the most characteristic tree of the Canadian\nRockies. It is not found in the Selkirk Range just west\nof the main range, and while it has indeed been found as\nfar south as the International boundary, it has not been\ndiscovered in the Peace River valley to the north. Restricted in latitude, it grows on the main range of the\nRockies only at a great altitude. Here on the borderland between the vegetable and mineral kingdoms it\nforms a narrow fringe at the tree-line and in autumn its\nneedles turn bright yellow and mark a conspicuous band\naround all the cliffs and mountain slopes at about 7000 feet\nabove sea level. Its soft needles, gathered in scattered\nfascicles, are set along the rough and tortuous branches,\naffording a scanty shade but permitting of charming\nglimpses of distant mountains, clouds, and sky among its\n1\nI I S\u00E2\u0084\u00A2S\u00C2\u00BBra?^^^\u00C2\u00A7^^^^^^^^^^^gg^^S|\n40 The Canadian Rockies.\ngray branches and light-green foliage. It seems incapable\nof sending up a tall slender stem but branches out irregularly and presents an infinite variety of forms. Possibly\nfor this reason the larch cannot contest with the slender\nspruces and firs of the valley, where it would be crowded\nout of light and sun among its taller rivals.\nPresently the trail leads from out the forest and\ncrosses an open slope where some years ago a great snow-\nslide swept down and stripped the trees from the mountain side. Here, 1200 feet above Lake Louise, the air\nfeels sensibly cooler and indicates an Alpine climate.\n\u00C2\u00ABk/3 The mountains now reveal themselves in\n^^^ ^ar grander proportions than from below, as\n-*\u00E2\u0096\u00A0*-&\u00C2\u00BB*\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 they burst suddenly on the view. Nature\n^/ftwnt^V nas already made compensation for the destroyed forest by clothing this slope with a\nprofusion of wild flowers, though much\ndifferent in character from those at Lake\nLouise. Alpine plants and\nseveral varieties of heather,\nin varying shades of red or\npink and even white, cover the\nground with their elegant coloring.\nOne form of heath resembles almost perfectly the true heather of Scotland, and by its\nabundance recalls the rolling hills and flowery highlands\nof that historic land. The retreating snow-banks of June\nand July are closely followed by the advancing column of\nmountain flowers which must needs blossom, bear fruit,\n1^ A Monument of the Past. 41\nand die in the short summer of two months duration.\nOne may thus often find plants in full blossom within a\nyard of some retreating snow-drift.\nOn reaching the farther side of the bare track of the\navalanche, the trail begins to lead along the face of craggy\ncliffs like some llama path of the Andes. The mossy\nledges are in some places damp and glistening with\ntrickling springs, where the climber may quench his thirst\nwith the purest and coldest water. Wherever there is\nthe slightest possible foothold the trees have established\nthemselves, sometimes on the very verge of the precipice\nso that their spreading branches lean out over the airy\nabyss while their bare roots are flattened in the joints\nand fractures of the cliff or knit around the rocky projections like writhing serpents.\nMore than four hundred feet below is a small circular\npond of clear water, blue and brilliant like a sapphire crystal. Its calm surface, rarely disturbed by mountain breezes,\nreflects the surrounding trees and rocks sharp and distinct\nas it nestles in peace at the very base of a great rock\ntower\u00E2\u0080\u0094the Beehive. Carved out from flinty sandstone,\nthis tapering cone, if such a thing there be, with horizontal strata clearly marked resembles indeed a giant beehive. Round its base are green forests and its summit is\nadorned by larches, while between are the smooth precipices of its sides too steep for any tree or clinging plant.\nWhat suggestions may not this ancient pile afford \u00C3\u008F\nAntiquity is of man ; but these cliffs partake more of the\neternal\u00E2\u0080\u0094existing forever. Their nearly horizontal strata\nI\nHug \u00C3\u0089gggaa\n42 The Canadian Rockies.\nwere formed in the Cambrian Age, which geologists tell\nus was fifty or sixty millions of years ago. Far back in\nthose dim ages when the sea swarmed with only the low7er\nforms of life, the fine sand was slowly and constantly settling to the bottom of the ocean and building up vast\ndeposits which now are represented by the strata of this\nmountain. Solidified and made into flinty rock, after the\nlapse of ages these deposits were lifted above the ocean\nlevel by the irresistible crushing force of the contracting\nearth crust. Rain and frost and moving ice have sculptured out from this vast block monuments of varied form\nand aspect which we call mountains.\nJust to one side of the Beehiv*e a graceful waterfall\ndashes over a series of ledges and in many a leap and\ncascade finds its way into Mirror Lake. This stream\nflows out from Lake Agnes, whither the trail leads by a\nshort steep descent through the forest. Lake Agnes is a\nwild mountain tarn imprisoned between gloomy cliffs, bare\nand cheerless. Destitute of trees and nearly unrelieved by\nany vegetation whatsoever, these mountain walls present a\nstern monotony of color. The lake, however, affords one\nview that is more pleasant. One should walk down the\nright shore a few hundred feet and look to the north.\nHere the shores formed of large angular blocks of stone\nare pleasantly contrasted with the fringe of trees in the\ndistance.\nThe solitary visitor to the lake is soon oppressed with\na terrible sensation of utter loneliness. Everything in\nthe surroundings is gloomy and silent save for the sound *r\nLake Agnes.\nIn early J^uly, i&pj. L. A Lake of Solitude. 43\nof a trickling rivulet which falls over some rocky ledges on\nthe right of the lake. The faint pattering sound is echoed\nback by the opposite cliffs and seems to fill the air with a\nmurmur so faint, and yet so distinct, that it suggests something supernatural. The occasional shrill whistle of a\nmarmot breaks the silence in a startling and sudden manner. A visitor to this lake once cut short his stay most\nunexpectedly and hastened back to the chalet upon hearing one of these loud whistles which he thought was the\nsignal of bandits or Indians who were about to attack\nhim.\nLake Agnes is a narrow sheet of water said to be unfathomable, as indeed is the case with all lakes before they\nare sounded. It is about one third of a mile in length\nand occupies a typical rock basin, a kind of formation that\nhas been the theme of heated discussion among geologists.\nThe water is cold, of a green color, and so pellucid that\nthe rough rocky bottom may be seen at great depths.\nThe lake is most beautiful in early July before the snowbanks around its edge have disappeared. Then the double\npicture, made by the irregular patches of snow on the bare\nrocks and their reflected image in the water, gives most\nartistic effects.\nFrom the lake shore one may ascend the Beehive in\nabout a quarter of an hour. The pitch is very steep but\nthe ascent is easy and exhilarating, for the outcropping\nledges of sandstone seem to afford a natural staircase,\nthough with irregular steps. Everywhere are bushes and\nsmaller woody plants of various heaths, the tough strong if\"\n44 The Canadian Rockies.\nbranches of which, grasped in the hand, serve to assist the\nclimber, while occasional trees with roots looped and knotted over the rocks still further facilitate the ascent.\nArrived on the flat summit, the climber is rewarded for\nhis toil. One finds himself in a light grove of the characteristic Lyall's larch, while underneath the trees, various\nericaceous plants suggest the Alpine climate of the place.\nThough the climber may come here unattended by\nfriends, he never feels the loneliness as at Lake Agnes.\nThere the gloomy mountains and dark cliffs seem to surround one and threaten some unseen danger, but here the\nbroader prospect of mountains and the brilliancy of the\nlight afford most excellent company. I have visited this\nlittle upland park very many times, sometimes with friends,\nsometimes with the occasional visitors to Lake Louise,\nand often alone. The temptation to select a soft heathery\nseat under a fine larch tree and admire the scenery is irresistible. One may remain here for hours in silent contemplation, till at length the rumble of an avalanche from\nthe cliffs of Mount Lefroy awakens one from reverie.\nThe altitude is about 7350 feet above sea level and\nin general this is far above the tree line, and it is only\nthat this place is unusually favorable to tree growth that\nsuch a fine little grove of larches exists here. Nevertheless, the summer is very brief\u00E2\u0080\u0094only half as long as at Lake\nLouise, 1700 feet below. The retreating snow-banks\nof winter disappear toward the end of July and new\nsnow often covers the ground by the middle of September. How could we expect it to be otherwise at this Summit of the Beehive. 45\ngreat height and in the latitude of Southern Labrador ?\nOn the hottest days, when down in the valley of the Bow\nthe thermometer may reach eighty degrees or more, the\nsun is here never oppressively hot, but rather genially\nwarm, while the air is crisp and cool. Should a storm\npass over and drench the lower valleys with rain, the air\nwould be full of hail or snow at this altitude. The view\nis too grand to describe, for while there is a more extensive prospect than at Lake Louise the mountains appear\nto rise far higher than they do at that level. The\nvalleys are deep as the mountains high, and in fact this\naltitude is the level of maximum grandeur. The often\nextolled glories of high mountain scenery is much overstated by climbers. What they gain in extent they lose\nin intent. The widened horizon and countless array of\ndistant peaks are enjoyed at the expense of a much\ndecreased interest in the details of the scene. In my\nopinion one obtains in general the best view in the\nCanadian Rockies at the tree line or slightly below.\nNevertheless every one to his own taste.\nThe most thrilling experience to be had on the\nsummit of the Beehive is to stand at the verge of the\nprecipice on the east and north sides. One should\napproach cautiously, preferably on hands and knees, even\nif dizziness is unknown to the climber, for from the very\nedge the cliff drops sheer more than 600 feet. A stone\nmay be tossed from this place into the placid waters of\nMirror Lake, where after a long flight of 720 feet, its\njourney's end is announced by a ring of ripples far below. 46\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nLake Louise appears like a long milky-green sheet of\nwater, with none of that purity which appears nearer at\nhand. The stream from the glacier has formed a fan-\nshaped delta, and its muddy current may be seen extending far out into the lake, polluting its crystal water and\nhelping to fill its basin with sand and gravel till in the\ncourse of ages a flat meadow only will mark the place of\nan ancient lake.\nThere are even now many level meadows and swampy\ntracts in these mountains which mark the filled-up bed of\nsome old lake. These places are called \" muskegs,\" and\nthough they are usually safe to traverse, occasionally the\nwhole surface trembles like a bowl of jelly and quakes\nunder the tread of men and horses. In such places let\nthe traveller beware the treacherous nature of these\nsloughs, for on many an occasion horses have been suddenly engulfed by breaking through the surface, below\nwhich deep water or oozy mud offers no foothold to the\nstruggling animal.\nAt the present rate of filling, however, the deep basin\nof Lake Louise will require a length of time to become\nobliterated that is measured by thousands of years rather\nthan by centuries,\u00E2\u0080\u0094a conception that should relieve our\nanxiety in some measure. n\nCHAPTER IV.\nOrganizing a Party for the Mountains\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our Plans for the Summer\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nWilliam Twin and lorn Chiniquy\u00E2\u0080\u0094Nature, Habits, and Dress of the\nStoney Indians\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Excursion on the Glacier\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Surface Debris and\nits Origin\u00E2\u0080\u0094Snow Line\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ascent of the Couloir\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Terrible Accident\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nGating Down\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Exhausting Return for Aid\u00E2\u0080\u0094Hasty Organization of\na Rescue Party\u00E2\u0080\u0094Cold and Miserable Wait on the Glacier\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Unpleasant\nSurmises\u00E2\u0080\u0094\" / Think You Die \"\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Fortunate Termination.\nPREVIOUS to the summer of 1894 my experiences\nin the Canadian Rockies had made me acquainted\nwith but little more of their general features\nand scenery than has been already described. This\nwas sufficient, however, to prove that a most delightful\nsummer could be spent among these mountains if a party\nof young men were organized with some definite object in\nview to hold the party together. Several of us accordingly assembled at one of our eastern colleges and discussed plans for the summer. Four men were persuaded\nto go on this excursion after the glories of the region\nhad been duly set forth and the evidence corroborated so\nfar as possible by the use of photographs. We were to\nmeet at Lake Louise, where our headquarters were to be\nat the chalet, as near the first of July as possible.\nThough the individual inclinations of the various\nmembers of our party might seem unlikely to harmonize\n47 r\n48 The Canadian Rockies.\ntogether, we had nevertheless agreed on carrying out a\ncertain plan. One of the party was an enthusiastic\nhunter, another eager for the glories of mountain ascents,\none a geologist, another carried away by the charms of\nphotography, while the fifth and last was ready to join in\nalmost any undertaking or enterprise whatsoever.\nHowever, our common purpose joined us all together\nto a certain degree. This was to explore and survey the\nregion immediately around Lake Louise, to ascend several\nof the highest peaks, to get photographs of the best\nscenery, and in general to learn all we could about the\nenvironment of the lake.\nThree of us arrived at the lake one fine morning early\nin July. The beauty of the scenery seemed to make a\ndeep impression on my friends, and fortunately the clouds\nwhich at first concealed the mountain tops lifted soon after\nour arrival and produced very grand effects. At that time\nthere were two Stoney Indians at the lake, who were engaged in cutting a trail to a lately discovered point of\ninterest. One of these was named William Twin ; his\nsurname was probably derived from the fact that he had a\ntwin brother, whose name was Joshua. A Stoney Indian\nwho once acted as my guide was named Enoch ; and upon\nbeing asked his surname he replied, M WTildman.\" These\ncurious cases afford good examples of the origin of names.\nWilliam was a fine-looking Indian. He came nearer to a\nrealization of the ideal Indian features such as one sees on\ncoins, or in allegorical figures, than almost any savage I ,\nhave ever seen. Stoney Indians. 49\nTom Chiniquy was the other of the two Indians, and\nindeed the more important, as he is the eldest son of Chief\nChiniquy, who in turn is under Bears' Paw, the head chief\nof all the Stoneys. An air of settled gravity, stern and\nalmost bordering on an appearance of gloom, betokened\nhis serious nature. I cannot but admire these Stoney Indians, free as they are from the vices of civilization, while\nstill retaining many of the simple virtues of savage life.\nAs we saw the Indians every day we soon became acquainted with them, especially as William could talk quite\nintelligibly in English. The very first day of our arrival\nat the chalet the sharp eyes of the Indians, which seemed\nto be ever roving about in search of game, discovered a\nherd of goats on the mountain side. In vain did we try\nto see them, and at length, i>y means of a pair of powerful\nfield glasses, they appeared as small white spots without\ndefinite forms, whereas to the Indians they were plainly\nvisible. William was disgusted with us, and said, \" White\nman no good eyes,\" in evident scorn.\nWith practice, our race can excel the Indians in every\nundertaking requiring skill, patience, or physical endurance, with the exception of two things in which they are\ninfinitely our superiors. These are their ability to discover\nminute objects at great distances, and to read those faint\nand indefinite signs made by the passage of man or game\nthrough the forests or on the hard plains, where a white\nman would be completely baffled. A turned leaf, a bent\nblade of grass, a broken twig, or even the sheen on the\ngrass, leads the swarthy savage unerringly and rapidly 5o\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nalong, where the more intelligent but less observant white\nman can see absolutely nothing.\nThe Indian is said to be stolid and indifferent, while\nthe hard labor which the squaws are compelled to undergo\nis always laid up against them as an evidence of their\nbrutal character. But on the contrary this is their method\nof dividing labor, and a squaw whose husband is compelled\nto work about their camps is the subject of ridicule among\nthe rest. The squaws do all the work which rationally\ncentres around the camp-fire, just as our wives preside\nover our hearths and homes. The bucks provide the food,\nand should privation occur they will cheerfully share their\nlast morsel with their wives and children, and, the more\nhonor to them, they will do the same by a white man.\nThe long and arduous labors of the chase, requiring the\nseverest physical exertion, exhaust the strength, often while\nexposed to cold and rain for long periods of time. The\nbucks rightly consider their labor ended when they reach\ntheir camp, or | teepee \" as they call them. Here the squaws\npreside and perform all the labor of cutting and cooking\nthe meat, preserving and dressing the hides, and even\ngathering the firewood. They cut the teepee poles and\nset up their tents ; and when not occupied with these more\nsevere labors, they spend their time in making moccasins,\nweaving baskets, or fancy sewing and bead-work.\nAfter all, the poor Indian is our brother, and not very\nunlike his civilized conqueror. One day William told me\nthat the year before he had lost his squaw and four children by the smallpox, and that it had affected him so that \\\nTom Chiniquy.\nBy courtesy of Mr. S. B. Thompson.\nNew Westminster, B. C. 1 m 1\nIndian Pathos. 51\nhe could not sleep. In his own simple form of expression,\nit was most pathetic to hear him speak of this sad event,\nwhich evidently affected him deeply. - Me sleep no more\nnow,\" he would say, \" all time think me, squaw die, four\npapoose die, no sleep me. One little boy, me\u00E2\u0080\u0094love little\nboy, me\u00E2\u0080\u0094little boy die, no longer want to live, me.\"\nWe had the satisfaction of rendering a great service\nto William through his child, who was a bright and handsome little fellow. By some accident a splinter of wood\nhad become lodged in the boy's eye. We were at length\nattracted by the peculiar actions of the little fellow, and\nupon inquiry found that he must have been enduring\ngreat pain, though without making a murmur of discontent. We took the matter in hand at once and sent him\ndown to Banff, where, under skilful medical attendance,\nhis eyesight, than which nothing is more dear to an Indian\nand which was totally gone in the affected eye and partially so in the other, was restored in a great measure.\nWilliam was very grateful to us ever after, and on returning, some ten days later, delivered himself somewhat as\nfollows : \" Me say very much obliged. Three white men\npretty good, I think.\"\nThe Stoneys are a remarkable tribe of Indians. Their\nheadquarters is at a little place called Morley, about twenty\nmiles east of the mountains on the plains. Here they are\nunder the religious instruction of the Rev. Mr. McDougal.\nSo far as the Indian is capable of receiving and following\nthe precepts of Christianity, the Stoneys seem to have\nequalled or surpassed all other tribes. They are said to 52\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nbe great Bible readers, and they certainly show some\nfamiliarity with the Old Testament history, if we may\njudge by tfoeir custom of adopting Bible names. They\nhave been taught a certain arbitrary code by which tney\ncan read and write in a simple manner, while many of\nthem talk English if not fluently at least intelligibly.\nTheir manner of dress is a concession to their own\nnative ideas and those of civilization, for while they invariably cling to moccasins and usually affect trousers cut\nfrom blankets with broad wings or flaps at the sides, their\ncostume is not infrequently completed by some old discarded coat received by purchase or gift from the white\nman. These Indians rarely wear hat or cap, but allow\ntheir straight black hair to reach their shoulders and serve\nin place of any artificial protection. On either side of\nthe face the hair is gathered into a braid so as to do away\nwith the inconvenience of constantly pushing back their\nloose hair.\nDr. Dawson says that the Stoney Indians have very\nfew names for the mountains and rivers, and that they\nhave only inhabited this region for about forty years.\nThe greater part of the Indian names for various features\nof the country are in reality Cr\u00C3\u00A9e or their equivalents in\nStoney. The Stoneys have recently incorporated the\nfamilies of the Mountain Cr\u00C3\u00A9es with their own. According to De Smet, both the Cr\u00C3\u00A9es and the Stoneys migrated\nsouthward from the Athabasca region a few years before\n1849, and it is probable that they entered this region\nabout that time. \u00C2\u00AB\u00C3\u00A7%~\nPalliser's Opinion. 53\nI cannot conclude this digression on the Stoney\nIndians without quoting a few remarks from Captain\nPalliser's reports. Though written nearly forty years\nago these facts are no less true than at that time.\nJ? The members of the Stone tribe are hard workers,\nas their life is one requiring constant exertion and foresight. They travel in the mountains or in the forests\nalong their eastern base, in parties of six or seven families.\nThe young men are always off hunting in search of moose\nor other kinds of deer, or of the Rocky Mountain sheep.\nThe old men busy themselves cutting out the travelling\ntracks through the woods, while the women pack and\ndrive the few horses they use for earring their small\nsupplies. They generally use skin tents stretched on a\nconical framework of poles, but their wigwams are much\nsmaller than those of the Plain Indians. The women\ndress all the skins of the animals they kill into a soft\nleather, which, when smoked, is the material used throughout the whole country for making moccasins, most of the\nfine leather being obtained from the Stoneys. They are\nexcellent hunters, and though as a rule small and feeble\nin body, are probably capable of more endurance than\nany other class of Indians. They make trustworthy\nguides, and, with a few exceptions, after some acquaintance with this tribe, you no more expect to be deceived,\nor told lies, as a matter of course, than you would in a\ncommunity of white men.\"\nSo much for the Rocky Mountain Stoneys, or as they\nare sometimes called, the Assiniboines.\n\u00C3\u008Attm 54 The Canadian Rockies.\nThe completion of our party did not take place at the\nwished-for time, and for more than two weeks Mr. F. and\nMr. H., and I were alone at the chalet. We commenced\nour surveying work by measuring a very accurate base line\non the lake shore, and began training by making various\nmoderate excursions on the mountain sides. On the third\nday, however, after our arrival the whole plan of our party\ncame near having a most sudden and unwished-for termination, together with results which nearly proved fatal to\none of the party. The accident and its attendant circumstances proved the most exciting episode in all our experiences, and as it most clearly illustrates the chief danger\nof climbing in the Canadian Rockies, I shall describe it\nin detail.\nIt happened in this manner. On the 13th of July, Mr.\nH., Mr. F., and I started to make an exploration of the\nglacier that is plainly visible from the chalet and which,\nsome two miles distant, flows down from the snow fields\nand hanging glaciers of Mount Lefroy. This glacier is\nformed from two branches, which come in from the east,\nand uniting into one great stream, terminate about one\nmile above the head of the lake. The extreme length\nfrom the snout measured to the highest part of the glacier is about three miles, while the average width is less\nthan one third of a mile.\nThe object of this excursion was in great part to gain\na little knowledge of the use of rope and ice-axe, which we\nexpected would be required in much of our subsequent\nwork. There was no difficulty in the first part of this =v\nGlacier Debris. 55\nexcursion, as a good trail leads round the lake and\nsome half-mile beyond. There we forded the icy stream\nwhich comes from the glacier and pursued our way between the moraine and the mountain side for nearly a\nmile on the east side of the glacier. Our next move was\nto ascend the moraine, which was very steep and about a\nhundred feet high at this point. On arriving at the sharp\ncrest of the moraine, we saw the great ice stream some\nfifty feet below, and so thoroughly covered with debris\nand boulders that the glacier was almost totally concealed.\nThe passage down the moraine was very disagreeable, as\nthe loose stones all scratched and polished by their former\npassage under the glacier were now rolling from under\nour feet and starting up great clouds of dust. Just below,\nat the border of the glacier, the water from the melting\nice had converted the clay of the moraine into treacherous\npools of bluish-gray mud, veritable sloughs of despond.\nAt length, by the use of our ice-axes, we gained the firmer\nice and with it the advantage of far more pleasant walking. We found the whole surface of the glacier literally\ncovered with sharp stones and boulders of all sizes up\nto those which must have measured ten feet square by\ntwenty feet long. They represented all sorts of formations, shales, limestones, and sandstones thrown down in\nwild disorder over the entire surface of the ice. All this\nmaterial had been wrested from the mountain side far up\nthe valley by frost and avalanche, and was now slowly\nmoving toward the great terminal moraine. In one place\na large area of nearly half an acre was strewed with giant ^^^^^^^^^^^mmmmss^^wmmm^sjm\n56 The Canadian Rockies.\nblocks of a peculiar kind of rock different from all the\nrest, which apparently had come thundering down the\nmountain walls in one great rock-slide many years ago.\nLarge flat slabs of shale were seen here and there supported on pillars of ice, showing how much the general\nsurface of the glacier had wasted away under the influence of the sun's heat, while these pillars had been protected by the shade of the stone.\nAdvancing half a mile over the field of debris, we came\ngradually to where there were fewer stones, and at length\nreached almost pure ice. The question always arises\nwhere do all the boulders and pebbles that cover the\nlower parts of the glaciers come from ? In the upper\nparts of the glaciers or n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9 regions, where the snow\nremains perpetual and increases from year to year, the\nstones from the mountain sides are covered as they fall,\nand are at length buried deep and surrounded by ice as\nthe snow becomes compressed and solidified. As the\nglacier advances down the valley and descends to lower\naltitudes, a level is at length reached where the snowfall\nof winter is exactly balanced by the melting of summer.\nThis is the snow line, or rather this is the best place in\nwhich to locate such a variable level. Below this line the\nsurface of the glacier melts aWay more than enough to\nmake up for the winter fall of snow, and, as a result, the\nstones and debris buried in the ice gradually appear on\nthe surface. In the Canadian Rockies near this latitude\nthe snow line on northerly exposures, as judged by this\nmethod, is about 7000 feet above the sea, which is also\njust about the level called tree line. On the Glacier. 57\nIn mountainous regions, where the climate is very dry,\nas in Colorado or in certain parts of the Andes, there is\na great belt of several thousand feet between tree line\nand snow line where there is not sufficient moisture to\nallow of tree growth nor sufficient snowfall to form\nglaciers at all. In the Canadian Rockies the climate is\nmoist enough to make these lines approach, and in the\nSelkirk Range and regions of extreme humidity the snow\nline is actually lower than the tree line.\nWe advanced slowly over the glacier and found much\nof interest on every side. The surface of the ice was at\nfirst comparatively smooth and channelled with small\nstreams of pure water which flowed along with utmost\nrapidity but almost without ripples, as the smooth icy\ngrooves seem adapted to every whim of the flowing water.\nAt length the ice became more uneven and our passage\nwas interrupted by crevasses, around which we had to\nthread our way by many a turn and detour. Most of\nthem were, however, partly filled or bridged by snow and\nwe found no particular difficulty in pursuing our way.\nAbout one o'clock we found ourselves at the base of\nMount Lefroy, a little beyond the point where the two\nbranches unite, and we held a consultation as to the plan\nof our farther advance. Mount Lefroy rises from the\nglacier in precipitous cliffs on every side, and we were\neven now under the shadow of its gloomy and threatening\nrock wall. There is no apparent method of scaling this\nmountain except by a long couloir or snow slope, which\nrises from the glacier and ascends nearly 1000 feet to a\nmore gentle slope above the precipice. It was our inten-\nmmm 5& The Canadian Rockies.\ntion to ascend this mountain, if possible, some time during\nthe summer but the results of our first exploration fora\nfavorable route rather inclined us to give up further\nattempts.\nThe result of our consultation was the decision to\nclimb a short way up the couloir in order to see if it were\npossible to reach the gentle slope above. If this proved\npracticable, the ascent of the mountain was almost assured,\nas no great difficulties presented themselves above. Accordingly we commenced the ascent, all roped together in\ntrue Alpine fashion, and soon found the pitch so steep\nthat our ice-axes rendered us much assistance in cutting\nsteps. A number of great schrunds or horizontal crevasses often found on such slopes appeared to block our\nway, but as we approached we found a passage round\nevery one. They were boat-shaped holes in the snow\nsome forty or fifty feet deep and about the same width.\nThe bottom of each appeared smooth and apparently of\nfirm snow, so that they were not in reality very dangerous\nobstacles, as compared with the narrow and wellnigh\nunfathomable crevasses of an ordinary glacier.\nNevertheless, when we had reached a point several\nhundred feet above the schrunds and were on a steep slope\nof snow, my companions advocated taking to the rock\nledges on the right of the snow, as they were altogether\ninexperienced in mountain climbing and felt somewhat\nnervous. We found the rock ledges practicable and quite\neasy except for a great number of loose stones which\nwent rattling down as we advanced. We were in a A Terrible Accident. 59\ngloomy narrow gorge filled with snow and hemmed in on\neither side by cliffs which rose with almost vertical sides,\nhere and there dripping with water from the snows above.\nWhenever we paused for a momentary rest and the\nsliding, rattling stones ceased to fall, we were oppressed\nby the awful silence of this cheerless place of rocks and\nsnow nearly 8000 feet above sea level. .\nIt was while ascending these rock ledges that the accident occurred which came so near proving disastrous.\nThere were a series of ledges, from six to ten feet high\nalternating with'narrow shelves where the slope was only\nmoderately steep. The whole place was strewed with loose\nstones and boulders, some of which were so delicately\npoised that the slightest touch seemed sufficient to send\nthem crashing down the cliff. At length a very dangerous\nlooking stone of large size could be seen on the next shelf\nabove us apparently just balanced in its precarious position,\nfor the light could be seen underneath its base. H. followed me in safety around this great boulder which must\nhave weighed more than half a ton. I was on the point\nof ascending the next ledge with the assistance of H. when\nwe both heard a dull grating sound below, and turning,\nbeheld the great boulder starting to roll over, and F. just\nbelow it and on the point of falling over the cliff. F.\nfell about ten feet to the next shelf where he was partially\nchecked by the rope and prevented from falling farther.\nBut to our horror the boulder, which had now gained\nconsiderable motion, followed after, and leaping over the\nledge, for a short but awful moment it seemed to hang in\nmmm 6o The Canadian Rockies.\nmid-air, and then came down on F. with terrible force. It\nseemed impossible that there should be anything left of\nour poor friend. With a horrible crash and roar the great\nstone continued down the gorge, attended by a thousand\nflying fragments till the rocky cliffs echoed again.\nAfter a momentary pause, unable to move and riveted\nto our places in horror, we hastily scrambled down to our\ncompanion who lay on the cliff insensible and bleeding.\nOur first efforts were to staunch his wounds with snow\nand then a hasty examination proved that though his hip\nappeared dislocated he had received probably no further\nserious injury. This escape appeared almost miraculous\nand it is probable that in the flying cloud of stones a\nsmaller piece just happened to come under the great\nboulder and supported it partially at one end so that the\nfull force of the blow was not felt. It was now half-past\ntwo in the afternoon and we were three hours' journey from\nthe chalet with a man on our hands absolutely incapable\nof walking or even partially supporting his weight. It\nwas evident that one of us must needs hasten back to the\nchalet for aid, but first it was necessary to get down the\nlong snow-slope to the glacier.\nFortunately our rope was fully sixty feet long and\nafter tying a loop under F.'s shoulders, I anchored myself\n'securely with -my ice-axe in the snow, and then lowered\nhim rapidly but safely the length of the rope. H. then\nwent down to F. and held him while I descended, and\nthus after twelve or fifteen repetitions of this proceeding\nwe all landed in safety on the glacier. Having selected a To the Rescue.\n61\nplace on the ice which was partially covered with a few\nsmall stones, we took off our coats and placed our wounded\ncompanion on this hard cold couch.\nCarrying nothing but my ice-axe, I started for the\nchalet at once. The first part of the journey, while threading the crevasses, was slow and somewhat dangerous without\nthe rope, but by running whenever practicable and pushing\nmy energies to the utmost, I reached the chalet in one\nhour and ten minutes, or less than half the time required\nby us to come up in the morning. Unfortunately no one\nwas at the chalet except Joe the cook. I however got\nhim started immediately to cut two long, stout poles and a\npiece of canvas with which to make a litter. The two\nIndians were on the mountain side near Mirror Lake\nworking on the trail and Mr. Astley, the manager of the\nchalet, was guiding some visitors to Lake Agnes. There\nwas no other course open than to climb up after them,\nthough I was quite exhausted by this time. I found\nWilliam after twenty minutes of hard climbing and made\nhim understand the situation at once. One must use a\nsimple manner of speech as near like their own as possible,\nso I said to him\u00E2\u0080\u0094\" William, three white men go up big\nsnow mountain. Big stone came down, hurt one man.\nTom, Mr. Astley, you\u00E2\u0080\u0094all go up snow mountain, bring\nwhite man back.\" William's face was a picture of horror,\nand he asked jn anxiety\u00E2\u0080\u0094\" Kill him ?\" I said no, but that\nhe must hurry and get the other men. Dropping his axe,\nhe ran off for the others in all haste, while I returned to\nthe chalet and gathered sundry provisions and stimulants. 62 The Canadian Rockies,\nThe rescuing party of four men was started in about\nthirty minutes, and taking the boat, rowed down the lake,\ntill at last the small black speck on the water disappeared\nfrom our view as they neared the farther end.\nA two-and-a-half mile ride on horseback brought me\nto the railroad station, where I sent a telegram to Banff\nfor the Doctor. As there would be no train till the next\nmorning I made arrangements for a hand-car to bring\nthe Doctor up at once. A response soon came back that\nhe was just about to start on his long ride of thirty-eight\nmiles to Laggan.\nMeanwhile poor F. and H. were having a miserable\ntime of it on the glacier. The long hours rolled by one\nafter another and no sign of aid or assistance was apparent. The days were still very long, but at length the\ndeclining sun sank behind the great ridge or mountain\nwall extending northward from Mount Lefroy. The glacier which imparts a chilly dampness even to the brilliancy\nof a mid-day sun now rapidly became cold in the lengthening shadows, and the surface waters began to freeze,\nwhile the deep blue pools of water shot out little needles\nof ice with surprising rapidity.\nAs they had seen me no more after I had disappeared\nbehind a swelling mound of ice, they conjured up in their\nimaginations the possibility that I had fallen into some\ndeep crevasse or had hurt myself on the treacherous\nmoraine. At length, urged to desperate resolves, they\nformed a plan of leaving the ice by the nearest route,\nat whatever hazard to life and limb, rather than die of Indian Consolation. 63\ncold and exposure on the glacier. They had abundant\nopportunity for studying the grand phenomena of this\nAlpine region near at hand : the thundering avalanches\nfrom the cliffs behind them, and the cracking, groaning\nice of the glacier as the great frozen stream moved slowly\nover its rocky uneven bed.\nAt length, to their great joy, they discerned by means\nof a field-glass which we had carried with us in the morning, the boat leaving the lake shore and slowly approaching. In half an hour the party reached the near end of\nthe lake and were then lost to view for nearly two hours,\ntill at length four little black dots appeared about a mile\ndistant moving over the ice toward them.\nThe rescuing party did not reach them till seven\no'clock, or more than four hours after the accident occurred. The return to the chalet was most exhausting\nto the men, especially to the Indians, whose moccasins\nafforded poor protection against the sharp stones and ice\nof the glacier.\nTwo section men came up from Laggan and met the\nparty as they were returning, and afforded timely aid by\ntheir fresh strength. Poor F. was carried in a canvas\nlitter hastily constructed and consequently not perfect\nin its results, as it only served to lift him a very little\nabove the ground at the best and then where the ground\nwas very smooth. William observed his haggard face and\nwoe-begone appearance with concern and entertained the\ninvalid at frequent intervals by such remarks as, \"You\nthink you die, me think so too.\" The rescuing party ar- ztmmsmi\ntSSB\u00C3\u0087J\u00C3\u008E\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nrived at the chalet shortly after midnight, while the Doctor\nappeared an hour later. Each party had been travelling\nfor the last five hours toward the chalet, and while one\nwas accomplishing about three miles the other covered\nmore than forty.\nFortunately there were no injuries discovered that\nwould not heal in a few weeks, and through the influence\nof mountain air and perfect rest, recovery took place much\nmore quickly than could be expected. 1\nCHAPTER V.\nCastle Crags\u00E2\u0080\u0094Early Morning on the Mountain Side\u00E2\u0080\u0094View from the\nSummit\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ascent of the Aiguille\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Avalanche of Rocks\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Glorious\nGlissade\u00E2\u0080\u0094St. Piran\u00E2\u0080\u0094Its Alpine Flowers and Butterflies\u00E2\u0080\u0094Expedition to\nan Unexplored Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Thirsty Walk through the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Discovery\nof a Mountain Torrent\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Lake in the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Mountain Amphitheatre\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Saddle\u00E2\u0080\u0094Impressive View of Mt. Temple\u00E2\u0080\u0094Summit of Great\nMountain\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Ascent in Vain\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Sudden Storm in the High Mountains\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Phenomenal Fall of Temperature\u00E2\u0080\u0094Grand Cloud Effects.\nWHILE poor F. was recovering from his injuries, and before the two other men had\narrived, H. and I carried on the work of\nsurveying the lake, and made several interesting excursions on the adjacent mountain sides.\nOne fine cool morning, we went up the valley about\nhalf a mile beyond the end of the lake, and commenced\nan ascent of the sharp-crested ridge on the east side of\nthe valley. This ridge forms a connection between the\nmassive mountain on the left of the lake, known as Great\nMountain, and a very high summit, crowned with a fine\nglacier, and named by some one Hazel Peak, which lies\nabout two miles due south of Lake Louise. This connecting ridge we called Castle Crags, a name readily suggested by the irregular forms and outlines of the sharp\n5 65\nj^\u00C3\u00A0m 66 The Canadian Rockies.\nneedles and fingers, pointing heavenward, which adorned\nits highest crest, and seemed to represent the battlements and embrasures of some great castle. Several\nsharp columns of stone, with vertical sides, and narrow,\ngraceful forms, rose up from this great parapet built by\nnature. Resembling feudal towers or donjons, they\nseemed by their great altitude to pierce the blue vault\nof heaven, and to dwarf by their proximity the snowy\ncrest of Hazel Peak, which, in reality, is several thousand\nfeet higher.\nTo ascend this ridge, and, if possible, gain the summit\nof one of these needles, from which we hoped to obtain a\nfine idea of the valley to the east, was the purpose of our\nexcursion. The ascent proved easy almost from the start.\nOn leaving the stream, which we crossed by means of\nsome great trees, long since overcome by age or storm,\nand now serving as convenient bridges at frequent intervals, we commenced to ascend a long, even slope of limestone boulders, stable in position, and affording easy walking. The air was fresh and cool, for the morning sun\nwas just rising over the crest of Castle Crags, while the\nrays of light seemed to skip from boulder to boulder, and,\ngently touching the higher points, left the others in shade.\nThere were no bushes or tangled underbrush to impede\nour way, and so we had abundant opportunity to enjoy\nthe beautiful flowers which cropped out in little patches\namong the yellow, gray, and cream-colored limestones.\nThis was a mountain climb that proved thoroughly enjoyable, for all the conditions of atmosphere, of weather, and Morninsf on the Mountain Side.\n6?\neasy ascent were in our favor. There is a charm about\nthe early morning hours among the high mountains. The\nbracing coolness of the air, as .yet still and calm after the\nchill and quiet of night, the gradually rising sun and increasing light, the unusual freshness of the flowers and\ngreen vegetation, in their sparkling bath of dew, and the\nquiet calls of birds,\u00E2\u0080\u0094all seemed to herald the birth of a new\nday, far richer in promise than any heretofore. The afternoon, with its mellow light and declining sun, is like the\ncalm, cool days of October, with its dusty foliage and sear\nleaves, brilliant in autumnal colors, but ever suggesting\nthe approach of bleak winter, and pointing back to the\nglories of the past. The morning points forward with a\ndifferent meaning, and hopefully announces the activity of\nanother day, even as spring is the threshold and the\npromise of summer time.\nAs we advanced, and gradually increased our altitude,\nthe plants and flowers changed in variety, character, and\nsize, till at length we left all vegetation behind, and\nreached the bottom of a long, gentle slope of snow. The\nsun had not, as yet, touched the snow, and it was hard\nand granular in the frosty air. The first snow on a\nmountain climb is always pleasant to a mountaineer. To\nhim, as, indeed, to any one, the summer snow-bank has\nno suggestion of winter, with its desolate landscapes and\ncold blasts, but rather of some delightful experiences in\nthe mountains during vacation. These lingering relics of\nwinter have little power to chill the air, which is often\nbalmy and laden with the fragrance of flowers, in the im- 68\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nmediate vicinity of large snow areas. The trickling\nrivulet, formed from the wasting snows of the mountain\nside, is often the only place where, for hours at a time, the\nthirsty climber may find a cold and delicious draught.\nInstead of destroying the flowers by their chilly influence,\nthese banks of snow often send down a gentle and constant supply of water, which spreads out over grassy slopes\nbelow, and nourishes a little garden of Alpine flowers,\nwhere all else is dry and barren.\nArrived at the top of the long snow-slope, we found ourselves already nearly 3000 feet above the valley and not\nfar below the crest of the ridge. A rough scramble now\nensued over loose limestone blocks, where we found the\nsharp edges, and harsh surfaces of these stones, very hard\non our shoes and hands. Upon reaching the crest, we beheld one of those fearfully grand and thrilling views which\nthis portion of the Rocky Mountains often affords. The\nmost conspicuous object in the whole view was the glacier,\nwhich descends from the very summit of Hazel Peak,\nat an altitude of more than 10,000 feet, and sweeps down\nin a nearly straight channel to the north, and in the course\nof but little more than a mile descends 4000 feet. A\ngloomy, narrow valley hems in its lower half, and on the\nside where we were, the precipice rose, in nearly perpendicular sides from the ice, far heavenward to where we\nstood. We launched a few large stones over the verge of\nthe beetling precipice, and watched them descend in a few\ngreat leaps into the awful abyss, where they were broken\ninto a thousand fragments on projecting ledges, or else, Ascent of the Aiguille. 69\nstriking the glacier, continued their course till the eye\ncould no longer follow them.\nWe were standing just at the base of one of the\naiguilles which, from the valley, seem like sharp points of\nrock, but, now that we were near, proved to be about sixty\nfeet high. This needle appeared to be precipitous and inaccessible on our first examination. But we discovered a\nnarrow crevice or gully on the west side which apparently\noffered a safe method of ascent. I was soon near the top\nof the needle, but at the most difficult part, where only\none small crack in the rock offered a good hand-hold, I\nwas warned not to touch one side where the cliff seemed\nparted, and filled with loose material. Making a reconnaissance, I found the back of this same crag likewise separated\na little from the solid rock, and the crevice partially disguised by loose stones and dirt, which had settled in and\nfilled the hollow. This crag was about ten feet high and\nsix or seven feet square, and though it seemed impossible\nto disturb so great a mass, I felt inclined to take the safer\ncourse and leave it entirely alone, so I scrambled up by a\nmore difficult route.\nArrived on the top of the needle, I told H., who had remained below, to get under shelter while I should put this\n' crag to the test. He accordingly found a projecting ledge\nof rock a little to one side, while I sat down and got a\ngood brace and started to push with my feet against the\ntop of the crag. A slight effort proved sufficient, and\nwith a dull grating sound the great mass, which must have\nweighed about twenty-five tons, toppled slowly over on its 7o The Canadian Rockies.\nbase, and then fell with a fearful crash against the sides of\nthe cliff, and commenced to roll down the mountain side\nlike a veritable avalanche. Through the cloud of dust\nand flying stones I could faintly discern the features of my\nfriend below, apparently much interested in what was going\non. It was well that I had not trusted to this treacherous\nstone.\nAfter I had pushed down most of the loose stones, H.\ncame up and joined me on the summit of the aiguille.\nThis needle had a blunt point indeed, for it proved to be\na flat table about fifty feet long and ten feet wide.\nWe were 8,700 feet above sea-level, and the wind\nwas raw and chilly as it swept up from the valley and\nover this ridge. The sun had but little power to temper\nthe air, and we soon started on our descent. In about five\nminutes we reached the top of the long snow-slope, where\nwe enjoyed a glorious glissade and rapidly descended more\nthan a thousand feet. The best manner of glissading is\nto stand straight up and slide on the feet, having one leg\nstraight and the other slightly bent at the knee. Trailing\nthe ice-axe behind as a precaution against too great speed,\nor to check the motion in case of a fall, the mountaineer\ncan thus, in a few minutes, rapidly coast down long slopes\nwhich may have required hours of toil to ascend. Nothing\nin the experience of climbers is more exhilarating than a\ngood glissade down a long snow-slope. The rush of air,\nthe flying snow, and the necessity for constant attention\nto balance\u00E2\u0080\u0094all give a sensation of pleasure, combined with\na spice of danger, without which latter almost all our St. Piran. 71\nsports and pastimes are apt to be tame. Do not many of\nour best sports, such as polo, horseback riding, foot-ball,\nyachting, and canoe sailing, gain some of their zest from a\nconstant possibility of danger ?\nA few minutes of rapid descent down the limestone\nslope led us to a fine, small spring, which dashed in a\nscore of small streamlets over some rocky ledges covered\nwith moss and ferns. Here we sat down in the cool\nshade of the cliffs and ate our lunch. The air was now\nwarm and still, because we were not far above the valley,\nand here, instead of seeking the warmth of the sun as\nwe had done on the cold mountain summit, a brief three-\nquarters of an hour before, we now enjoyed the shade\nafforded by the rocks and forest near us. We reached\nthe chalet in time for a second lunch, and, as in our mountain exercise we never found any meal superfluous, we\nwere ready to present ourselves at the table at once.\nOn the 28th of July, W. arrived at the chalet, and, as\nA. had likewise appeared a few days previously, our party\nof five was now complete.\nOne of the first points which we decided to occupy in\nour surveying work was a high peak above Lake Agnes,\ncalled Saint Piran. This mountain is very easy to ascend and on several occasions we found ourselves on the\nsummit for one purpose or another. The summit is far\nabove tree line and, indeed, almost reaches the upper limit\nof any kind of plant growth. The rounded top is crowned\nwith a great cairn, about ten feet high, which has been\nused as a surveying point some time in the past. *\nwsm^mffimmmm\n72 The Canadian Rockies.\nDuring the midsummer months this mountain summit\nis sparingly covered with bright flowers, all of an Alpine\nnature, dwarfed in size and with blossoms enormously\nout of proportion to the stems and leaves. There, are\nseveral species of composites which rest their heads of\nyellow flowers almost on the ground, and a species of dwarf\ngolden-rod about three inches high, with only two or\nthree small heads on the summit of the stem ; but the\nmost conspicuous is a kind of moss pink, which is in reality a mountain variety of phlox. This plant grows in\nspreading mats upon the ground, with small, rigid, awl-\nshaped leaves gathered in tufts along the stem, while here\nand there are small bright blossoms of a pink color. Mr.\nFletcher, who has spent some time in this region investigating the flowers and insects, once found a plant of the\npink family on this mountain, which proved by its little\njoints to be more than one hundred years old.\nOne day I came up here alone, and on reaching the\nsummit was surprised to find Mr. Bean, an entomologist,\nbusily at work collecting butterflies. Mr. Bean has lived at\nLaggan for a number of years, and has made a most valuable collection of the insects, especially the butterflies and\nbeetles, of all this region. Remarkably enough, it is on just\nsuch spots as this lofty mountain summit, 8600 feet above\ntide, that the rarest and most beautiful butterflies assemble in great numbers, especially on bright, sunny days.\nHere they are invited by the gaudy Alpine flowers, which\nhave devoted all their plant energy to large blossoms and\nbrilliant colors, so as to attract the various insects to them. Alpine Butterflies. 73\nI was much interested in Mr. Bean's work, as he is the\nfirst pioneer in this field and has made many valuable discoveries. He showed me one butterfly of small size and\nquite dark coloring, almost black, which he said was a\nrare species, first discovered in polar regions by the Ross\nexpedition, and never seen since till it was observed flitting about on this high peak, where arctic conditions prevail in midsummer. It is wonderful how the various\nspecies vary in color, form, and habit ; some of the butterflies are very wild and shy, never allowing a near\napproach by the would-be collector ; others are comparatively tame ; and while some fly slowly and in a straight\ncourse, other species dart along most rapidly, constantly\nchanging direction in sharp turns, and completely baffle\nall attempts at pursuit.\nFrom the summit of this mountain we discovered a\nsmall lake in the valley to the west, and, as no one at the\nchalet had apparently ever visited the lake, or even known\nof its existence, we decided to make an excursion to this\nnew region. Accordingly, a few days later, three of us\nstarted by the trail toward Lake Agnes, and after reaching a point about 600 feet above Lake Louise, we turned\nto the right and endeavored to make a traverse around\nthe mountain till we should gain the entrance to the\nother valley. Our plan was not very good and the results\nwere worse. For about two miles, the walking was along\nhorizontal ledges of hard quartzite rock carpeted with\ngrass and heaths, and occasionally made very difficult by\nthe short dwarf spruces and larches which, with their tough ^^^^^^^^^gs^\u00C2\u00AB\u00C2\u00BBaj^4icfeia\u00C2\u00AB\u00C3\u00A2^aigai^wy^\n74 The Canadian Rockies.\nelastic branches, impeded our progress very much. The\nday was unusually warm, and we were glad to reach at\nlength a small patch of snow, where we quenched our\nthirst by sprinkling the snow on large flat stones, the heat\nof which melted enough to give us a small amount of\nmuddy water. The roughness of the mountain and the\nnature of the cliffs now compelled us to descend near\na thousand feet, and thus lose all the benefit of our first\nascent. We were constantly advancing westward, hoping\nto come at length upon some stream that must descend\nfrom the valley of the little lake. Every valley in these\nmountains must have some stream or rivulet to drain\naway the water resulting from the melting snows of winter\nand the rains of summer, and we were certain that, if we\ncontinued far enough, we would finally discover such a\nstream. After our descent we proceeded through a fine\nforest, densely luxuriant, and in some places much blocked\nby prostrate trees and giant trunks, mossy and half decayed. The air seemed unusually dry, and our thirst,\nwhich had been only in part appeased by our draught at\nthe snow-bank, now returned in greater severity than\never.\nSuddenly we heard a distant sound of water, which, as\nwe approached, grew still louder, till it burst into the full,\nloud roar of a beautiful mountain stream. The water was\nclear as crystal and icy cold, while nothing could exceed\nthe graceful beauty of the many leaps and falls of the\n-stream as it dashed over its rocky bed. Here we took\nlunch in a shady nook, seated on some rocky ledges at A Mountain Torrent.\n75\nthe edge of the water, surrounded on all sides by deep\ncool forests. How wild this little spot was ! Though\nthe railroad was less than two miles distant, probably no\nwhite man had ever seen this pleasant retreat where we\nwere resting.\nHad our excursion ended here, we\nshould have\nbeen repaid\nfor all the toil,\nheat, and\nthirst we had\nendured, by\nthis single experience.\nNor was\nour pleasure\nover, for the\nstream, we knew, would prove a certain guide to the little\nlake, and, with the anticipation of soon reaching some\nenchanting bit of scenery when we should arrive at this\nsheet of water, we pursued our way along the series of\nfalls and cascades by which our new-found stream leapt\nmerrily down the mountain slope. Such is the charm of\nmountain excursions in these unexplored and little known\nwilds, for here, nature is ever ready to please and surprise\nthe explorer by some little lake or waterfall or a rare bit\nof mountain scenery.\nA COOL RETREAT IN THE FOREST.\n-1 0H\n76 The Canadian Rockies.\nThough we had stopped for luncheon at a place where\nthe dashing water made several cascades and falls of\nexquisite beauty, we found a constant succession of similar spots, where I was often tempted to delay long enough\nto take photographs. As the stream thus descended\nrapidly, we found steep rock ledges, cut in giant steps and\novergrown with thick moss till they were almost concealed from view, on either side of the mad torrent. These\nafforded us an easy method of ascent. The rocky formation of the stream bed revealed many different kinds of\nstone, conglomerates, shales, and quartzites, in clearly\nmarked strata all gently dipping toward tte south.\nAt length the woods opened up on either side, while,\nsimultaneously, the slope decreased in pitch, and the stream\nran over a bed of loose, rounded stones and boulders in\nthe bottom of a shallow ravine. In a moment more we\nreached the lake, much more beautiful than our first view\nfrom St. Piran had led us to expect, but, also, much smaller\nin area. It was a mere pool, clear and deep, but intensely,\nblue in color and partially surrounded by a thin forest.\nPassing round the shores and up the valley, we found ourselves in some beautiful meadows, or rather moors, wherein\nstreams of snow-water wandered in quiet, sinuous courses\nand gathered at length into the stream that feeds the lake.\nWe came on a great number of ptarmigan\u00E2\u0080\u0094the high\nmountain species of grouse characteristic of this region,\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nwhich, with their young broods hardly able as yet to fly,\nwere the most abundant signs of life that we found in this\nvalley. The Saddle. 77\nA vast amphitheatre or cirque, with lofty, bare walls\nnearly free of snow, formed the termination of the valley.\nWe were not compelled, however, to return over the same\nroute as we had come, for we found an easy pass with a\nlong gentle slope of snow on our left. This led us over\nthe divide and, by a long steep descent, brought us to\nLake Agnes, where we took advantage of the trail down\nthe mountain side to the chalet.\nOur attention was next turned toward the exploration\nof the mountains and valleys to the east of Lake Louise,\nwhich seemed to offer greater possibilities of grand scenery\nthan those on the opposite side. Accordingly, we made\nseveral visits to a high upland park or alp, which was in\nreality a sort of depression between Great Mountain and\na lesser peak to the east. This depression and the two\nmountains, one vastly higher than the other, resemble in\noutline, a saddle with pommel and crupper and suggested\na name for the place which seems eminently appropriate.\nA trail now leads to the Saddle, and the place has proven\nso popular among tourists that it is frequently in use.\nThe Saddle is a typical alp, or elevated mountain\nmeadow, where long, rich grass waves in the summer\nbreezes, beautified by mountain flowers, anemones, sky-\nblue forget-me-nots, and scarlet castilleias. Scattered\nlarch trees make a very park of this place, while the\ngreat swelling slopes rise in graceful curves toward the\nmountain peaks on either side.\nBut this is only the foreground to one of the most\nimpressive views in the Rocky Mountains. To the east- 7*\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nward about three miles, on the farther side of a deep valley, stands the great mass of Mount Temple, the highest\npeak near the line of travel in the Canadian Rockies.\nThis mountain stands alone, separated from the surrounding peaks of the continental watershed to which it does\nnot belong. Its summit is 11,658 feet above the sea-level,\nwhile the valleys on either side are but little more than\n6000 feet in altitude. As a result, the mountain rises\nover a mile above the surrounding valleys, a height which\napproaches the maximum reached in the Canadian\nRockies. All sides of this mountain, except the south,\nare so precipitous that they offer not the slightest possible\nhope to the mountain climber, be he ever so skilful. The\nsummit is crowned by a snow field or glacier of small size\nbut of remarkable purity, since there are no higher cliffs to\nsend down stones and debris to the glacier and destroy its\nbeauty. On the west face, the glacier overhangs a precipice, and, by constantly crowding forward and breaking off,\nhas formed a nearly vertical face of ice, which is in one\nplace three hundred and twenty-five feet thick. I have\nseen passengers on the trains who were surprised to learn\nthat the ice in this very place is anything more than a\nyard in depth, and who regarded with misplaced pity and\ncontempt those who have any larger ideas on the subject.\nAvalanches from this hanging wall of ice are rather\nrare, as the length of the wall is not great and the glacier\nprobably moves very slowly. I have never had the good\nfortune to witness one, though the thunders of these ice\nfalls are often heard by the railroad men who live at Lag- Mount Temple from the Saddle. mum Mt. Temple.\n79\ngan, just six miles distant. They must indeed be magnificent spectacles, as the ice must needs fall more than 4000\nfeet to reach the base of the cliff. The compactness of\nthis single mountain may be well shown, by saying that a\nline eight miles long would be amply sufficient to encircle\nits base, notwithstanding the fact that its summit reaches\nso great an altitude.\nThe strata are clearly marked and nearly horizontal,\nthough with a slight upward dip on all sides, and especially\ntoward the Bow valley, so that the general internal structure of the mountain is somewhat bowl-shaped, a formation very common in mountain architecture.\nThe surroundings of this great mountain are equally\ngrand. Far below in the deep valley, the forest-trees\nappear like blades of grass, and in the midst of them a\nbright, foamy band of water winds in crooked course like\na narrow thread of silver,\u00E2\u0080\u0094in reality, a broad, deep stream.\nA small lake, nestling among the dark forests at the very\nbase of Mount Temple, is the most beautiful feature in\nthe whole view. The distance renders its water a dark\nultra-marine color, and sometimes, when the light is just at\nthe proper angle, the ripples sparkle on the dark surface\nlike thousands of little diamonds. On the right, an awful\nprecipice of a near mountain looms up in gloomy grandeur, like the cliffs and bottomless abysses of the infernal\nregions pictured by Dor\u00C3\u00A9. This we called Mount Sheol.\nOne may ascend from the Saddle to the summit of\nGreat Mountain in an hour. Mr. A. and I ascended this\nmountain in 1893, before there was any trail to assist us, mmmmuimtma&mHtif^mmssBS\u00C3\u00AF\n80 The Canadian Rockies.\nand we had a very hard time in forcing our way through\nthe tough underbrush, while below tree line.\nIn the course of a great many ascents of this peak I\nhave had several interesting adventures. The view from\nthe summit is so fine that I have made many attempts to\nobtain good photographs from this point. One day, after\na period of nearly a week of smoky weather, the wind suddenly shifted, and, at about ten o'clock in the morning, the\natmosphere became so perfectly clear that the smallest\ndetails of the distant mountains were distinct and sharp,\nas though seen through a crystal medium. This was my\nchance, and I proceeded at once to take advantage of it.\nI had a large 8x10 camera and three plate-holders, which\nall went into a leather case especially made for the purpose, and which was fitted out with straps, so that it rested\nbetween my shoulders and left both hands free for climbing. It weighed altogether twenty-four pounds. With\nlunch in my pocket, I set out from the chalet with all\nspeed, so as to arrive on the summit before the wind\nshould change and bring back the smoke.\nI climbed as I had never climbed before, and though\nthe day was hot I reached the Saddle in an hour, and,\nwithout a moment's pause, turned toward Great Mountain and commenced the long ascent of its rocky slope.\nIn fifty-five minutes more I reached the summit and had\nascended 3275 feet above Lake Louise. The air was\nstill clear and offered every promise of successful photographs, even as I was unstrapping my camera and preparing to set it up for work. Suddenly, the wind shifted An Ascent in Vain.\n81\nonce more to the south and brought back great banks of\nsmoke, which came rolling over the snowy crest of Mount\nLefroy like fog from the sea. In five minutes all was\nlost. Mount Temple appeared like a great, shadowy\nghost, in the bluish haze, and the sun shone with a pale\ncoppery light. Such are the trials and tribulations of the\nclimber in the Canadian Rockies.\nOne day at the end of August, H. and I ascended this\nmountain with our surveying instruments. The barometer had been steadily falling for several days, and already\nthere were cumulus clouds driving up from the southwest\nin long furrows of lighter and darker vapors, which obscured the entire sky. \" A few drops of rain on the summit compelled me to work rapidly, but, as yet, there was\nno warning of what was in store.\nAfter all the principal points were located we packed\nup our instruments and commenced a rapid descent to\nthe Saddle. The slope is of scree and loose material,\nwhich permits a rapid descent at a full run, so that one\nmay gain the Saddle in about fifteen minutes. Arriving\nthere I paused to get a drink at a small stream under\nsome great boulders, fed by a wasting snow-bank. H.\nhad gone off toward the other side of the pass to get his\nrifle, which he had left on the way up.\nSuddenly I heard a rushing sound, and, looking up,\nsaw a cloud of dust on the mountain side and the trees\nswaying violently in a strong wind. A mass of curling\nvapor formed rapidly against the cliffs of Great Mountain, and a dull moaning sound, as of violent wind, seemed The Canadian Rockies.\nto fill the air. The sky rapidly darkened and black clouds\nformed overhead, while below them the thin wisps of scud\nrushed along and seemed white and pale by contrast.\nI was no sooner up on my feet than the approaching\nblast was upon me, and with such unexpected force did\nit come that I was laid low at the first impulse. My hat\nwent sailing off into space and was never seen more.\nThe first shock over, I gained my feet again and started\nto find H. The air changed in temperature with phenomenal rapidity, and from being warm and muggy, in\nthe space of about five minutes it grew exceedingly cold,\nand threatened snow and hail.\nThough everything betokened an immediate storm\nand a probable drenching for us, I had time to notice a\nmagnificent sight on Mount Temple. As yet there were\nno clouds on the summit, but, as I looked, my attention\nwas called to a little fleck of vapor resting against the\nprecipitous side of the mountain, half-way between summit and base. So suddenly had it appeared that I could\nnot tell whether it had grown before my eyes or was there\nbefore. From this small spot the vapors grew and extended rapidly in both directions, till a long, flat cloud\nstretched out more than a mile, when I last saw it. The\nvapors seemed to form out of the very air where a\nmoment before all had been perfectly clear.\nRealizing that the sooner we started the better chance\nwe should have of escape, we flew rather than ran down\nthe trail, and were only overtaken by the storm as we\napproached the lake. The temperature had dropped so A Sudden Storm.\n83\nrapidly that a cold rain and damp snow were falling when\nwe reached the lake. The boat had drifted from its\nmoorings, and was caught on a sunken log some distance\nfrom the shore. I waded out on a sunken log, where I\nexpected at any moment to slip from the slimy surface\nand take an involuntary bath in the lake. The boat was\nregained by the time H. had arrived a few minutes later\nand we reached the chalet thoroughly drenched.\nSuch sudden storms in the Canadian Rockies are rather\nrare, and are almost always indicated in advance by a\nfalling barometer and lowering sky. I have never at any\nother time observed such a sudden fall in temperature,\nnor seen the clouds form instantaneously far down on the\nmountain side as they had done in this storm. The sudden rush of wind, the curling vapors, and flying scud\nafforded a magnificent spectacle on the Saddle, and one\nthat was well worth the drenching we suffered in penalty. m\nCHAPTER VI.\nParadise Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Mitre Glacier\u00E2\u0080\u0094Air Castles\u00E2\u0080\u0094Climbing to the\nCol\u00E2\u0080\u0094Dark Ice Caverns\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mountain Sickness\u00E2\u0080\u0094Grandeur of the Rock-\nPrecipices on Mt. Lefroy\u00E2\u0080\u0094Summit of the Col at Last\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Glorious Vision\nof a New and Beautiful Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Temple of Nature\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sudden Change\nof Weather\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Temptation to Explore the New Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Precipitate\nDescent\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sudden Transition from Arctic to Temperate Conditions\u00E2\u0080\u0094Delightful Surroundings\u00E2\u0080\u0094Weary Followers\u00E2\u0080\u0094Overtaken by Night\u00E2\u0080\u0094A\nBivouac in the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Fire in the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Indian Sarcasm.\nTHE valley to the east of Lake Louise and parallel\nto it, we named Paradise Valley, on account of\nthe elegant park-like effect of the whole place\nand the beauty of the vegetation. Our first entrance\ninto this region and the discovery of the valley were\npartially accidental. In fact, we were making an expedition for the purpose of finding a practicable route\nup Hazel Peak, on the day when we were diverted from\nour original plan, and tempted to explore this hitherto\nunseen part of the mountains.\nIt came about somewhat in this manner. On the 30th\nof July, all but F., who was still lame from his accident,\nleft the chalet carrying rope and ice-axes, with the intention of making explorations on the southern slopes of\nHazel Peak. Our party, numbering four, left the chalet\n84 The Mitre Glacier. 85\nat a little after eight o'clock, with the intention of returning\nno later than five in the afternoon. Our equipment, beside our Alpine implements, consisted of a camera, a prismatic compass, and that which proved no less necessary,\nour lunches and a whiskey flask.\nTaking the boat, we rowed to the other end of the lake,\nand then followed the same route as our party of three\nhad taken on the disastrous expedition of July 13th, till\nwe came to the junction of the two glacier streams. Here\nwe turned toward the east, and followed the moraine of\nthe wide glacier between Mount Lefroy and Hazel Peak.\nThe whole valley between was floored by a smooth,\nnearly level glacier, about a half mile wide and perhaps\ntwo miles long. Presently we were compelled to get on\nthe ice as the moraine disappeared ; so we put on the\nrope, and advanced with more caution. It was not long,\nhowever, before W., who was next to last in our line,\nbroke through the bridge of a crevasse, despite our care,\nand sank to his shoulders. This member of our party\nwas not versed in the art of snow-craft, and to him, every\noccurrence common to mountain experiences, and Alpine\nmethods of procedure, were alike novel and terrible. In\nconsequence, this accident fell more severely on him, but\nfortunately, he was extricated almost immediately by the\nuse of the rope.\nAt the head of our valley was a remarkable, symmetrical\nmountain, resembling\" in general outline a bishop's mitre.\nFrom the glacier and snow-fields where we were walking,\nthere rose on either side of the Mitre, steep snow-slopes, 86\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nwhich terminated in lofty cols about 8500 feet above\nsea-level. That on the north side of the Mitre was exceedingly steep, and was rendered inaccessible by reason of\na great crevasse, extending from the precipices on either\nside, clear across the snow-slope. This crevasse must\nhave been nearly twenty-five yards in width and of great\ndepth. At one side there still remained a thin bridge of\nsnow, suspended, as it were, in mid-air over the awful\nchasm, as though to tempt climbers on to their instant\ndestruction, or perhaps to a lingering death from cold\nand hunger.\nThe pass on our left appeared the more propitious and\nseemed to offer a possible route to the summit of the\ndivide. We were anxious to get a view into the valley\nbeyond, even though it were but for a few moments. The\nunknown regions on the other side of the pass had long\nbeen for me a favorite pleasure-ground of the imagination.\nSome fate had hitherto denied us any idea of the place\nbeyond the vaguest suggestions. Several ascents, or partial ascents, of mountains on all sides of this unknown\nvalley, had revealed the outlines of the surrounding mountains, but some intervening cliff or mountain range had\nalways, with persistent and exasperating constancy, shut\noff all but the most unsatisfactory glimpses. Starting\nfrom these substantial foundations of reality, my imagination had built up a wide circular valley, surrounded on all\nsides by curious mountains of indefinite and ever changing outline and position. The picture always appeared\nin a gloomy, weird light, as though under a cloudy sky, Air Castles.\n87\nor while the sun was near totally eclipsed. By some\ncurious analogy, this faint illumination was similar to that\nwhich we always associate with the first creation of land\nand water ; or far back in the geologic ages, when strange\nand hideous reptiles,\u00E2\u0080\u0094some flying in the murky air, some\ncreeping amid the swampy growths of cycads, calamit\u00C3\u00A9s,\nand gigantic tree ferns,\u00E2\u0080\u0094excite a strange thrill of pleasure\nand awe combined, as though the soul were dimly perceiving some new revelation of the universe, though but\nvaguely. I n this weird, gloomy valley I wandered careless,\nin my imagination, many days and at many times, among\nforests infested by strange, wild animals, harmless like\nthose of Eden, and by the shores of ever new, ever changing lakes and rivers.\nSo strong had this picture become that I felt the most\nintense anxiety to succeed in reaching the top of our pass,\nand gain at length a view of the reality, even at the risk\nof shattering these pleasant air castles, and annihilating, in\na single instant, one of my best mental pleasure-grounds.\nThere were many dangers to be risked, however, and\nmany obstacles to be overcome before this advantage\nmight be gained. The steep slope was rendered formidable by reason of many great schrunds* or horizontal\ncrevasses, caused by the ice of the glacier below, moving\ndownward. In the intense cold of winter the moving ice\nbecomes rigid and nearly stagnant, while the drifting\nsnows accumulate, so as partly to fill these rents in the ice\nand bridge them over by cornices built out from one side\nor the other. When the increasing- warmth of summer 88 The Canadian Rockies.\ncauses the ice to become plastic and to move more rapidly,\nthese rents grow wider and the snow-bridges melt away\nand eventually fall into the crevasses so as to leave impassable chasms, dangerous to approach. Fortunately, it was\nnot so late in the season that afHhe bridges were broken\ndown, else w\u00C3\u00A9 should have been completely defeated, for,\non either side, the glacier was hemmed in by dangerous\nrock precipices. The south side of the glacier, moreover,\nwas subject to frequent rock falls from the disintegrating\ncliffs of the Mitre. As we advanced over the extensive\nn\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9, the slope increased gradually but constantly, and\nsoon became so steep that steps had to be cut, and great\ncare was necessary not to slip. We crossed some of the\nschrunds by bridges of snow, where it was necessary to\nproceed with great caution, and, by sliding the feet along,\napply the weight gently, lest the bridge should break\nthrough. We passed round others by walking along the\nlower edge or lip of the crevasse, which gave us a splendid\nbut almost terrifying view of the gloomy caverns, extending down through the snow and ice to unknown depths.\nThe dark-blue roofs of these crevasses were hung with\ndripping icicles, while from far below could be heard th\u00C3\u00A9\nsound of rushing, sub-glacial streams. Three hours of\nthis slow, toilsome work were necessary to gain iooo feet\nin altitude. We were now more than 8000 feet above the\nsea, and the atmosphere was raw and cold. Large damp\nflakes of snow and granular hail fell occasionally from a\ncloudy sky, silently and swiftly, through a quiet atmosphere. The whole horizon was bounded by high moun- Desolate Surrounding's.\n89\ntains, covered with glaciers and patches of snow, altogether\nbarren and destitute of vegetation. Not a single tree or\nshrub, nor even a grassy slope at the far end of the great\namphitheatre of mountain walls by which we were hemmed\nin, relieved the stern, cold monotony of the scene. So far\nas we might judge by our surroundings, we might have\nbeen exploring the lonely, desolate mountains of Spitz-\nbergen, or some distant polar land, where frost and winter\nrule perpetual. Our progress up the slope of the glacier was very slow, as each step had to be cut out with\nthe ice-axe. The pitch was so steep that a misstep might\nhave resulted in our all sliding down and making further\nexploration of the schrunds below. The whole party\nwas, in consequence, more or less affected by these cheerless circumstances, and became much depressed in spirit.\nAs, however, the condition of the body is in great part\nresponsible for all mental and moral ailments, so it was\nin our case. Had we been walking rapidly, so that the\ncirculation of the blood had been vigorous and strong,\nboth mind and body would have been in good condition,\nand the cold air, the snow, and bleak mountains would\nhave been powerless to discourage. It is always at such\ntimes that mountain climbers begin to ask themselves\nwhether the results are worth the efforts to attain them.\nAny one who has climbed at all, as we learn by reading\nthe experiences of mountaineers, at many times has said\nto himself: \" If I get home safely this time I shall never\nagain venture from the comforts of civilization.\" The\nancients, when in the thick of battle, or at the point of mmmsmm\n90 The Canadian Rockies.\nshipwreck, were accustomed to vow temples to the gods\nshould they be kind enough to save them, but they usually forgot their oaths when safely home. Mountaineers\nin like manner forget their resolves, under the genial\ninfluence of rest and food, when they reach camp.\nAfter many disappointments, we at last saw the true\nsummit of our pass or col not far distant, and only a few\nhundred feet above us. xA more gentle slope of snow,\nfree of crevasses, led to it from our position.\n! Now that we were confident of success, we took this\nopportunity to rest by a ledge of rocks which appeared\nabove the surrounding snow field. Here we regained\nconfidence along with a momentary rest.\nNothing could surpass the awful grandeur of Mount\nLefroy opposite us. Its great cliffs were of solid rock,\nperpendicular and sheer for about 2500 feet, and then\nsloping back, at an angle of near fifty degrees, to heights\nwhich were shut off from our view by the great hanging\nglacier. We could just catch a glimpse of its dark precipices, where the mountain wall continued into the\nunknown valley eastward, through a gorge or rent in\nthe cliffs south of the Mitre. A magnificent avalanche\nfell from Mount Lefroy as we were resting from our\nsevere exertion, and held our admiring attention for several moments. Another descended from the Mitre and\nconsisted wholly of rocks, which made a sharp cannonade\nas they struck the glacier below, and showed us the danger\nto which we should have been exposed had we ascended\non the farther side of the slope. Discovery of a Beautiful Valley.\n91\nHaving roped up once more, we proceeded rapidly\ntoward the summit of the col, being urged on by a strong\ndesire to see what wonders the view eastward might have\nin store. This is the most pleasurably exciting experience in mountaineering\u00E2\u0080\u0094the approach to the summit of\na pass. The conquest of a new mountain is likewise\nvery interesting, but usually the scene unfolds gradually\nduring the last few minutes of an ascent. On reaching\nthe summit of a pass, however, a curtain is removed, as\nit were, at once, and a new region is unfolded whereby\nthe extent of the view is doubled as by magic.\nWe were, moreover, anxious to learn whether a descent into this valley would be possible, after we should\narrive on the col. We were alternately tormented by the\nfear of finding impassable precipices of rock, or glaciers\nrent by deep crevasses, and cheered on by the hope of an\neasy slope of snow or scree, whereby.a safe descent would\nbe offered.\nProceeding cautiously, as we approached the very summit, to avoid the danger of an overhanging cornice of snow,\nwe had no sooner arrived on the highest part than we beheld a valley of surpassing beauty, wide and beautiful, with\nalternating open meadows and rich forests. Here and\nthere were to be seen streams and brooks spread out before our gaze, clearly as though on a map, and traceable\nto their sources, some from glaciers, others from springs\nor melting snow-drifts. In the open meadows, evidently\nluxuriantly clothed with grass and other small plants,\nthough from our great height it was impossible to tell, the 92\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nstreams meandered about in sinuous channels, in some\nplaces forming a perfect network of watercourses. In\nother parts, the streams were temporarily concealed by\nheavy forests of dark coniferous trees, or more extensively,\nby hght groves of larch.\nThis beautiful valley, resembling a park by reason of its\nvaried and pleasing landscape, was closely invested on the\nsouth by a half circle of rugged, high mountains rising precipitously from a large glacier at their united bases. This\nwall of mountains, continuing almost uninterruptedly\naround, hemmed in the farther side of the valley and terminated, so far as we could see, in a mountain with twin\nsummits of nearly equal height, about one mile apart.\nThe limestone strata of this mountain were nearly perfectly horizontal, and had been sculptured by rain and\nfrost into an endless variety of minarets, spires, and pinnacles. These, crowning the summits of ridges and slopes\nwith ever changing angles, as though they represented\nalternating walls and roofs of some great cathedral, all\ncontributed to give this mountain, with its elegant contours\nand outlines, the most artistically perfect assemblage of\nforms that nature can offer throughout the range of mountain architecture.\nOn the north side of this mountain, as though, here,\nnature had striven to outdo herself, there rose from the\nmiddle slopes a number of graceful spires or pinnacles,\nperhaps 200 or 300 feet in height, slender and tapering,\nwhich, having escaped the irresistible force of moving\nglaciers and destructive earthquakes, through the duration Discovery of Paradise Valley.\n- ^ 1 p^ A Temple of Nature.\n93\nof thousands of years, while the elements continued their\nslow but constant work of disintegration and dissolution,\nnow presented these strange monuments ef an ageless\npast. Compared with these needles, the obelisks and\npyramids of Egypt, the palaces of Yucatan, or the\ntemples of India are young, even in their antiquity.\nWhen those ancient peoples were building, nature had\nnearly completed her work here.\nBeyond the nearer range of mountains could be\nseen, through two depressions, a more distant range,\nremarkably steep and rugged, while one particularly\nhigh peak was adorned with extensive snow-fields and\nlarge glaciers.\nAlmost simultaneously with our arrival on the summit\nof the pass, a great change took place in the weather.\nThe wind veered about, and the clouds, which hitherto\nhad formed a monotonous gray covering, now began to\nseparate rapidly and dissolve away, allowing the blue sky\nto appear in many places. Long, light shafts of sunlight\nforced a passage through these rents, and, as the clouds\nmoved along, trailed bright areas of illumination over the\nvalley below, developing rich coloring and pleasing contrasts of light and shade over a landscape ideally perfect.\nThis beautiful scene, which has taken some time to describe, even superficially, burst on our view so suddenly,\nthat for a moment the air was rent with our exclamations\nand shouts, while those who had lately been most depressed\nin spirit were now most vehement in their expressions of\npleasure. We spent a half-hour on the pass and divided IP-\n94 The Canadian Rockies.\nup our work, so that while one took photographs of the\nscenery, another noted down the angles of prominent\npoints for surveying purposes, while the rest constructed\na high cairn of stones, to commemorate our ascent of the\npass.\nWhatever may have been the mental processes by which\nthe result was achieved, we found all unanimous in a decision to go down into the new valley and explore it, whatever might result. The cold, desolate valley on which wre\nnow turned our backs, but which was the route homewards, was less attractive than this unknown region of so\nmany pleasant features, where even the weather seemed\nchanged as we approached it.\nIt was now already two-thirty p. m. We were 8400\nfeet above sea-level and at an unknown distance from\nLake Louise, should we attempt the new route. Another great mountain range might have to be passed\nbefore we could arrive at the chalet, for aught we knew.\nThere were, however, fully six hours left of daylight,\nand we hoped to reach the chalet before nightfall.\nA long snow-slope descended from where we were\nstanding, far into the valley. This we prepared to descend\nby glissading, all roped together, on account of W., who\nwas this day enjoying his first experience in mountain\nclimbing. An unkind fate had selected him, earlier in the\nday, to break through the bridge of the crevasse and now\ndoomed him to still further trouble, for we had no sooner\ngot well under way in our descent, before his feet flew out\nfrom under him, and he started to slide at such a remark- A Precipitate Descent.\n95\nable rate that the man behind was jerked violently by the\nrope, and, falling headlong, lost his ice-axe at the same\ntime. With consternation depicted in every feature, our\ntwo friends came rolling and sliding down, with ever increasing speed, spinning round\u00E2\u0080\u0094now one leading, now the\nother, sometimes head first, sometimes feet first. The\nshock of the oncomers was too much for the rest of us to\nwithstand, and even with our ice-axes.well set in the soft\nsnow, we all slid some distance in a bunch. At length\nour axes had the desired effect and the procession came\nto a standstill. It required some time to unwind the tangled ropes wherein we were enmeshed like flies in a\nspiders web, owing to the complicated figures we had\nexecuted in our descent. Meanwhile, a committee of one\nwas appointed to go back and pick up the scattered hats,\nice-axes, and such other wreckage as could be found.\nThe end of the descent was accomplished in a better\nmanner, and in less than ten minutes we were 1500\nfeet below the pass. A short, steep scramble down\nsome rocky ledges, where strong alder bushes gave good\nsupport for lowering ourselves, brought us in a few minutes to the valley bottom. At this level the air was warm\nand pleasant as we entered an open grove of larch and\nspruce trees. In the last quarter of an hour we had\npassed through all the gradations from an arctic climate,\nwhere the cold air, the great masses of perpetual snow,\nand bleak rocks, made a wintry picture, to the genial climate of the temperate zone, where were fresh and beautiful meadows enlivened by bright flowers, gaudy insects. 96\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nand the smaller mountain animals. Humboldt has truly\nsaid : \" In the physical as in the moral world, the contrast\nof effects, the comparison of what is powerful and menacing with what is soft and peaceful, is a never failing\nsource of our pleasures and our emotions.\"\nWe followed a small, clear stream of an unusual nature. In some places it glided quietly and swiftly over a\nsloping floor of solid stone, polished and grooved in some\npast age by glaciers. A little farther on, the character of\nthe mountain stream suffered a change, and the water\nnow found its way in many sharp, angular turns and narrow courses by large square blocks of stone, for the most\npart covered by a thick carpet of moss, while between\nwere deep pools and occasional miniature waterfalls.\nPursuing our way with rapid steps, for we were like\nadventurers in some fairy-land of nature, where every\nmoment reveals new wonders, we came at length to an\nopening in the forest, where the stream dashed over some\nrocky ledges, that frost and age had rent asunder and\nthrown down in wild disorder, till the stream bed was\nfairly strewn wTith giant masses of sandstone. Some of\nthese colossal fragments were apparently just balanced on\nsharp edges, and seemed ever ready to fall from their insecure positions. The variety and novelty of form presented by the falling water, as the streamlets divided here\nand united there, some over, some under, the stone\nbridges accidentally formed in this confusion of nature,\naroused our greatest admiration.\nAs we advanced down the valley towards the north, a\nWeary Followers. 97\nthe outlines of the mountains changed, and we recognized\nat length the bare slopes of the southern side of Mount\nTemple, which at first seemed to us a strange mountain.\nMeanwhile, we had approached very near to the base of\nthe beautiful mountain with the double peak and the\nmany pinnacles, and found that proximity did not render\nit less attractive.\nThe stream which we followed had been joined by\nmany other rivulets and springs till it grew to be wide\nand deep. At length a muddy torrent, direct from the\nglacier at the head of the valley, added new volume and\npolluted the crystal snow-waters of the stream which we\nhad followed from its very source.\nFor many hours we followed the banks of the small\nriver formed by these two branches, and found it an almost continuous succession of rapids, constantly descending, and with a channel swinging to right and left, every\nfew hundred yards, in a winding course.\nH. and I led the way, and frequently lost sight of the\nothers who were beginning to tire and preferred a slower\npace. We waited on several occasions for them to come\nup with us, though it seemed as if we should no more than\nreach the chalet before nightfall, even by putting forth\nour best efforts.\nAbout-6.30 xx clock we came to a swampy tract, where\nthe trees grew sparingly, and gave the appearance of a\nmeadow to an expanse of nearly level ground, covered\nwith fine grass and sedges. Here, after a long wait for\nour friends, who had not been seen for some time, we r\nm\nThe Canadian Rockies.\ndecided to write a note on a piece of paper and attach it\nto a pole in a conspicuous place where they could not fail\nto see it. The mosquitoes were so numerous that it was\nalmost impossible to remain quiet long enough to write a\nfew words explaining our plans. On the top of the stick\nwe placed a small splinter of wood in a slit, and made it\npoint in the exact direction we intended to take.\nHaving accomplished these duties in the best manner\npossible, we set out for the chalet with all speed, as we\ndid not relish the idea of making a bivouac in the woods\nand spending a cheerless night after our long fast. It\nwas evident that we were now at the outlet of the valley,\nand that, unless we should encounter very rough country\nwith much fallen timber, our chances were good for reaching the chalet before darkness rendered travelling impossible. It was likewise important to reach the lake on\naccount of those at the chalet, who might think that the\nwhole party had met with some accident on the mountain,\nunless some of us turned up that night.\nWe accordingly walked as fast as our waning strength\npermitted, and after surmounting a ridge about 800 feet\nhigh, which formed part of the lower slopes of Saddle\nMountain, we found no great difficulty in forcing a passage through the forest for several miles, when we came\nupon the trail to the Saddle. We reached the lake at 8.15\np.m., and after shouting in vain for some one to send over\na boat, we forded the stream and entered the chalet, where\na sumptuous repast was ordered forthwith, and to which\nwe did ample justice after our walk of twelve hours duration. A Bivouac in the Forest.\n99\nOur less fortunate friends did not appear till the next\nmorning. They discovered our note, but decided not to\ntake our route, as they thought it safer to follow the stream\ntill it joined the Bow River. They had not proceeded\nfar, however, beyond the place where we had left the note,\nbefore they became entangled in a large area of fallen\ntimber and prostrate trees, where they were overtaken\nby night and compelled to give up all hope of reaching\nLake Louise till the next day. In the dark forest they\nmade a small fire, and were at first tormented by mosquitoes and, later, by the chill of advancing night, so that\nsleep was impossible. The extreme weariness of exhausted nature, crowned by hunger and sleeplessness amid\nclouds of voracious mosquitoes, was only offset by the\ncontents of a flask, with which they endeavored to revive\ntheir drooping spirits, and cherish the feeble spark of life\ntill dawn.\nFortunately, the nights in this latitude are short, and\nat four o'clock they continued their way to the Bow\nRiver, which they followed till they reached Laggan.\nAbout six days later, a little column of smoke was observed rising from the forests towards the east, and from\nLaggan we learned that the woods were on fire, and that\nabout forty acres of land were already in a blaze. A\nlarge gang of section men were despatched at once with\nwater buckets and axes to fight the fire. The fire did not\nprove so extensive, however, as at first reported, and in\nabout two days all the men were recalled.\nWilliam said to one of us : \" Me think two white man The Canadian Rockies.\nlight him fire \" ; to which our friends replied that it was\nimpossible, as the fire had broken out nearly a week after\nthey had been there.\nWilliam replied, with the only trace of sarcasm I have\never known him to use : \" White man no light fire, oh\nno, me think sun light him.\" CHAPTER VII.\nThe Wild Character of Paradise Valley\u00E2\u0080\u0094Difficulties with Pack\nHorses\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Remarkable Accident\u00E2\u0080\u0094Our Camp and Surroundings\u00E2\u0080\u0094Animal\nFriends\u00E2\u0080\u0094Midsummer Flowers\u00E2\u0080\u0094Desolation Valley-^Ascent of Hazel Peak\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Alpine Lake in a Basin of Ice\u00E2\u0080\u0094First Attempt to Scale Mt. Temple-^\nOur Camp by a Small Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Wild and Stormy Night\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Impassable\nBarrier\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Scene of Utter Desolation\u00E2\u0080\u0094All Nature Sleeps\u00E2\u0080\u0094Difficulties\nof Ascent\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Highest Point yet Reached in Canada\u00E2\u0080\u0094Paradise Valley in\nWinter\u00E2\u0080\u0094Farewell to Lake Louise.\nOUR delightful experience in Paradise Valley convinced us that a camp should be established in\nit near the southern base of Mount Temple,\nwhich we hoped to ascend. From this camp we intended to make branch excursions in all directions and\nlearn something of the mountains toward the east and\nsouth. All this region, though so near the railroad,\nhad apparently never been explored by the surveyors,\nand the early expeditions had of course never approached\nthis region nearer than the Vermilion Pass on the east\nand the Kicking Horse Pass on the west. In all our\nexpeditions through these lonely but grand mountain\nvalleys, we never discovered any mark of axe or knife\non the trees, any charred pieces of wood to indicate a\ncamper's fire, nor any cairn or pile of stones to prove\nsome climber's conquest. The Canadian Rockies.\nIn fact, the impenetrable barrier of mountains at every\nvalley end dissolved the surveyor's hopes, even from a\ndistance, of finding any practicable pass through the maze\nof lofty mountains and intervening valleys blocked with\nglaciers and vast heaps of moraine. The lone prospector\nwould not be tempted by any sign of gold in the streams\nto explore these valleys, though the Indian hunter may\nhave occasionally visited these regions in search of bears\nor the mountain goat.\nWe first blazed a trail from the chalet to the entrance\nof Paradise Valley. The route followed was merely the\nbest and most open pathway that we could find through\nthe forests, and though not more than three miles in\nlength, it required as many hours to reach the valley\nentrance. Pack horses we obtained at the chalet, but no\nman could be found who would consent to act as our cook\nor assistant in managing the horses.\nOur camp was at length established by the side of a\nsmall rivulet on the lower slopes of Mount Temple, where\nwe found the altitude to be 6900 feet above sea-level. Our\nexperiences with pack animals were of a most exciting\nnature and sometimes severely trying to our temper and\npatience. The horses were not accustomed to this service and performed all sorts of antics, smashing the packs\namong the trees, jumping high in air to clear a small\nstream six inches wide, or plunging regardless into\nrivers where, for a moment, the horse and packs would be\nsubmerged in the water. There was one place about two\nmiles within the valley entrance that might well try the Difficulties with Pack Horses.\npatience of Job himself. On one side of the stream,\nwas an impassable area covered with tree trunks crisscrossed and piled two or three deep by some snow-slide\nof former years. On the other side of the stream,\nwhich we were compelled to take, was a dense forest.\nBelow was a tangled growth of bush, and many fallen\ntrees, all resting on a foundation of large loose stones\ncovered six inches deep with green moss. Between these\nstones were deep holes and occasional underground streams,\nthe water of which could be faintly heard below and which\nhad probably washed away the soil and left these angular\nstones unprotected. To lead a horse through this place\nrequired the greatest skill, patience, and even daring.\nWithout some one to lead the animal with a rope, the\npoor beast would stand motionless, but to pick one's way\nover the rough ground while leading the horse invariably\nended in disaster. The very first hole was enough to\nfrighten the horse, so that, instead of proceeding more\nslowly, the animal usually made a mad rush forward regardless of the leader, who invariably fled and sought the protection of a tree, while the horse soon fell prostrate among\nthe maze of obstacles. In these frantic rushes many of\nus were several times trampled on by the horse, and the\npacks were smashed against the branches and trunks of\ntrees, or torn off altogether. This was an exceedingly\ndangerous bit of ground, and it was remarkable that on so\nmany occasions we were able to lead our horses through\nit without a broken leg.\nOne of our most remarkable adventures with a horse io4 The Canadian Rockies.\nmay indeed test the credence of the reader, but five men\ncan vouch for its actual occurrence. We were passing\nalong through the forest in our usual manner, which was\nthe outgrowth of much experience. First of all, one man\npreceded and did nothing else but find the blaze marks\nand keep on the ill-defined trail as well as possible.\nAbout twenty-five yards behind came another man whose\nduty it was to find the pathfinder, and if possible, improve\non his trail. Then came one of our party who led the\nhorse with a long head rope, while behind the horse were\ntwo men whose duty it was to pick up whatever articles\nfell out of the packs from time to time, and fasten them\non again.\n- As we were proceeding in this manner, we came to\na slanting tree which leaned over the trail at an angle of\nabout thirty degrees. It was just small enough to be\nlimber, and just large enough to be strong. MoreovervJt\nwas too low for the horse to go under, and a little too\nhigh for him to jump over. One might travel a lifetime\nand never meet with just such another tree as this. In\nless than ten seconds this tree had brought the horse and\ntwo of our party to the ground and wrought consternation in our ranks.\nAs the horse approached the slanting tree, F., who\nwas leading, saw the animal rear high in the air to prepare\nfor a jump. He thought it best to get out of the way,\nbut in his haste stumbled and fell headlong into a bush.\nMeanwhile the horse, a stupid old beast, prepared for the\neffort of his life, and with a tremendous spring jumped A Remarkable Accident.\n105\nhigh in air, but unfortunately his fore-feet caught on the\nsmall tree, which swung forward a little and then returning\nlike a powerful spring, turned the animal over in mid-air.\nThe horse landed on his back some five yards farther on,\nand, with his four legs straight up in the air, remained\nmotionless as death. But this was not all, for the tree\nswung back violentfy and struck H. on the nose, fortunately at the end of the swing, but with sufficient force to\nknock him down.\nWhen our two friends recovered, we turned our attention to the horse, which still remained motionless on his\nback. \" He is dead,\" said F., but, on rolling him over,\nthe poor animal got up and seemed none the worse for\nhis experience, except for a more than usual stupidity.\nWe camped about ten days in Paradise Valley in a\nbeautiful spot near the end. Here, on all sides except\ntowards the north, the place is hemmed in by lofty mountains. We saw the valley in all sorts of weather, in clear\nsunshiny days, and when the clouds hung low and shut\nout the mountains from view. On one or two occasions\nthe ground was white with snow for a short time, though\nour visit was during the first part of August.\nMany kinds of animals frequented the valley, and some\nof the smaller creatures lived in the rocks on all sides of\nour camp and became quite friendly. One of the most\ninteresting little animals of the Canadian Rockies is the\nlittle pica, or tailless hare. This small animal abounded\nin the vicinity of our camp and is in fact always found at\nabout 7000 feet altitude. It is a hare about the size of io6 The Canadian Rockies.\na rat, which, with its round ears, it more resembles. These\nlittle fellows have a dismal squeak, and they are very\nimpertinent in their manner of sitting up among the rocks\nat the entrance to their holes, and gazing at their human\nvisitors, ever ready to pop out of sight at a sign of danger.\nChipmunks were likewise abundant and visited our camp\nto pick up scattered crumbs from our table.\nThere is a species of rat with a bushy tail that lives\nin the forests and rocky places of these mountains and\nis the most arrant thief among all the rodents. Nothing\nis too large for them to try and carry off, and they will\nmake away with the camper's compass, aneroid, or watch,\nand hide them in some inaccessible hole, apparently with\nthe desire to set up a collection of curios.\nThe siffleur, or marmot, is the largest among these\nrodents, and reaches the length of twenty-five or thirty\ninches. These animals usually frequent high altitudes\nat, or above the tree line, where they build large nests\namong the rocks and lay up a store of provisions for winter time. They are very fat in the fall, but it is not known\nwhether they hibernate or not. Their note is a very loud\nshrill whistle, which they make at a distance, but they never\nallow one to approach very near, like the impudent picas.\nWe saw very few of the mountain goats, though we\noften came upon their fresh tracks in the mud near streams\nor in the snow far up on the mountain sides. On several\noccasions we could hear the patter and rattle of stones\nsent down by the movements of some herd, though our\neyes failed to detect them. Midsummer Flowers. 107\nWhere the forests grew thick in the valley, the herbs\nand flowering plants were always less numerous, but in the\nmeadows the ground was colored by mountain flowers of\nbeautiful shades and pretty forms. The tasselled heads of\nthe large anemones, long since gone to seed, were conspicuous everywhere, and they are always a beautiful object\namong the meadow grass as the summer breezes make\ngentle waves over these seas of verdure. Along the bare\nrocky margins of the streams, where all else has been\nforced to retire by occasional floods, two species of plants\nmake a most brilliant coloring and dazzle the eye with\ndiscordant shades. They are the castilleias, or painter's\nbrush, with bright scarlet and green leaves clustered at\nthe top of a leafy stem, and the epilobiums, with reddish-\npurple blossoms ; these two plants were often so close\ntogether with their inharmonious color tones as to perplex\nthe observer in regard to nature's meaning. When nature\ndoes such things we grow to like her apparent mistakes,\njust as we love the bitter-sweet chords of Schumann, or\nGrieg's harsh harmonies.\nWe made several excursions into the next valley to the\neastward, and beyond that, over the water-shed into British\nColumbia. The valley to the east offered the greatest\ncontrast to Paradise Valley. It was somewhat wider, the\naltitude was in general higher, so that a great part was\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2above the tree line, while the awful wildness and confusion created by vast heaps of moraine and a large\nglacier at the foot of a range of saw-edged mountains\nmade this place seem like a vale of desolation and death.\nJ* io8\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nAt the close of our camping experiences, we effected the\nconquest of two mountains, Hazel Peak and Mount Temple, on two successive days. We first tried Hazel Peak,\nand by fpllowing the route which had been previously selected, we found the ascent remarkably easy. On the\nsummit, the climber is 10,370 feet above sea-level,\u00E2\u0080\u0094higher\nthan the more celebrated Mount Stephen, often claimed\nto be the highest along the railroad,\u00E2\u0080\u0094and surrounded by\nmore high peaks than can be found at any other known\npart of the Canadian Rockies, south of Alaska. In fact\nthere are seven or eight peaks within a radius of six miles\nthat are over 11,000 feet high.\nThe view is, at the same time, grand and inspiring, and\nhas certain attractions that high mountain views rarely\npresent. The rock precipice and snow-crowned crest of\nMount Lefroy are separated from the summit of Hazel\nPeak by one of the grandest and deepest canyons of the\nCanadian Rockies, so that the distance from summit to\nsummit is only one mile and a half. The ascent of Hazel\nPeak is certainly well worth the labor of the climb, as the\nround trip may be easily accomplished from Paradise Valley in five hours, though the ascent is nearly 4000 feet.\nOn the north side, from the very summit, a fine glacier\nsweeps down in steep pitch far into the valley below and\nwith its pure white snow and yawning blue crevasses\nof unfathomable depth, forms one of the most attractive\nfeatures of this mountain. The most remarkable and\nbeautiful object that we discovered, however, was a small\nlake or pool of water only a few yards below the summit Camp in Paradise Valley. 1 First Attempt on Mt. Temple. 109\nof the mountain. Encircled on all sides by the pure snows\nof these lofty altitudes, and embedded, as it were, in a blue\ncrystal basin of glacier ice, the water of this little lake was\ncolored deep as indigo, while over the surface a film of ice.\nformed during the previous night, had not yet melted\naway.\nWe returned to camp much elated with our success but\ndoubtful of the morrow, as no easy route had yet been discovered up the forbidding slopes of Mount Temple. The\nyear before, Mr. A. and I had been hopelessly defeated\neven when we had counted most on success. Moreover,\nthe mere fact that, though this mountain was the highest\nyet discovered anywhere near the railroad, it had never\nbeen ascended by any surveyor or climber, made success\nappear less probable, though it urged us on to a keener\nambition.\nThe attempt by A. and myself to ascend this mountain\nin 1893 was probably the first ever made. During the\nfirst week of August, we started from Laggan, having\nwith usa Stoney Indian, named Enoch Wildman, and one\nhorse to carry our tent and provisions. The day was unusually hot, and, as we forced our monotonous and tiresome\npassage through the scanty forests of pine near the Bow\nRiver, we suffered very much from heat and thirst. In\nthese mountain excursions, it is the best policy to wear\nvery heavy clothes, even at the disadvantage of being uncomfortable during the day, for the nights are invariably\ncold, even at low altitudes. We did not camp until nightfall, when we found ourselves on the northern slope of The Canadian Rockies.\nthe mountain, 7000 feet above sea-level, by the side\nof a small lake. The little lake occupied a depression\namong giant boulders and the debris of the mountain.\nAt one end, a large bank of snow extended into and below\nthe water, which was apparently rising, as there were fragments of frozen snow floating about in the lake. The\nbanks sloped steeply into the water on all sides, and there\nwas not a single level spot for our camp, so that it was\nnecessary to build a wall of stones, near the water's edge,\nfor our feet, and to prevent ourselves from sliding into the\nlake during the night.\nThe weather was wild and stormy, and the long night\nseemed to drag out its weary length to an interminable extent of time, attended as it was by showers of rain and\nhail and furious gusts of wind, which threatened to bring\nour flapping tent to the ground at any moment.\nOur camp-fire, which had been built on a scale appropriate to some larger race of men, was a huge pile of logs,\neach fully ten feet long, and twelve or eighteen inches\nthrough, but the wind blew so strong that the mass roared\nlike a vast forge during the early hours, and then died\naway into an inert mass of cinders toward the chill of\nmorning.\nThe light of day revealed our wild surroundings. We\nwere under the northern precipice of Mount Temple, and\nso close that we could see only the lower part of this inaccessible wall. A beautiful fall dashed down in a series\nof cascades through a distance of about 1000 feet,\nand fed our little lake. Sometimes the strong wind, blow- An Impassable Barrier.\ning against the cliff, or sweeping upward, would make the\nwater pause and momentarily hang in mid-air, suspended,\nas it were, on an invisible airy cushion, till gathering\ngreater volume, it would burst through the barrier and\nfall in a curtain of sparkling drops.\nPoor Enoch had suffered terribly from cold during the\nnight, and begged our permission to return to Laggan,\npromising to come back the next day\u00E2\u0080\u0094\" sun so high,\"\npointing to its place in the early afternoon. He said in\nhis broken English : \" No grass for pony here, too cold me ;\nno like it me.\" So we took pity on him and sent him back\nto more comfortable quarters while we rested in comparative quiet, it being Sunday.\nEarly Monday morning we had our breakfast and were\non foot at four o'clock. The gloom of early dawn, the\nchill of morning, and the cloudy sky had no cheering effect\non our anticipations. Our plan was to traverse the mountain side till we should come to the southeast shoulder,\nwhere we had once observed an outline of apparently\neasy slope.\nBy eleven o'clock we had reached an altitude of nearly\n10,000 feet without meeting with any very great\ndifficulty, but here we came suddenly to a vertical wall\nof rock about 400 feet high and actually leaning\nover in many places, a barrier that completely defeated\nus, as the wall extended beyond our view and offered no\nprospect of giving out. At the base of this cliff was a\nsteep, narrow slope of loose, broken limestone, and then\nanother precipice below. Along this dangerous pathway The Canadian Rockies.\nwe continued for some distance, keeping close to the base\nof the cliff. The loose stones, set in motion by our feet,\nslid down and rolled over the precipice, where we could\nhear them grinding to powder on the cliffs below.\nNever in my life have I been so much impressed with\nthe stern and desolate side of nature. The air was bitter\ncold and had the frosty ozone odor of winter. A strong\nwind rushed constantly by us, and, as it swept up the\ngorges of the precipice above, and over the countless projections of the cliffs, made a noise like the hoarse murmur of\nwind in a ship's rigging, or the blast of some great furnace.\nTo the south and east, range beyond range of bare, saw-\nedged mountains raised their cold, sharp summits up to a\ncloudy sky, where the strong wind drove threatening\nclouds in long trains of dark and lighter vapors. The intervening valleys, destitute of vegetation or any green\nthing, were filled with glaciers and vast heaps of moraine,\nand the slides of debris from the adjacent mountain side.\nAll was desolate, gloomy, cold, and monotonous in color.\nThree thousand feet below, a small lake was still bound\nfast in the iron jaws of winter, surrounded as it was by\nthe walls of mountains which shut out the light and\nwarmth of the summer sun. Inert, inanimate nature here\nheld perpetual rule in an everlasting winter, where summer; with its flowers and birds and pleasant fertility, is\nunknown, and man rarely ventures.\nOvercome with the terrors of this lonely place and the\nhopelessness of further attempt to reach the summit,\nwhere a snow-storm was now raging, we turned back. As All Nature Sleeps.\ni*3\nwe reached our camp we found Enoch just approaching,\naccording to his promise, and though the afternoon was\nwell advanced, we packed up and moved with all speed\ntoward Laggan. We reached Lake Louise at 10.30 p.m.,\nafter almost nineteen hours of constant walking.\nNow, however, at our camp in Paradise Valley, the\nconditions were somewhat different. We were at the\nyery base of the mountain, and had learned much more\nabout it, in the year that had elapsed since our first\nattempt.\nThe mountaineer has many discomforts mingled with\nthe keen enjoyment of his rare experiences. None is\nmore trying than the early hour at which he is compelled\nto rise from his couch of balsam boughs and set forth\non his morning toil. At the chill hour before dawn, when\nall nature stagnates and animate creation is plunged\nin deepest sleep, the mountain climber must needs arouse\nhimself from heavy slumber and, unwilling, compel his\nsluggish body into action.\nThis is the deadest hour of the twenty-four\u00E2\u0080\u0094the time\njust before dawn. The breezes of early night have died\naway into a cold and frosty Y:alm ; the thermometer sinks\nto its lowest point, and even the barometer, as though in\nsympathy, reaches one of its diurnal minima at this untimely hour. And if inanimate nature is thus greatly\naffected, much more are the creations of the vegetable\nand animal kingdoms. The plants are suffering from the\ncold and frost ; the animals of daytime have not as yet\naroused themselves from sleep, while the nocturnal prowl- ii4 The Canadian Rockies.\ners have already ceased their quest of prey an\u00C3\u00A7j. returned\nto their dens. Even man is affected, for at this dead hour\nthe ebb and pulse of life beat slow and feeble, and the lingering spark of life in those wasted by disease comes at\nthis time most near going out.\nAt such an unseasonable hour, or more accurately at\nfour a.m., were we up, on the 17th of August preparing for our ascent of Mount Temple. There was no\ntrace of dawn, and the waning moon, now in her last quarter, was riding low in the southern sky, just above the\nsharp triangular peak at the end of our valley.\nAt nine o'clock in the morning, we had gained the\nsummit of the pass between Mount Temple and Pinnacle\nMountain, where we were 9000 feet above sea-level.\nThe ascent so far had not been of an encouraging nature,\nas we had encountered a long, loose slide where everything moved threateningly at each step. I have never\nseen a more unstable slope. The stones and boulders\nwould slide, and begin to move at a distance of ten and\nfifteen feet above the place where we stood, and on every\nside also. F., who was one of the party, was terror-\nstricken, for he now had a horror of moving stones of\nany description.\nThe view from this pass was very extraordinary. To\nthe east stood the rugged, saw-edged mountains of the\nDesolation Range, looming up in solemn grandeur through\nan atmosphere bluish and hazy with the smoke of forest\nfires. The air was perfectly calm and had the bracing\ncoolness of early morning and high altitude, which the 1\nHighest Point Reached in Canada.\n115\nrising sun tempered most gently. The weather conditions for accomplishing our ascent were perfect, but there\nwas little prospect of a fine view by reason of the smoke.\nThe outlook from the pass was indeed discouraging.\nCliffs and ledges with broken stones and loose debris\nseemed to oppose all safe passage. Fortunately, as we progressed the difficulties vanished, and not till we reached an\naltitude of about 10,000 feet did we encounter any real obstacles. We found a passage through the great rock wall\nwhich had defeated us last year, by the aid of a little gully,\nwhich, however, entailed some rather difficult climbing.\nThis arduous\nwork continued\nthroughout the\nnext 1000 feet,\nwhen, at an altitude of 11,000\nfeet, we came to\nthe great slope\nbetween the\nsouthwest and\nwest ar\u00C3\u00AAtes and\nfound an easy\npassage to the\nsummit.\nMany a hearty cheer rent the thin air as our little\nparty of three reached the summit, for we were standing\nwhere no man had ever stood before, and, if I mistake\nnot, at the highest altitude yet reached in North America\nSUMMIT OF MOUNT TEMPLE. n6 The Canadian Rockies.\nnorth of the United States boundary. The summit was\nformed of hard bluish limestones, broken and piled up in\nblocks, as on all high mountain tops. The cliffs toward\nthe east were stupendous and led the eye down to the\nvalley more than a mile below. The air was almost calm\nand just above freezing, and the snow was melting quite\nfast in the sun. The thermometer at the Lake Louise\nchalet reached seventy-two degrees at the same time that\nwe were on the summit of Mount Temple, which proves\nthis to be almost the highest temperature that ever occurs\non this lofty point. It would be safe to say that the temperature on the top of Mount Temple never rises higher\nthan forty degrees.\nIf one is fortunate in a good selection of routes, the\nascent of Mount Temple will not be found difficult. But\nthe descent is very perplexing, for unless one remembers the intricate combination of gullies and ledges by\nwhich the ascent is made, many precipitous cliffs will be\nencountered down which it is impossible to descend.\nThis was our last exploit in Paradise Valley, and a\nfew days later the various members of our party, one by\none, bade farewell to the beautiful region of Lake Louise\nwith its many pleasant associations.\nI remained there five or six weeks longer until winter\ncommenced in earnest and drove every one away. During\nthe first week of October I made a final visit to Paradise\nValley with Mr. Astley, the manager of the chalet, in order\nto bring back our tent and the camping utensils. Snow\ncovered the ground in the shady parts of the woods, even Paradise Valley in Winte\n117\nat the entrance of the valley. The stream had fallen so\nmuch that its rocky bed proved the best route up the\nvalley, especially for the horse. After an hour's journey\nwithin the entrance we found ourselves at the base of\nMount Sheol, and not far above us could be seen a fine\nherd of seven or eight mountain goats. They scampered\noff on seeing us, but soon came to halt as they were\ntempted by curiosity to have another look. These snow-\nwhite goats are the most characteristic animals of the\nRockies and nearly correspond in habits with the more\ncunning chamois of Switzerland. Like them it is a species\nof antelope, though it resembles a goat to a remarkable\ndegree.\nWe found our camp buried in snow, the ridge-pole of\nthe tent broken down with the heavy burden, and everything so much disguised by the wintry mantle that we\nhad difficulty in finding the camping place. Even as we\nwere packing up the frozen canvas and blankets, the air\nwas full of falling snow and the mountains encircling the\nvalley were only revealed in vague and indefinite outlines,\nwhile ever and anon could be heard the dull roar of snow-\nslides sweeping down to the glacier.\nAbout nightfall we were back at the entrance to the\nvalley, where the lower altitude gave us the advantage\nof a ground nearly free of snow, though a fine rain sifted\ndown through the spruce needles almost constantly.\nHerevwe camped in the dense forest, and our roaring\nfire, built high with great logs, soon drove away the chill\nand dampness of the rainy night. The tent, our clothes, n8 The Canadian Rockies.\nand the mossy ground were soon steaming, and the bright\nglare of our camp-fire illumined the trees and gave us\ngood cheer, surrounded as we were by miles of trackless\nforests in the blackness of night. A hearty supper and\na great pail of strong hot tea soon revived our spirits,\nand on a soft couch of heaths and balsam boughs\u00E2\u0080\u0094more\nluxurious than any bed of down\u00E2\u0080\u0094we bid defiance to the\ndarkness and storm in perfect comfort. The next day\nthe snow-flakes were falling gently and steadily, so that the\ntrees were covered even to their branchlets and needles\nwith the white mantle. The bushes, the mosses, and even\nthe blades of grass in the swampy marshes, as we pursued\nour homeward way, were all concealed and transformed\ninto pure white images of themselves in snow.\nA few days later I went up to Lake Agnes to hunt\nfor mountain goats, which frequent this place in great\nnumbers. The snow was two feet deep. The lake was\nalready nearly covered with ice, and I was compelled to\nseek shelter behind a cliff against a bitterly cold wind,\ndriving icy particles of hail and snow against my face.\nIt was useless to prolong the contest longer. Winter\nhad resumed her iron sway in these boreal regions and\nhigh altitudes, and in a few weeks Lake Louise too would\nbegin to freeze, and no longer present its endless change\nof ripple and calm, light and shadow, or the reflected\nimages of rocks and trees and distant mountains. CHAPTER V\nThe Selkirks\u00E2\u0080\u0094Geographical Position of the Range\u00E2\u0080\u0094Good Cheer of\nthe Glacier House\u00E2\u0080\u0094Charming Situation\u00E2\u0080\u0094Comparison between the Selkirks\nand Rockies\u00E2\u0080\u0094Early Mountain Ascents\u00E2\u0080\u0094Density of the Forest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Ascent of\nEagle Peak\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Magnificent Panorama\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Descent in the Darkness\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nAccount of a Terrible Experience on Eagle Peak\u00E2\u0080\u0094Trails through the\nForest\u00E2\u0080\u0094Future Popularity of the Selkirks\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Forest Primeval\u00E2\u0080\u0094An\nEpitome of Human Life\u00E2\u0080\u0094Age of Trees\u00E2\u0080\u0094Forests Dependent on Humidity.\nWEST of that chain of the Rocky Mountains\nwhich forms the crest or backbone of the\ncontinent, lies another system of mountains\ncalled the Selkirk Range. Having many features in common with the mountains to the east, this range has, nevertheless, certain constant characteristics of vegetation and\ngeological formation, so that the traveller who is but\nslightly familiar with them should never be at a loss in\nregard to his surroundings.\nThe position of this range in relation to the other\nmountains of the great Cordilleran System is not difficult\nto understand. The Selkirks may be said to begin in northwestern Montana between the Summit Range and the Bitter\nRoot Mountains, and, trending in a northwestward direction through British Columbia about three hundred mile's,\nthey approach the main range and apparently merge into\nIIQ \u00C2\u00ABpi\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nit near the Athabasca Pass. The most remarkable feature of the range is the manner in which it compels the great\nColumbia River to run northward for fifty leagues on its\neastern side, before it allows a passage to the west, so that\nthe northern portions of the range are entirely hemmed\nin by this large river, flowing in opposite directions on\neither side. Another feature of great interest in regard\nto the drainage is the relation between the Columbia and\nKootanie rivers. The latter river is one of the chief tributaries to the upper Columbia, and flows southward to a\npoint one mile and a half from the head waters of the\nColumbia, which it passes on its journey southward, while\nthe Columbia flows in the opposite direction. The water\nof the Kootanie is actually\nhigher than\nthat of the\nColumbia a t\nthis point, and\nas the two rivers are only\nseparated by a\nlow, level\nplain, it was\nonce proposed\nto cut a channel between,\nand divert the Kootanie into the Columbia.\nThe traveller is always glad to find himself at the\nGLACIER HOUSE. The Glacier House.\nGlacier House in the heart of the Selkirks. This is\nmore especially true, if in previous years, he has visited\nthis charming spot and become in some degree familiar\nwith the place. The railroad makes a large loop round\na narrow valley and sweeps apparently close to the\ngreat glacier of the Selkirks, a vast sea of ice that glistens in a silvery white sheen and appears to rise above\nthe forests as one looks southward. There is something\npre-eminently comfortable and homelike about the Glacier\nHouse. The effect is indefinable, and one hardly, knows\nwhether the general style of an English inn, or the genuine hospitality that one receives, is the chief cause. One\nalways feels at home in this wild little spot, and scarcely\nrealizes that civilization is so far distant.\nThe rush of summer guests called for the erection of\nan annex, so that there are now two hotels for the accommodation of tourists. The Glacier House is located near\nthe railroad, and occupies a small, nearly level, place at the\nbottom of one of those deep and narrow valleys characteristic of the Selkirks. Those who have visited the Fran-\nconia Notch in the White Mountains would be somewhat\nreminded of that beautiful spot upon first seeing the\nsurroundings of Glacier. The ground in front of the\nhotel has been levelled and is rendered beautiful by a\nthick carpet of turf. In summer it is fragrant and almost\nsnowy in appearance from the multitude of white clover\nblossoms. This garden spot in the wilderness is still further adorned by fountains, which break the continuity of\nthe greensward, and are fed by cascades that may be seen The Canadian Rockies.\ndescending the opposite mountain side in many a leap,\nthrough a total distance of 1800 feet.\nBut this small area, that man has improved and rendered more suitable to his comfort, is surrounded on all\nsides by a wilderness, perhaps better described as a little\nexplored range of mountains separated by deep gorges\nand covered with dense forests. It is like the Alps of\nSwitzerland and the Black Forest combined. There are\nsnow-clad peaks, large glaciers, and n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9 regions of vast\nextent in the higher altitudes, while the valleys below are\ndark and sombre in their covering of deep, cool forests.\nThe main range of the Rockies presents no such rankness\nof vegetable growth\u00E2\u0080\u0094mosses, ferns, and lichens covering\nevery available surface on tree trunks and boulders\u00E2\u0080\u0094nor\nsuch huge trees as those found everywhere in the Selkirks.\nMoreover, the mountains of the Selkirk Range probably average 1000 feet lower than in the corresponding\nparts of the main range, but nevertheless they seem\nwhite and brilliant in their mantles of everlasting snow\nand sparkling glaciers. Finally, one observes that the railroad track is covered at frequent intervals by snow-sheds\nof considerable length, constructed of heavy beams and\nmassive timbers, in order to withstand the terrible force\nand weight of winter snow-slides and avalanches. In the\nmain range of the Rockies there are no snow sheds. The\nquestion naturally arises\u00E2\u0080\u0094What is the reason of all these\ndifferences from the more eastern ranges ?\nThe answer to the question is that the climate is more\nhumid. The snowfall in winter is so great that it remains Humidity of Climate. 123\nall summer at much lower altitudes than in the Rockies,\nand supplies glaciers, which descend perhaps a thousand\nfeet nearer to sea-level. The moisture from this deep\ncovering of snow, saturates the ground as it melts in the\nspring, and, in addition to frequent, heavy summer rains,\nnourishes the rich forests of these mountains. Moreover,\nthe atmosphere is always slightly moister than it is to the\neast, and does not tend to dry up the ground or evaporate\nthe mountain snows so rapidly as in the summit range.\nThe eastward movement of the atmosphere, carrying\nup moisture from the Pacific, causes a great condensation\nof clouds and a heavy rainfall as the air currents pass over\nthe Selkirks, and leaves the atmosphere robbed of a great\npart of its moisture to pass over the next range to the east.\nAlmost all the differences between the Selkirks and\nthe Rockies proper, spring from the single cause of a\nmoister climate. The principal features of extensive snow\nfields and luxuriant forests can be readily understood.\nMay not the deep, narrow valleys of the Selkirks be likewise explained from the more rapid action and greater\nerosive power of the mountain streams in cutting down\ntheir channels ?\nWhatever may be the cause of all these phenomena,\nthe results are very apparent. Any one who has visited\nthe Selkirks for an extended period has, without doubt,\nspent many a day within doors writing his diary or enjoying the pleasure of music or literature, while the rain is\nfalling constantly, and the clouds and vapors hang low on\nthe mountain sides. The manner in which the clouds M\n124 The Canadian Rockies.\ncome sweeping up the Illicellewaet valley at the base of\nMount Cheops and turn toward the flanks of Eagle Peak\nor Mount Sir Donald is very impressive. Certainly the\ncloud effects in the Selkirks are magnificent beyond all\ndescription.\nNevertheless, it is not encouraging to have a friend\nstep off the train and announce the fact that he has been\nenjoying fine weather for several days in the Rocky\nMountains, some fifty or sixty miles to the east, while you\nhave been confined to the house by a long period of rain.\nOften, too, the climber or explorer becomes fretful\nunder long confinement, and, taking advantage of an\napparent clearing away of clouds and a promise of fair\nweather, when far from the hotel, is caught in a sudden\ndownpour, and realizes the truth of that scriptural passage\nwhich was apparently written concerning a similar region\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094\" They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and\nembrace the rock for want of a shelter.\"\nWhen the railroad first made this region accessible to\ntourists, the Selkirks rapidly acquired a remarkable popularity, especially among mountain climbers. In this early\nperiod several parties came over from England and other\ncountries of Europe with the express purpose of making mountain ascents. Such parties were those of Dr.\nGreen and the two Swiss climbers. Huber and Sulzer. A\ngood idea of the difficulties presented by the higher peaks\nto skilled mountaineers may be had from the fact that\nDr. Green and his party only succeeded in reaching\nthe summit of one high peak, while Huber and Sulzer left Density of the Forests.\nthe Hermit Range in defeat, though they succeeded in\nreaching the top of the sharp rock peak, Mount Sir\nDonald, the Matterhorn of the Selkirks.\nOne of the chief difficulties to overcome is the penetration of the forest belt below the tree line. No one who\nhas not tried a Selkirk forest has any conception of its\nnature in this respect. There are huge tree trunks lying\non or near the ground, which have been thrown down by\nthe precipitate fury of some winter snow slide, or have\nfallen by the natural processes of death and decay. These\ngreat obstacles are ofttimes covered with a slippery coating\nof moss and lichens, while the ground is fairly concealed\nby a rank growth of ferns, and plants in countless variety.\nThe density of the underbrush is rendered still more trying\nto the mountaineer by reason of a plant of the Ginseng\nfamily, which from its terrible nature is most fitly named\nthe Devil's Club, for it is armed with thousands of long\nneedle-like spines. This plant grows five or six feet high,\nwith a stout stem bearing a few leaves of large size. The\nspines, which are an inch or more in length, project in\nevery direction like an array of quills on a porcupine, and\nare strong enough to penetrate the skin and flesh with\nsurprising facility. The alder bushes attain a peculiar\ngrowth in the Selkirks ; each bush consists of a bunch of\nlong slender stems, which spread out from the ground in\nevery direction, ofttimes with nearly prostrate branches,\nwhich interlace and form a wellnigh impassable hedge.\nThe alder bushes are found most numerous on bare slopes\nof the mountains, where snow slides have stripped down i26 The Canadian Rockies.\nthe forests ; or in ravines, where the crumbling earth gives\nno certain foothold to larger and nobler trees.\nIn 1893, A. and I made an ascent of Eagle Peak. This\nmountain lies just to the west from the great wedge-shaped\nrock summit of Mount Sir Donald. The altitude of Eagle\nPeak is, I believe, a little more than 9400 feet above\nsea-level, and as the Glacier House is only 4400 feet,\nthe ascent involves a climb of 5000 feet. The name of the\nmountain is derived from a great crag or cliff near the\nsummit, which appears to lean out from a ridge, and bears\na striking resemblance to the head of an eagle. When we\nwere making our ascent we came suddenly on the Eagle\nitself, which now, on a nearer view, proved to be of colossal size, a great leaning tower, about sixty feet high.\nRising from one of the rocky ridges, it reached upwards\nand outwards till the outermost point seemed to overhang\na bottomless abyss, perhaps twenty or twenty-five feet\nbeyond the verge of the precipice.\nThe ridge just below the summit is a scene of wild\nconfusion, for the rocky ledges have been split up and\nwedged apart by frost and storms till they appear as giant\nblocks of stone ten or fifteen feet high, between the crevices of which one may catch glimpses of the valley and\nforests thousands of feet below.\nThe view from the summit of Eagle Peak is magnificent and well worth the labor of the climb. The proximity of Mount Sir Donald, which towers more than 1200\nfeet higher, causes its sullen precipices to appear strikingly\ngrand. The great Illicellewaet n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9, with its twenty square 1\nMount Sir Donald, from Eagle Peak. v^\nA Magnificent Panorama. 127\nmiles or more of unbroken snow fields, stretches out in the\ndistance and forms part of the eastern horizon. The\nrugged appearance of the Hermit Range to the west, with\nits sharp ridges and needles, is perhaps the most tumultuous part in all this wild sea of mountain peaks. It has\nbeen stated on good authority that from Mount Abbott, a\nfar lower ridge on the farther side of the valley, more than\none hundred and twenty individual glaciers may be counted,\nbut there are even more within view from Eagle Peak.\nWe remained on the summit till nearly three o'clock,\nand thereby took a great risk, as we learned afterwards to\nour exceeding regret. Before leaving, however, we built\na high cairn and fixed several handkerchiefs among the\nstones so as to render it, if possible, visible from the valley\nbelow.\nIn our descent we found no trouble till we reached tree\nline, when the gathering gloom of nightfall, made earlier\nby a cloudy sky, aroused our apprehensions and led us to\na serious mistake. Thinking that it would be better to\nfollow the course of a stream, which had cut out a deep\nravine in the mountain side, as there would be more light,\nfor a time at least, we commenced our descent with all speed.\nWe soon found ourselves in a trap, as the sides of the ravine\ngrew constantly deeper and steeper as we descended, and\nit was at length impossible to get out at all. Floundering\nabout among the long trailing branches of alders, our descent soon became a mixture of sliding, falling, and, indeed,\nevery method of progress save rational walking. The\ndarkness came on rapidly, as the days were short and the The Canadian Rockies.\ntwilight much curtailed, it being late in the summer. In\nan hour it became so absolutely black that the foamy\ncourse of the stream we followed was the only visible\nobject, as even the stars were concealed and their light\nshut out by a heavy covering of dark cloud. Sometimes\nthe long, prostrate branches of the alders would catch our\nfeet in a most exasperating manner, and cause one or the\nother to slide temporarily head-foremost, till some branch\nor root could be seized in the hand and the progress\narrested. Once I saw a white object, just below me apparently, and thinking it might be a stone, was about to\nlower myself in fancied security when suddenly I realized\nthat it was the foam of the stream some fifty feet below,\nand that we were on the edge of a precipice ! At another\ntime I fell headlong through a bush and brought up against\nsome great obstacle around which I wound my leg, not\nknowing whether it might be a huge grizzly or some other\ndenizen of the forest, when sure enough it moved away,\nand rolled over my leg. It was a great boulder nearly a\nyard in diameter.\nThis nocturnal descent was the most bitter experience\nI have ever had in mountain climbing, as the anxiety and\nworry consequent upon each movement were exquisitely\npainful, and continued three hours. Arrived at the bottom of the slope at ten o'clock p.m., we found ourselves in\nthe mass of fallen logs and debris near the stream, and\nlikewise near the trail. Under the spell of a certain assurance that a few minutes more of toil would bring us\nout to the trail, we thought nothing of falling into holes !\nA Terrible Experience.\n129\nfour or five feet deep, as we plunged about among the logs,\nor, when walking on them, occasionally stepped off into\nspace.\nWe arrived at the Glacier House at 10:30 p.m., where\nwe were surrounded by anxious friends, and regaled by a\nhot dinner of roasted chickens and all manner of good\nthings, such as one always finds at this most excellent\ninn. At such times, more than at any other, one appreciates the thoughtfulness and care of a kind host.\nOur experience on Eagle Peak, trying as it was, could\nnot equal that of two gentlemen who, in 1894, made an\nattempt to scale the mountain. Unfortunately they failed\nto reach the summit, and, worse still, were benighted\namong the crags and cliffs at a high altitude, where\nthey spent the night in misery. Finding themselves in\ntheir attempt unable to advance farther for some reason\nor other, they were descending, when it suddenly occurred\nto them that they were on a different ledge from any they\nhad seen hitherto. Nightfall was bringing rapidly increasing darkness, and it seemed impossible, at length, either\nto proceed farther or even to retrace the steps by which\nthey had come. Here, then, on a narrow ledge overlooking a precipice, the awful depths of which were rendered\nstill more terrible in the obscurity of gathering gloom, and\nwith their feet dangling over the verge, they were forced\nto remain motionless, and wear out the long night in cold\nand sleepless suffering. The next morning a search party\nwas organized, and they were conducted back to the comforts of the Glacier House, much to the relief of their 130\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nanxious friends, but nearly prostrated by their terrible\nexperience.\nLater, we made an ascent of Mount Cheops, a striking\npeak with a most perfect representation of a pyramid\nforming its summit. The view is fine but not worth the\nlabor of the climb, as the ascent of the lower slopes seems\ninterminably long and tedious by reason of the underbrush\nand steep slope. Like Eagle Peak, the summit revealed\nno evidence of previous conquests, and it will probably be\na long time before any one will be so far led astray as to\nmake a similar attempt.\nTrails and good foot-paths lead from the Glacier House\nto points of interest in the vicinity. The chief resort is\nthe Great Glacier itself, where one may witness all the\nphenomena of a large ice stream, or ascend to the vast\nn\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9, and wander about on a nearly level, and apparently\nlimitless, snow field.\nMount Abbott is an easy and favorite climb, and is\noften successfully attempted by women who are endowed\nwith considerable strength and endurance. On the way,\na small pool, called Marion Lake, is passed. It nestles\namong the cliffs and forests on the mountain side far\nabove the valley. It is the only lake I know of in the\nSelkirks. This is one of the remarkable differences between the Selkirks and the Summit Range of the Rockies :\nthe absence of lakes in one region, and their great number\nin the other. The great majority of lakes in the Rockies\nare very small and often do not deserve the name, as they\nare mere pools a few yards across. But their small size in\n'\u00E2\u0080\u00A2--\"\"\" Future of the Selkirks.\n131\nno way detracts from their beauty, and it is most unfortunate that the Selkirks possess so few of these, the most\ncharming of all features in mountain landscapes.\nThe Selkirks are but little known, because the dense\nforests and the immense size of the fallen logs forbid the\nuse of horses almost altogether, and will ever prevent the\nmountaineer from making extended journeys into the lesser\nknown parts of the mountains, unless trails are cutand kept\nin good order. At present all provisions, blankets, and\ntents must be packed on men's backs, a method that is\nboth laborious and expensive.\nIt must eventually result, however, that these mountains will prove a most popular resort for climbers and\nsportsmen. The attractions for either class are very great.\nFor the mountaineer, they present all the grandeur and\nbeauty of the Swiss Alps, with difficulties of snow and\nrock climbing sufficient to add zest to the sport. The\nmultitude of unclimbed peaks likewise offers great opportunities for those ambitious for new conquests. The\nimmense annual snowfall causes many of the higher peaks\nto assume an appearance of dazzling beauty and brilliancy,\nwhile the Alpine splendor of these higher altitudes is\nstrongly contrasted with the dark-green color of the\nforested valleys.\nFor the sportsmen, too, there are abundant opportunities to hunt the larger game. On the mountains are\nnumerous herds of mountain goats and sheep, while the\nforests abound in bears\u00E2\u0080\u0094the black bear and the grizzly or\nsilver tip. During the berry season, these animals frequent The Canadian Rockies.\nthe valleys and are often seen by the railroad men even\nnear the Glacier House. One gentleman had the good\nfortune to shoot a black bear from a window of the hotel\nlast year. Of course, there is practically no danger from\neven the grizzly bear in this immediate vicinity, as they\nhave learned to fear man from being frequently shot at,\nand have long since lost the ferocity which they sometimes\nshow in extremely wild and unfrequented regions.\nNo mention has yet been made of the kind of trees to\nbe found in a Selkirk forest. Almost all the varieties of\nconiferous trees observed in the Rockies, except the\nLyall's larch, occur in the Selkirks, though each variety\nattains much larger size. The cedar, the hemlock, the\nDouglas fir, and the Engelmann's spruce are most conspicuous and form the chief part of the forest trees. Each of\nthese species here attains a diameter of from three feet\nupward, even to six or seven, and a height of from 150\nto 200 feet.\nNothing is more enjoyable than to take one of the\nmountain trails and enter the depths of the forest, there to\nrest in quiet contemplation where trees alone are visible\nin the limited circle of view. On a quiet afternoon, when\nall is calm and not a breath of air is stirring, the long,\ngray moss hangs in pendent tufts from the lower branches\nof the giant trees, and one feels that this is indeed another\nAcadian forest of which Longfellow sings :\n\"This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,\nBearded with moss and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, !\n \u00C2\u00AB The Forest Primeval.\ni33\nStand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nStand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.\"\nSuch indeed is a Selkirk forest.\nThe idea that is at length developed in the mind, by a\nlong rest in one of these deep and sombre forests, is that\nof the majesty, and silent, motionless power of vegetation.\nThe creations of the vegetable world stand on all sides.\nThey wellnigh cover the ground ; they limit the horizon,\nand conceal the sky. The tall cedars have a shreddy bark\nthat hangs in long strips on their tapering boles and makes\nthe strongest contrast with the rough bark of the firs. What\ncould be more unlike, too, among evergreens, than the\nspreading fanlike foliage of the cedars, the needle-like\nleaves of the firs, and the delicate spray of the hemlocks ?\nWhat a vast amount of energy has been preserved in\nthese forest giants ; with what a crash they would fall to\nthe ground ; and what a quantity of heat\u00E2\u0080\u0094which they have\nstored up from the sun through hundreds of summers\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nwould they give out when burned slowly in a fireplace !\nIf we examine a single needle, or a thin shaving of wood,\nunder the microscope, and obtain a glimpse of the complexity of the cells and pores with which this vegetable\nlife is carried on ; or consider the wonderful processes by\nwhich the flowers are fertilized, and the cones mature, so\nthat the species may never die out ; and then regard the\nimmensity of the whole forest stretching boundless in\nevery direction, all constructed from an infinity of atoms,\nthe mind and imagination are soon led beyond their\ndepth. 134 The Canadian Rockies.\nNow let the pure, cold light of science, with its precise\nand exact laws, fade away into the warm, mellow glow of\nromance, till we picture the forest as an epitome of human\nlife, with its struggles, its suffering, and the slow but certain progress from infancy to old age and death. For\nhere, among the forest trees, are every age and condition\nrepresented Beneath, are young trees, vigorous and full\nof promise, hoping, as it were, some day to push their\nhighest branches above the general plane of tree tops and\nshare the life-giving sun, though, during the struggle,\nmany will surely weaken and die in the pale and inefficient\nlight beneath the older trees. Then there are the larger\ntrees in the full glory of their prime, with massive trunks,\nstraight and tall, giving promise of many years of life\nyet to come ; and finally, the giants of the forest, their\nbranches torn off by storms or their trunks rent and\nscarred by lightning. Everything about the oldest trees\nbetokens the slow decay and all-conquering death, which\nis gradually sapping their life blood and pointing to their\ncertain, final destruction. The long, gray moss, gently\nwaving in the faintest breath of air, hangs from every\nlimb, and makes these venerable monarchs resemble\nbearded patriarchs, which have stood here perhaps a\nthousand years battling with the elements, the wind, and\nthe lightning, silent witnesses to the relentless progress of\nthe seasons.\nTrees have, however, all the qualifications of living\nforever. There is no reason why a tree should ever die,\nwere it not for some unnatural cause, such as the fury of Age of Trees. 135\na storm, the rending power of lightning, or the destructive\ninfluence of insects and parasites. In California, in the\nMariposa Grove, some of the giant redwood trees are\ntwenty-five hundred years old. They began to grow\nwhen Solon was making laws for the ancient Greeks.\nThese wonderful groves of California are, however, exceptional, and have survived by reason of the clemency of\nthe climate and the fact that the aromatic redwood is\navoided by insects. In m@st forests, the laws of chance\nand probability rarely allow the sturdiest trees to run the\ngamut of more than a few hundred years, and if they\nattain a thousand years, it is their \" fourscore\u00E2\u0080\u0094by reason\nof strength.\"\nIn the Selkirks, one sees the ground covered with huge\ntree trunks in all stages of decay, slowly moldering away\ninto a newer and richer soil ; some have yielded to the\nnatural processes of decay, others to accident or forest\nfires, while in some places winter avalanches have cut off\nthe tops of the trees forty or fifty feet above the ground,\nand left nothing but a maze of tall stumps where once\nstood a noble forest.\nThe Selkirk forests are dense and sometimes almost\nmagnificent in their luxuriance, and vastly surpass the\nforests of the eastern range in the variety of species, the\nsize of the trees, and the luxuriant rankness of vegetable\ngrowth. At the same time they do not approach the\nalmost tropical vigor and grandeur of the Pacific Coast\nforests, where a green carpet of moss covers the trunks\nand branches of the huge trees, and even ferns find 136\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nnourishment in this rich covering, aided by the reeking,\nhumid atmosphere, on branches forty or fifty feet above\nthe ground. In such a forest, the ferns and brakes reach\na height of six or eight feet above the ground, the various\nmosses attain a remarkable development, and hang in\nlong, green tresses, a yard in length, from every branch,\nand exaggerate the size of the smaller branches, while the\nbeautiful tufts of the Hypnum mosses appear like the\nfronds of small ferns, so large do they become.\nThe forests of the Summit Range, the Selkirks, and the\nPacific Coast are almost perfect indexes of the humidity\nof the climate. The Selkirk forests are less vigorous\nthan those of the Pacific coast, but more so than the light\nand comparatively open forests of the Summit Range,\nwhere the climate is much drier. CHAPTER IX.\nMount Assiniboine\u00E2\u0080\u0094Preparations for Visiting it\u00E2\u0080\u0094Camp at Heely's\nCreek\u00E2\u0080\u0094Crossing the Simpson Pass\u00E2\u0080\u0094Shoot a Pack-Horse\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Delightful\nCamp\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Difficult Snow Pass\u00E2\u0080\u0094Burnt Timber\u00E2\u0080\u0094Nature Sounds\u00E2\u0080\u0094Discovery of a Beautiful Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Inspiring View of Mount Assiniboine\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nOur Camp at the Base of the Mountain\u00E2\u0080\u0094Summer Snow-Storms\u00E2\u0080\u0094Inaccessibility of Mount Assiniboine.\nGREAT interest was aroused among tourists in\nthe summer of 1895, by the reports of a remarkable peak south of Banff named Mount\nAssiniboine. According to current accounts, it was the\nhighest mountain so far discovered between the International boundary and the region of Mounts Brown and\nHooker. Besides its great altitude, it was said to be exceedingly steep on all sides, and surrounded by charming valleys dotted with beautiful lakes. The time required\nto reach the mountain with a camping outfit and pack-\nhorses was said to be from five to seven days.\nThe romance of visiting this wild and interesting region,\nhitherto but little explored, decided me to use one month\nof the summer season in this manner. By great good fortune I met, at Banff, two gentlemen likewise bent on visiting the same region, and on comparing our prospective\nplans, it appeared that mutual advantage would be gained 138 The Canadian Rockies.\nby joining our forces. In this way we would have the\npleasure of a larger company, and at the same time\nthe opportunity of separating, should we come to a\ndisagreement.\nThe sixth of July was decided on as the date for our\ndeparture. In the meantime, we made frequent visits to\nthe log-house of our outfitter, Tom Wilson, who was to\nsupply us with horses, our entire camping outfit, and\nguides. Many years previously, Wilson had packed for\nthe early railroad surveyors, and had thus gained a valuable experience in all that concerns the management and\ncare of pack-animals among the difficulties of mountain\ntrails. In the past few years, he has been engaged in\nsupplying tourists with camping outfits and guides, for\nexcursions among the mountains.\nThe season of 1895 was very backward, and there was\nan unusually late fall of snow at Banff, in the middle of\nJune. Moreover, the weather had remained so cold that\nthe snow on the higher passes still remained very deep,\nand several bands of Indians, who attempted to cross the\nmountains with their horses late in June, were repulsed by\nsnow six or eight feet deep.\nThe -weather continued cold and changeable during the\nfirst week in July. In the meanwhile, however, our preparations for departure went on without interruption, and\nWilson's log-house, where the supplies and camp outfits\nwere safely stored, became a scene of busy preparation.\nOn every side were to be seen the various necessaries\nof camp life : saddles for the horses, piles of blankets, Preparation for Departure. 139\nhere and there ropes, tents, and hobbles. Great heaps of\nprovisions were likewise piled up in apparent confusion,\nthough, in reality, every item was portioned out and carefully calculated. Rashers of bacon and bags of flour\ncomprised the main bulk of the provisions, but there were,\nbesides, the luxuries of tea, coffee, and sugar, in addition\nto large quantities of hard tack, dried fruits and raisins,\noatmeal, and cans of condensed milk. Pots and pails,\nknives, forks, and spoons, and the necessary cooking\nutensils were collected in other places. Our men were\nalready engaged for the trip, and were now busily moving\nabout, seeing that everything was in order, the saddle\ngirths, hobbles, and ropes in good condition, the axes\nsharp, and the rifles bright and clean.\nAt length the sixth of July came, but proved showery\nand wet like many preceding days. Nevertheless, our\nmen started in the morning for the first camp, which was\nto be at Heely's Creek, about six miles from Banff. Our\nprospective route to Mount Assiniboine was, first, over\nthe Simpson Pass to the Simpson River, and thence, by\nsome rather uncertain passes, eastward, toward the region\nof the mountain.\nToward the middle of the afternoon we started on foot\nfor Heely's Creek, where our men were to meet us and\nhave the camp prepared. Passing northward up the valley, we followed the road by the famous Cave and Basin,\nwhere the hot sulphur water bubbles up among the limestone formations which they have deposited round their\nborders. The Cave appears to be the cone or crater of 140\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nsome extinct geyser, and now a passage-way has been cut\nunder one wall, so that bathers may enjoy hot baths in\nthis cavern. A single opening in the roof admits the\nlight.\nA short time after leaving these interesting places, we\nhad to branch off from the road, and plunge into a burnt\nforest, where there was supposed to be a trail. The trail\nsoon faded away into obscurity among the maze of logs,\nand, worse still, it now came on to rain gently but constantly. After an hour or more of hard work we came to\nHeely's Creek.\nThe camp was on the farther side of the creek, and,\nafter shouting several times, Peyto, our chief packer,\ncame dashing down on\nhorseback,\nand conveyed us, one\nat a time,\nacross the\ndeep, swift\nstream.\nPeyto made\nan ideal picture of the\nwild west,\nmounted as\nhe was on\nan Indian Camp at Heely's Creek. 141\nsteed, with Mexican stirrups. A great sombrero hat pushed\nto one side, a buckskin shirt ornate with Indian fringes on\nsleeves and seams, and cartridge belt holding a hunting\nknife and a six-shooter, recalled the romantic days of old\nwhen this was the costume throughout the entire west.\nOur encampment consisted of three tents, prettily\ngrouped among some large spruce trees. A log fire was\nburning before each tent, and, on our arrival, the cooks\nbegan to prepare our supper. This was my first night\nin a tent for a year, and the conditions were unfavorable for comfort, as we were all soaked through by\nour long tramp in the bush, and, moreover, it was still\nraining. Nevertheless, we were all contented and happy,\nour clothes soon dried before the camp fires, and after\nsupper we sang a few popular songs, then rolled up in\nwarm blankets on beds of balsam boughs, and slept peacefully till morning.\nI was awakened at dawn by the cry of \" Breakfast is\nready,\" and prepared forthwith to do it justice. The day\nappeared cloudy but not very threatening. In an hour the\npackers began their work, and it was wonderful to observe\nthe system and rapidity of their movements. The horses,\nof which we had seven as pack-animals and two for\nthe saddle, were caught and led to the camp, where they\nwere tied to trees near by. All the provisions, tents, cook\nboxes, bags, and camp paraphernalia were then made\nready for packing. There are three prime requisites in\nskilful packing. They are : the proper adjustment of\nthe blanket and saddle so that it will neither chafe the 142\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nback of the horse nor slip while on the march ; the exact\nbalancing of the two packs ; and the knowledge of the\n\" d i a m o n d\nhitch.\" The\nwonderful\ncombination\nof turns and\nloops which\ngo to make up\nthe diamond\nhitch has always been surrounded with\na certain secrecy, and jealously guarded\nby those initiated into the mysteries of its formation. It\nwas formerly so essential a part of the education of a\nWesterner that as much as one hundred dollars have been\npaid for the privilege of learning it. Without going into\ndetails, it may be described as a certain manner of placing\nthe ropes round the packs, which, once learned, is exceedingly simple to tie on or take off, and it will hold the pack in\nplace under the most trying circumstances. The name is\nderived from a diamond-shaped figure formed by the ropes\nbetween the packs.\nBy eight o'clock our procession of ten horses was on\nthe march, and, after passing through a meadow where\nevery blade of grass was hung with pendent drops of\nPACKING THE BUCKSKIN. On the March.\nr43\nmingled rain and dew, now sparkling bright in the morning sun, we came to the trail. Our winding cavalcade\nfollowed near the creek and gradually rose above its\nroaring waters, which dashed madly over many a cascade\nand waterfall in its rocky course. Our pathway rose constantly and led us through rich forests.\nPeyto led the procession mounted on an Indian horse\ncalled Chiniquy, not a very noble-looking beast, but a\nveteran on the trail, and, by reason of his long legs, a\nmost trustworthy animal in crossing deep rivers. Then\nfollowed the pack-horses with the men inter- * /\nspersed to take care of them, and the rear\nwas brought up by our second packer, likewise on horseback. The greater part of\nthe time, the gentlemen of the expedition\nkept in the rear.\nThe flowers were in all the glory of their\nspring-time luxuriance, and we discovered\nnew varieties in every meadow, swamp, and\ngrove. Beside the several varieties of anemones, the yellow columbines, violets, and\ncountless other herbaceous plants, we found,\nduring the march of this day, six kinds of\norchids. Among them was the small and\nbeautiful, purple Calypso, which we found\nin bogs and damp woods, rearing its showy\nblossom a few inches above the ground.\nAt the base is a single heart-shaped leaf. We were very\nmuch pleased to find this elegant and rare orchid growing i44 The Canadian Rockies.\nso abundantly here. There is a certain regal nobility and\nelegance pertaining to the whole family of orchids, which\nelevates them above all plants, and places them nearest\nto animate creation. Whether we find them in high\nnorthern latitudes, in cold bogs, or in dark forests, retreating far from the haunts of men, avoiding even their\nown kind, solitary and unseen ; or perhaps crowded on the\nbranches of trees in a tropical forest, guarded from man by\nvenomous serpents, the stealthy jaguar, stinging insects\nand a fever-laden air ; they command the greatest interest\nof the botanist and the highest prices of the connoisseur.\nWe camped at about two o'clock, not far from the\nsummit of the Simpson Pass, in a valley guarded on both\nsides by continuous mountains of great height.\nWe were surprised the next day, on reaching the summit, to find the pass covered with snow, heaped in great\ndrifts, ten or twenty feet deep, among the trees. The\nSimpson Pass is only 6884 feet above tide, and, consequently, is below the tree line. Near the summit were two\nsmall ponds still frozen over. A warm sun and a genial\nsouth wind were, however, rapidly dissolving the snow\nand reducing it to slush, while clear streams of water were\nrunning in the meadows everywhere, regardless of regular\nchannels.\nAs we began our descent on the south side, a great\nchange came over the scene. Two hundred feet of descent\nbrought us from this snowy landscape to warm mountain\nslopes, where the grass was almost concealed by reason of\nmyriads of yellow lilies in full blossom, mingled with The Simpson River.\nH5\nwhite anemones. These banks of flowers, resembling the\nartificial creations of a hot-house, were sometimes surrounded on all sides by lingering patches of snow. Such\nconstant and sudden change is characteristic of mountain climates, where a few warm days suffice to melt\nthe snow and coax forth the flowers with surprising\nrapidity.\nThe trail now descended rapidly, and led us through\nforests much denser and more luxuriant than those on the\nother side of the pass. Everything betokened a moister\nclimate, and the character of the vegetation had changed\nso much that many new kinds of plants appeared, while\nthose with which we were familiar grew ranker and larger.\nWe had crossed the continental divide, from Alberta into\nBritish Columbia.\nEarly in the afternoon we came to our camping place\non the banks of the Simpson River, where a great number\nof teepee poles proved this to be a favorite resort among\nthe Indians. On all sides, the mountains were heavily\nforested to a great height, and, far above, gray limestone\ncliffs rose in bare precipices nearly free of snow.\nOn July the ninth, we made the longest and most arduous march so far taken. Our route, at first, lay down the\nSimpson River for several miles. While the horses and\nmen followed the river bed almost constantly, making\nfrequent crossings to avail themselves of better walking\nand short cuts, the rest of us necessarily remained on one\nbank, and were compelled to make rapid progress to keep\nup with our heavily laden horses. 146 The Canadian Rockies.\nAfter we had proceeded down the winding banks of\nthe Simpson River for about two hours, our pass, a mere\nnotch in the mountains, was descried by Mr. B., who had\nvisited this region two years before in company with\nWilson. The pass lay to the east, and it was necessary\nfor every one to cross the river, which was here a very\nswift stream nearly a yard in depth. We all got across in\nsafety, but had not advanced into the forest on the farther\nside more than fifty yards, when one of my pack-horses\nfell, by reason of the rough ground, and broke a leg. It\nrequired but a few minutes to unpack the poor beast and\nend his career with a rifle bullet. The packs were then\nplaced on old Chiniquy, the faithful beast hitherto used\nby Peyto as a saddle-horse.\nIn less than fifteen minutes we were ready to proceed\nagain. The trail now led us up very steep ascents on a\nforest-clad mountain slope for several hours. After this\nwe entered a gap in the mountains and followed a stream\nfor many miles, and at length pitched our camp late in the\nafternoon, after having been on the march for nine hours.\nEvery one was rejoiced at the. prospect of a rest and\nsomething to eat. Even the horses, so soon as their\npacks and saddles were removed, showed their pleasure\nby rolling on the ground before hastening off to a meadow\nnear by. Axes were busy cutting tent poles and firewood. Soon the three tents were placed in position, and\nfires were burning brightly before each, while the cooks\nprepared dinner.\nThis place was most delightful. The immediate A Delightful Camp. 147\nground was quite level and grassy. Near by was a clear\ndeep stream with a gentle, nearly imperceptible current,\nwhich afforded a fine place fora cold plunge. The mountains hemmed in a valley of moderate width and presented\na continuous barrier on either side for many miles. The\ngeneral character of the scenery was like that of the\nSierra Nevadas, with high cliffs partly adorned with trees\nand shrubs, down which countless waterfalls fell from\nheights so great, that they resembled threads of silver,\nwaving from side to side in the changing currents of air.\nOn the mountain side south of our camp, there stood a\nremarkable castle or fortress of rock, where nature had\napparently indulged her fancy in copying the works of\nmen. So perfect was the representation, that no aid from\nthe imagination was required to see ramparts, embrasures,\nand turreted fortifications of a castle, in the remarkable\npinnacles and clefts cut out by nature from the horizontal\nstrata. The next morning, every one was more or less\ninspired with a pleasing anticipation and excitement, as,\naccording to reports, we had not far to go before we\nshould get our first view of Mount Assiniboine. At the\nend of our valley was a pass, from the summit of which\nMount Assiniboine could be seen. The trail led us\nthrough a forest with but little underbrush, and presently\na beautiful lake burst on our view. Two of us, being\nsomewhat in advance of the pack train, caught a dozen\nfine trout here in a very short time, and were only interrupted by the arrival of the horses and men. The fish\nwere so numerous that they could be seen everywhere on\n1 w\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nthe bottom, and at the appearance of our artificial flies\non the water, several fish would rise at once.\nIn half an hour, the summit of our pass appeared over\nthe tree tops, and rose, apparently, 500 feet higher. The\nstate of the pass was, however such as to cool our enthusiasm decidedly. It was completely covered with snow to\na great depth, which made it seem probable that we would\nnot succeed in getting the horses over. As this could not\nbe proved from our position, we pushed on, determined\nto overcome all difficulties. The snow began to appear,\nat first, in small patches in shady places among the forest\ntrees, then in large drifts and finally, everywhere except\non the most exposed slopes. The trail had been lost for\nsome time, buried deep in the snow. Our progress was\nnot difficult, however, as the forest had assumed the\nthin and open nature characteristic of high altitudes, and\nit was possible to proceed in any direction. Our horses\nstruggled on bravely, and by dint of placing all the men\nin front and breaking down a pathway, we managed to\neffect passages over long stretches where the snow was\nfive or six feet deep. After the tree line had been\nreached, we were more fortunate, as a long narrow\nstretch, free of snow led quite to the top of the pass,\nthrough the otherwise unbroken snow fields. A great\ncornice of snow appeared on our right near the top of the\npass and showed a depth of more than forty feet.\nNear the top of the pass the travelling was much\neasier, and in a few minutes we were looking over the\nsummit across a wide valley to a range of rough moun- A Difficult Snow Pass.\n149\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 ! Ill\ntains hung with glaciers. Beyond them, and rising far\nabove, could be seen the sharp crest of Mount Assiniboine,\nfaintly outlined against\nthe sky in a\nsmoky atmosphere. The\nintervening\nwride valley\nrevealed a\ngreat expanse\nof burnt forest. The\ndreary waste\nof burnt timber was only\nrelieved by\ntwo lakes,\nseveral miles\ndistant, resting in a notch\namong the\nmou n tains.\nThe nearer\nwas about a\nmile in length,\nwhile slightly\nbeyond, and\nat a higher elevation, was the second, a mere pool\n9\u00C3\u0089\u00C2\u00BB\nAPPROACHING THE PASS. 150 The Canadian Rockies.\nof dark blue water, resting against the moraine of a\nglacier.\nIn the valley, a meadow near a large stream seemed\nto offer the best chances for a camp. In an hour we\nreached this spot after a hard descent. Some of our\nhorses displayed great sagacity in selecting the safest and\neasiest passages between and around the logs, and gave\nevidence of their previous experience in this kind of work.\nIn order to rest the men and horses, after the arduous\nmarches of the past forty-eight hours, we decided to remain an entire day at this place. We were also anxious\nto explore the two lakes, as they seemed t\u00C3\u00B4 offer fair\npromise of beautiful scenery and interesting geological\nformation. Our camp was surrounded on all sides by\nburnt forests and charred logs, and so offered but little of\nthe picturesque. A partial compensation was enjoyed,\nhowever, by reason of the great variety and number of\nsong birds which were now nesting in a small swamp near\nby. This bog was clothed in a rich covering of grass, and\nhere our horses revelled in the abundance of feed, while\nsome small bushes scattered here and there afforded shelter\nand homes for several species of birds. All day long and\neven far into the night we were entertained by their melodies. The most persistent singer of all was the white-\ncrested sparrow, whose sweet little air of six notes was\nrepeated every half minute throughout the entire day, beginning with the first traces of dawn. Perhaps our attention was more attracted to the sounds about us because\nthere was so little to interest the eye in this place. Smoke Nature Sonnets.\nfrom distant forest fires obscured whatever there was in\nthe way of mountain scenery, while the waste of burnt\ntimber was most unattractive. A warm, soft wind blew\nconstantly up the valley and made dull moanings and\nweird sounds among the dead trees, where strips of dried\nbark or splinters of wood vibrated in the breeze. The\nrushing stream, fifty yards from our camp, gave out a constant roar, now louder, now softer, according as the wind\nchanged direction and carried the sound towards or away\nfrom us. The thunders of occasional avalanches, the loud\nreports of stones falling on the mountain sides, were\nmingled with the varied sounds of the wind, the rustling\nof the grass, the moaning trees, and the songs of birds.\nThese were all pure nature sounds, most enjoyable and\nelevating. Though but partially appreciated at the time,\nsuch experiences linger in the memory and help make up\nthe complex associations of pleasures whereby one is led\nto return again and again to the mountains, the forests,\nand the wilderness.\nOur time, which was set aside for this region, now\nbeing consumed, we started on July the twelfth for the\nvalley at the base of Mount Assiniboine, where it was\nprobable that we should camp for a period of two weeks\nor more. Our route lay toward the end of the valley and\nthence around a projecting spur of the mountain which cut\noff our view. In about two hours our horses were\nstruggling up the last steep slope near the summit of the\ndivide. I had delayed for a photograph of a small lake,\nso the horses and men were ahead. When at length I 152 The Canadian Rockies.\ngained the top I found that a misplaced pack had caused\ndelay, and so I overtook the entire party on the borders of\na most beautiful sheet of water. The transformation was\nnearly instantaneous. The burnt timber was completely\nshut out from view by the low ridge we had just passed\nover, and we entered once more a region of green forests.\nThe lake was long and narrow ; on the farther side,\nhemmed in by rock slides and cliffs of the mountains, but\non the west side a trail led along the winding shore among\nlarch and spruce trees. In many shady nooks along the\nbanks of the lake were snow-drifts, under the trees or\nbehind protecting rocks. So long had winter lingered\nthis season that part of the lake was still covered with ice.\nLarge fragments of ice were drifting down the lake and\nbreaking among the ripples. Near the shore in some\nplaces, the water was filled with thousands of narrow,\nneedle-like pieces of ice several inches long and perhaps\nthick as a match, which, by their rubbing together in the\nmoving water, made a gentle subdued murmur like the\nrustling of a silken gown. When ice is exposed to a\nbright sun for several days, it shows its internal structure\nby separating into vertical columns, with a grain like that\nof wood. The ice needles which we saw had been formed\nduring the last stages of this wonderful process.\nThe Indians had made a most excellent trail round the\nlake, as frequently happens in an open country. Wherever dense brush or much fallen timber occur, the trail\nusually disappears altogether, only to be discovered again North Lake. ^ PV\n1tBug|]\n\u00C3\u0082f\u00C3\u008Bt\nEL\nJ*l$m\n1] I\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094 First View of Mt. Assiniboine.\nwhere there is less need for it. It is said that a trail,\nonce made, will be preserved by the various game animals of the country. In fact, there were quite recent\ntracks of a mountain goat in the path we followed around\nthe lake.\nThe trail closely followed the water's edge and led us to\nthe extreme end of the lake and thence eastward, where,\nhaving left this beautiful sheet of water, we passed through\na grove for a very short space and came at once to another\nsmaller, and possibly still more beautiful, sheet of water.\nSimultaneously the magnificent and long-expected vision\nof Mount Assiniboine appeared. It was a most majestic\nspire or wedge of rock rising out of great snow fields,\nand resembling in a striking manner the Matterhorn of\nSwitzerland.\nIt would be impossible to describe our feelings at this\nsight, which at length, after several days of severe marching, now suddenly burst upon our view. The shouts of\nour men, together with the excitement and pleasure depicted in every face, were sufficient evidence of our impressions. After a short pause, while we endeavored to\nestimate the height and distance and gain some true\nidea of the mountain, all moved on rapidly through\nalternating groves and meadows to our camping place.\nThis was at length selected about a half mile from the\nplace where we first saw Mount Assiniboine. Here was a\nlake nearly a mile long, which reached up nearly to the\nbase of the mountain, from which it was separated by a WA.\u00C2\u00ABOt**H\n154\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nglacier of considerable size. Our camp was on a terrace\nabove the lake, near the edge of a forest. A small stream\nran close to our tent, from which we could obtain water\nfor drinking and cooking purposes. The lake was in the\nbottom of a wide valley, which extended northwards from\nour camp for several miles, and then opened into another\nvalley running east and west. The whole place might be\ndescribed as an open plain among mountains of gentle\nslope and moderate altitudes, grouped about Assiniboine\nand its immediate spurs.\nOur camp was 7000 feet above sea-level, and this was\nthe mean height of the valley in all this vicinity. On\nmountain slopes this would be about the upper limit of\ntree growth, but here, owing to the fact that the whole\nregion was elevated, the mean temperature was slightly\nincreased, and we found trees growing as high as 7400 or\n7500 feet above sea-level. Nevertheless, the general character of the vegetation was sub-alpine. Many larches\nwere mingled with the balsam and spruce trees in the\ngroves, and extensive areas were destitute of trees altogether. These moors were clothed with a variety of bushy\nplants, mostly dwarfed by the rigor of the climate, while\nhere and there a small balsam tree could be seen, stunted\nand deformed by its long contest for life, and bearing many\ndead branches among those still alive. These bleached\nand lifeless limbs, with their thick, twisted branches resisting the axe, or even the approach of a wood-cutter, resembled those weird and awful illustrations of Dor\u00C3\u00A9, where Summit Lake, near Mount Assiniboine.\n^ ^^^^m^^^^^8m8tmi}m(mnwmm^8^^8s^^^ mmm m\u00E2\u0080\u0094 \u00E2\u0080\u0094^j IS Camp Assiniboine. 155\nevil spirits in the infernal regions are represented transformed to trees.\nCuriously enough, the trees in the groves were more\nor less huddled together, as though for mutual protection.\nThe outlying skirmishers of balsam or spruce were undersized, and often grew in natural hedges, so regular that\nnot one single branchlet projected beyond the smooth\nsurface, as if sensitive of the wind and cold. The vegetable world does not naturally excite our sympathy, but\nthis exhibition of, as it were, a united resistance against\nthe elements was almost pitiable.\nSnow banks surrounded our camp and appeared everywhere in the valley. The lake was not entirely free of ice,\nand large pieces of snow and ice, dislodged from the\nshores, were drifting rapidly down the lake, driven on by\na strong wind and large waves. The whole picture resembled a miniature Arctic sea, where the curiously formed\npieces of ice, often T-shaped and arched over the water,\nrecalled the characteristic forms of icebergs.\nIt was at first impossible to explain where this never-\nfailing supply of ice came from. What was our surprise,\non making an exploration of the lake, to find that it had\nno outlet and was rapidly rising ! The snow banks and\nmasses of ice near the glacier were being gradually lifted\nup and broken off by the rising water, and so floated down\nthe lake.\nWe remained at Camp Assiniboine for two weeks.\nDuring this time we ascended many of the lesser peaks 156 The Canadian Rockies.\nin the vicinity, and made excursions into the neighboring valleys on all sides. The smoke only lasted one\nday after our arrival, but, unfortunately, the weather\nduring the first week was very uncertain and fickle. A\nsuccession of storms, very brief but often severe, swept\nover the mountains and treated us to a grand exhibition\nof cloud and storm effects on Mount Assiniboine. Sometimes the summit would be clear, and sharply outlined\nagainst the blue sky, but suddenly a mass of black clouds\nwould advance from the west and envelope the peak in a\ndark covering. Long streamers of falling snow or rain\nwould then approach, and in a few moments we would feel\nthe effects at our camp. During these mountain storms\nthe wind blows in furious gusts, the air is filled with snow\nor sometimes hailstones, while thunder and lightning continue for the space of about ten minutes. The clouds and\nstorm rapidly pass over eastward, and the wind falls, while\nthe sun warms the air, and in a few minutes removes\nevery trace of hail or snow. Thus we were often treated\nto winter and summer weather, with all the gradations\nbetween, several times over in the space of an hour.\nIt seemed impossible to ascend Mount Assiniboine,\nguarded as it was by vertical cliffs and hanging glaciers.\nOnly one route appeared on this side of the mountain, and\nthis lay up the steep snow-covered slope of a glacier,\nguarded at the top by a long schrund and often swept by\nrocks from a moraine above. It might be possible, having\ngained the top of this, to traverse the great n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9 surround-\n, Summit of Mt. Assiniboine.\n157\ning the rock peak of Mount Assiniboine. From the snow\nfields the bare rock cliffs rise about 3,000 feet. The angle\nof slope on either side is a little more than fifty-one degrees,\na slope which is often called perpendicular, and, moreover,\nas the strata are horizontal, there are several vertical walls\nof rock, which sweep around the entire north and west\nfaces, and apparently make impassable barriers.\nNORTH LAKE\u00E2\u0080\u0094LOOKING NORTHWEST. CHAPTER X.\nEvidence of Game\u00E2\u0080\u0094Discovery of a Mountain Goat\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Long Hunt\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nA Critical Moment\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Terrible Fall\u00E2\u0080\u0094An Unpleasant Experience\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nHabitat of the Mountain Goat\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Change of Weather\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Magnificent\nPanorama\u00E2\u0080\u0094Set out to Explore the Mountain\u00E2\u0080\u0094Intense Heat of a Forest\nFire\u00E2\u0080\u0094Struggling with Burnt Timber\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Mountain Bivouac\u00E2\u0080\u0094Hope and\nDespair\u00E2\u0080\u0094Success at Last\u00E2\u0080\u0094Short Rations\u00E2\u0080\u0094Topography of Mount Assiniboine\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Vermilion River\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Wonderful Canyon\u00E2\u0080\u0094Fording the Bow\nRiver.\nDURING our excursions we met with but little\ngame, though it was very evidently a region\nwhere wild animals were abundant. The ground\nin many places was torn up by bears, where they had dug\nout the gophers and marmots. Large pieces of turf, often\na foot or eighteen inches square, together with great\nstones piled up and thrown about in confusion around\nthese excavations, gave evidence of the strength of these\npowerful beasts.\nHigher up on the mountains we saw numerous tracks\nof the mountain goat, and tufts of wool caught among the\nbushes as they had brushed by them.\nI was strolling through the upper part of the valley\nlate one afternoon, when my eye fell suddenly on a mountain goat walking along the cliffs about a quarter of a mile\n158\n\t A Goat Hunt.\n159\ndistant. I had no rifle at the time and so returned to\ncamp for one, meanwhile keeping well covered by trees\nand rocks. In a quarter of an hour I was back again and\nsaw the goat disappear behind a ledge of rock about a\nhalf mile distant. The mountain goat always runs up in\ncase of danger, so that it is essential to get above them in\norder to hunt successfully. I started forthwith to climb\nto a ledge about 200 feet above the one on which\nthe goat appeared. This involved an ascent of some\n600 feet, as the strata had a gentle dip southward\ntoward Mount Assiniboine, so that it was necessary to\ntake the ledge at a higher point and follow the downward\nslope. I was well covered by intervening cliffs, and the\nwind was favorable. It seemed almost a certainty that I\nshould get a shot by following this ledge for about a mile.\nAccordingly I moved rapidly at first, and afterwards more\ncautiously, expecting to see the goat at any moment. At\nlength I came to a narrow gorge, partially filled with snow,\nwhere there were fresh tracks leading both up and down.\nOn a further study of the problem, I saw fresh tracks in\nthe snow of the valley bottom, and knowing that it would\nbe nearly useless to go up for the goat, I took the alternative chance of finding the animal below. After a hunt of\ntwo hours I returned to camp completely baffled. Arrived\nthere, I caught sight of the goat standing unconcernedly\non a still higher ledge.\nIt was now late in the day, but after a good camp\ndinner I set off again, determined to have that goat\nif it was necessary to stalk him all night. The animal i6o The Canadian Rockies.\nwas resting on a ledge near the top of a precipice fully\n250 feet in height. I studied his position for at least\na quarter of an hour, carefully noting the snow patches\non the ledge above, so that it would be easy to recognize them on arriving there. Having made sure that\nI could recognize the exact spot below which the goat\nwas located, I started to climb, and by a rough estimate calculated that I should have to ascend at least\n1000 feet. After a few hundred yards, I was completely hidden from the goat in a shallow gully. Urged\non by the excitement of the hunt, I reached the ledge in\ntwenty minutes and turned southward. I now had to\nscramble over and among some enormous blocks of stone\nwhich had fallen from the mountain side and were strewn\nabout in wild disorder. Some were twenty feet high, and\nbetween them were patches of snow which often gave way\nvery suddenly and plunged me into deep holes formed by\nthe snow melting back from the rock surfaces. Very soon\nI came to a small pool of water and a trickling stream,\nalready freezing in the chill night air.\nIt was after nine o'clock, though there was still a bright\ntwilight in the northwest, somewhat shaded, however, by\nthe dark cliffs above. I proceeded very slowly, so as to\ncool down somewhat and become a little steadier after the\nrapid ascent. In about ten minutes I recognized the patch\nof snow under which the goat was located, about one hundred yards ahead. I went to the edge of the precipice\ncautiously, with rifle ready, and examined the ledges\nbelow. The up-draught, caused by the sun during the day- A Critical Moment. 161\ntime, just now changed to the downward flow of the night\nair, chilled by radiation on the mountain side. This I\nthought would arouse the goat, but just at that moment\nmy foot slipped and I dislodged a few pieces of loose\nshingle, which went rattling down the cliffs. These\nstones made the goat apprehensive of danger, in all\nprobability, for I had no sooner recovered my balance\nthan I caught sight of the white head and shoulders of\nthe animal about twenty-five yards below. The animal\nstood motionless and stared at me in a surprised but impudent manner. I took aim, but could not keep the sight\non him long enough to make sure of a shot, as my rapid\nclimb had made my nerves a trifle unsteady. Fortunately,\nthe goat showed not the slightest disposition to move and\nin a few seconds I got a good aim and fired. As soon\nas the smoke cleared, I saw a dash of white disappearing, and then heard a dull thud far below. A\nfew seconds later I saw the animal rolling over and over\ndown the mountain side, where it finally stopped on a slide\nof loose stones. I had to make a long detour in order to\nget down to the animal, where I arrived in about half\nan hour, and, remarkably enough, both horns were\nuninjured, though the goat had fallen 125 feet\nbefore striking. This good luck resulted from a\nsmall snow patch at the base of the cliff, which had broken\nthe force of the fall, and here there was a perfect impression of the animal's body, eighteen inches deep, in the\nhard snow, while the next place where he had struck was\nabout fifteen feet below. 162 The Canadian Rockies.\nIt was about 10:30 o'clock when I started for camp,\nand so dark, at this late hour, that it was just possible\nto distinguish the obscure forms of rocks and trees on\nthe mountain side. There was still another ledge to be\npassed before I could get down to the valley, where\nthe only recognizable landmarks were occasional snow\npatches, and a single bright gleam in the darkness\u00E2\u0080\u0094our\ncamp fire. I traversed northwards in descending, so\nas to pass beyond the vertical ledge, and at length,\nthinking that I had gone far enough, tried to descend.\nThe place was steep, but as there were a few bushes and\ntrees a safe descent seemed practicable. So I unslung\nmy rifle, and, after resting it securely in a depression, I\nlowered myself till my feet rested on a projection of rock\nbelow. At the next move there was great difficulty in\nfinding a rest for the rifle. At length I found a fair place,\nand lowered myself again. One more step and I should\nreach the bottom. Fortunately there was a stout balsam\ntree at the top of the ledge, with great twisted roots above\nthe rocks, which would afford excellent hand-holds.\nGrasping them, after placing the rifle in the lowest place,\nI lowered myself again, but to my surprise I could not\ntouch the bottom, and, looking down, found that I was\nhanging over a ledge twenty feet high with rough stones\nbelow. Just then the rifle began to slip down, as in my\nmovements I had disturbed some bushes supporting it.\nWith one hand firmly grasping a stout root, and the toe\nof my boot resting against the cliff, I took the rifle in my\nother hand, and after a most tiresome struggle, succeeded A Difficult Descent. 163\nat length in placing it secure for the moment. It was\nnow a hand-over-hand contest to get up. In going down\neverything had seemed most firm and secure, but now it\nwas impossible to rely oh anything, as the bushes broke\naway in my hand or were pulled out by the roots, and the\nrocks all appeared loose or too smooth to grasp. Necessity, however, knows no law, and after a most desperate\neffort I regained the top of the cliff. Not relishing any\nmore experiences of this nature, I groped my way along\nfor some distance and finally found an easy descent. On\nreaching the valley, the snow patches here and there\nafforded safe routes, illumined, as they were, by the\nstarlight. I reached camp after eleven o'clock tired but\nsuccessful.\nMy men started at five o'clock in the morning with ropes\nand a pole to bring down the game. It was a fine young\nmale, and we found the meat a most pleasing addition to\nour ordinary fare. Goat meat has always had a bad reputation among campers and explorers, by reason of its rank\nflavor. This, however, probably depends on the age and\nsex of the animal, or the season of year. In all those that\nI have tried there was merely a faintly sweet flavor, which,\nhowever, is not at all apparent if the meat is broiled or\nroasted, and it is then equal to very fair beef or mutton.\nThe mountain goat inhabits the cliffs and snowy peaks\nof the Rockies, from Alaska to Montana and Idaho, and\nthence southward in certain isolated localities. Both sexes\nare furnished with sharp black horns curving gracefully\nbackwards. The muzzle and hoofs are jet black, but the 164 The Canadian Rockies.\nwool is snow-white, long, and soft, making a beautiful rug\nif the animal is killed in winter. Then the hair becomes\n. very long, and the soft thick wool underneath is so dense\nas to prevent the fingers passing through.\nThough these strange animals resemble true goats to\na remarkable degree, and the old males sometimes have\nbeards in winter, they are really a species of antelope,\nclosely related to the chamois of Switzerland. They do\nnot resemble those animals in wariness and intelligence,\nbut are rather stupid and slow in getting out of danger.\nThey are, however, pugnacious, and, when brought to bay,\nwill often charge on the hunter and work fearful damage\nwith their sharp horns. The legs are exceedingly stout\nand so thickly covered with long hair as to give the\nanimal a clumsy appearance. Their trails are almost\nalways to be found traversing the mountain sides, far\nabove the tree line, at the bases of cliffs, and often passing\nover the lowest depression into the next valley. These\ngoat tracks are so well marked that they often help the\nmountaineer, and sometimes lead him over places where\nwithout, their guidance it would be impossible to go. The\ngait of the animal when running is a sort of gallop, which\nappears rather slow, but when one considers the nature of\nthe ground they traverse, it is very rapid. The most inaccessible cliffs, frozen snow fields, or crevassed glaciers\noffer no barriers to these surefooted animals. I have\nseen a herd of several goats bounding along on the face\nof the cliffs, where it did not appear from below that there\ncould be any possible foothold.\nWhen a herd of goats come to a gorge or passage of m\nHead of Rocky Mountain Goal.\nShot July 18th, 18Q5. il \u00E2\u0096\u00A0Ma Haunt of the Mountain Goat.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A065\nany kind where loose stones\nare liable to be dislodged on\nthose below, these skilful\nmountaineers adopt the\nsame plan of progress practised by human climbers.\nWhile the herd remains below, under the protection of\nthe cliffs, one goat climbs\nthe gully, and upon arriving\nat the top another follows,\nand thus, one by one, all\nescape danger.\nThe mountain goat is\ndifficult to hunt by reason of\nthe amount of climbing\nnecessary to get near them,\nor above them. They are\nfar less wary than the\nchamois of Switzerland, or the Rocky\nMountain sheep.\nNevertheless, they\nseem to be endowed with a\nwonderful vitality, and are very\nhard to kill. A\ngoat not fatally\nwounded will\nHAUNT OF THE MOUNTAIN GOAT.' 166 The Canadian Rockies.\noften jump from a cliff on which he is standing, and survive\na considerable fall. A friend of mine shot a goat near\nLake Louise, which, after the first bullet, rolled down a\ncliff more than thirty feet high and landed on its feet at the\nbottom, where it proceeded to walk off as though nothing\nunusual had happened. The animal I shot near Mount\nAssiniboine fell 125 feet, and then rolled 200 feet farther,\nand was still alive when I reached him half an hour later.\nThese animals are by far the most numerous of the big\ngame in the Canadian Rockies, and are said to be increasing in numbers. Their habits of frequenting high altitudes and inaccessible parts of mountains will tend to\npreserve them for many years from the relentless hunter.\nAfter a week of fickle weather with five inches of new\nsnow on July 15th, there was a decided change for the\nbetter, and the warm, bright days following one another\nmore regularly gave us the first taste of real summer that\nwe had. The massed drifts of snow diminished from day\nto day and the ice disappeared from the lakes. Nature,\nhowever, tempered her delights by ushering in vast numbers of mosquitoes and bull-dog flies to plague us. I was\nengaged at this time in some surveying work, in order to\ndetermine the height of Mount Assiniboine, and had to\nexercise the utmost patience in sighting the instruments,\nsurrounded by hundreds of voracious foes, and often had\nto allow my face and hands to remain exposed to their\nstings for several minutes.\nWe obtained the most imposing view of Mount Assiniboine from the summit of a mountain about five miles Another View of Mount Assiniboine.\n167\neast of our camp. Standing at an altitude of 8800 feet,\nthere were eighteen lakes, large and small, to be seen in\nthe various valleys, which, together with the tumultuous\nranges of the Rocky Mountains on every side, some of\nthem fifty or sixty miles distant, formed a magnificent\npan orama.\nFrom this\npoint, which\nwas nearly\ndue north of\nMount Assiniboine, the\nm o u n t ai n\nshows an outline altogether 31\ndifferent from\nthat seen at\nour camp.\nHere it forms a magnificent termination of a stupendous\nwall or ridge of rock, about 11,000 feet high, which runs\neastward for several miles, and then curving around to\nthe north, rises into another lofty peak nearly rivalling\nMount Assiniboine in height. A very large glacier sweeps\ndown from the n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9 on the north side of this lesser peak,\nand descends in a crevassed slope to the valley bottom.\nThe valley just east of us was quite filled by three\nlakes, the uppermost deep blue, the next greenish, and a\nsmaller one, farther north, of a yellowish color.\nOur last exploit at Mount Assiniboine was to walk\nMOUNT ASSINIBOINE FROM NORTHWEST. 168 The Canadian Rockies.\ncompletely around the mountain. We had long desired\nto learn something of the east and south sides of this\ninteresting peak, and to effect this Mr. B., Peyto, and I\nstarted on July 26th, determined to see as much as possible in a three days' trip. Our provisions consisted of\nbacon, hard tack, tea, sugar, and raisins. Besides this we\ncarried one blanket apiece, a small hand axe, and a camera.\nAs our success would depend in great measure on the\nrapidity of our movements, we did not burden ourselves\nwith ice-axes.or firearms except a six-shooter. After bidding farewellto Mr. P. and the other men in camp, and\ntelling them to expect us back in three days, we left our\ncamp at eight o'clock in the morning. We walked for\nthree miles through the open valleys to the north and\neast, and in about two hours stood at the top of the pass,\nsome 8000 feet above sea-level. From here we made a\nrapid descent for about 2000 feet, to the largest lake of\nthis unexplored valley, which probably supplies one of the\ntributaries to the Spray River. The change in the character of the vegetation was remarkable. The trees grew\nto an immense size and reminded me strongly of a Selkirk\nforest. We had a most difficult scramble here in the\npathless forest and up the opposite side of the valley.\nThe heat was oppressive, and we were glad to gain the\nlevel of another more elevated valley where a cooler\natmosphere greeted us. We held our way eastward for\nseveral miles through a fine upland meadow, where the\nwalking was easy and the surroundings delightful. By\nnoon we reached a small, shallow lake near the highest Intense Heat of a Forest Fire. 169\npart of the divide, considerably below tree line. Here\nwe decided to rest and have lunch. Mr. B. had explored\nthis region with one of his men a few days previously,\nand from him we learned that we should have to struggle^\nwith burnt timber in a few moments. The onward rush\n.of the devastating fire had been stopped near the pass,\nwhere the tree\u00C2\u00A3 were small and scattered. After a short\ndescent we entered the burnt timber. I have never before\nseen a region so absolutely devastated by fire as this.\nThe fire must have burnt with an unusually fierce heat,\nfor it had consumed the smaller trees entirely, or warped\nthem over till they had formed half circles, with their tops\ntouching the ground. The outcrops of sandstone and\nquartz rocks had been splintered into sharp-edged, gritty\nstones, covering the ground everywhere like so many\nknives. The course of the valley now turned rapidly to\nthe south, so that we rounded a corner of the great mass\nof mountains culminating in Mount Assiniboine. The\nmountain itself had been for a long time shut out from\nview by an intervening lofty ridge of glacier-clad peaks,\nwhich were, in reality, merely outlying spurs.\nThe valley in which we were now walking had an unusual formation, for after a short distance we approached\na great step, or drop, whereby the valley bottom made a\ndescent of 400 or 500 feet at an exceedingly steep pitch.\nHere it was difficult to descend even in the easiest\nplaces. Arrived at the bottom of the descent it was not\nvery long before another appeared, far deeper than the\nfirst. The mountains on either side, especially a most 170 The Canadian Rockies.\nstriking and prominent peak on the east side of the\nvalley, which had hitherto appeared of majestic height,\nseemed to rise to immeasurable altitudes as we plunged\ndeeper and deeper in rapid descent.\nThe burnt timber continued without interruption.\nOur passage became mere log walking, as the extra exertion of jumping over the trees was worse than following\na crooked course on top of the prostrate trunks. This\nlaborious and exceedingly tiresome work continued for\nthree hours, and at length the charred trunks, uprooted\nor burnt off near the ground, and crossed in every direction, were piled so high that we were often ten or twelve\nfeet above the ground, and had to work out our puzzling\npassage with considerable forethought. At five o'clock\nour labors ended. We made a camp near a large stream\nwhich appeared to take its source near Mount Assiniboine. The only good thing about this camp was the\nabundance of firewood, which was well seasoned, required\nbut little chopping, and was already half converted into\ncharcoal. Under the shelter of an overhanging limestone\nledge we made three lean-tos by supporting our blankets\non upright stakes. Black as coal-heavers from our long\nwalk in the burnt timber, seeking a refuge in the rocky\nledges of the mountains, and clad in uncouth garments\ntorn and discolored, we must have resembled the aboriginal savages of this wild region. Some thick masses of\nsphagnum moss, long since dried up, gave us a soft covering, to place on the rough, rocky ground. Our supper\nconsisted of bacon, hard tack, and tea. Large flat stones\nh\u00E2\u0080\u0094^ A Mountain Bivouac.\nlaid on a gentle charcoal fire served to broil our bacon\nmost excellently, though the heat soon cracked the stones\nin pieces.\nAt eight o'clock we retired to the protection of our\nshelter. Overhead the starless sky was cloudy and threatened rain. The aneroid, which was falling, indicated that\nour altitude was only 4,700 feet above the sea. We\narose early in the morning ; our breakfast was over and\neverybody ready to proceed at seven o'clock. We were\nnow on the Pacific slope, and, according to our calculations, on one of the tributaries to the north fork of the\nCross River, which, in turn, is a tributary to the Kootanie.\nWe had a plan to explore up the valley from which our\nstream issued, but beyond that, all was indefinite. It was\npossible that this valley led around Mount Assiniboine so\nthat we could reach camp in two days. We were, however, certain of nothing as to the geography of the region\nwhich we were now entering.\nThe clouds covered the entire sky and obscured the\nhighest mountain peaks. Worse still, they steadily descended lower and lower, a sign of bad weather. We had,\nhowever, but this day in which to see the south side of\nMount Assiniboine, and consequently were resolved to do\nour best, though the chances were much against us. For\nthree hours we followed the stream through the burnt timber, then the country became more open and our progress,\naccordingly, more rapid. A little after ten o'clock we sat\ndown by the bank of the stream to rest for a few moments,\nand eat a lunch of hard tack and cold bacon. Such fare 172 The Canadian Rockies.\nmay seem far from appetizing to those of sedentary habits,\nbut our tramp of three hours over the fallen trees was\nequivalent to fully five or six hours walking on a good\ncountry road, and what with the fresh mountain air and a\nlight breakfast early in the morning, our simple lunch was\nmost acceptable.\nA most pleasing and encouraging change of weather\nnow took place. A sudden gleam of sunlight, partially\npaled by a thin cloud, called our attention upward, when\nto our great relief several areas of blue sky appeared, the\nclouds were rising and breaking up, and there was every\nprospect of a change for the better.\nOnce more assuming our various packs, we pushed on\nwith renewed energy. On the left or south was a long\nlofty ridge of nearly uniform height. On the right was a\nstupendous mountain wall of great height, the top of which\nwas concealed by the clouds. This impassable barrier\nseemed to curve around at the head of the valley, and, turning to the south, join the ridge on the opposite side.\n.This then was a \"blind\" valley without an outlet. There\nwere two courses open to us. The first was to wait a few\nhours, hoping to see Mount Assiniboine and return to\ncamp the way we came. The second was to force a passage,\nif possible, over the mountain ridge to the south and so\ndescend into the North Fork valley, which we were certain\nlay on the other side. The latter plan was much preferable,\nas we would have a better chance to see Mount Assiniboine,\nand the possibility of returning to camp by a new route.\nAfter a short discussion, we selected a favorable slope\ni Hope and Despair.\n173\nand began to ascend the mountain ridge. A vast assem-\n, blage of obstacles behind us in the shape of two high\npasses, dense forests, and a horrid infinity of fallen trees,\ncrossed bewilderingly, made a picture in our minds, constant and vivid as it was, that urged us forward. In striking contrast to this picture, hope had built a pleasing air\ncastle before us. We were now climbing to its outworks,\nand should we succeed in capturing the place, a new and\npleasant route would lead us back to camp and place us\nthere\u00E2\u0080\u0094so bold is hope\u00E2\u0080\u0094perhaps by nightfall.\nThus with a repelling force pushing from behind and\nan attractive force drawing us forward, we were resolved\nto overcome all but the insuperable.\nThere was much of interest on the mountain slope,\nwhich was gentle, and allowed us to pay some attention to\nour surroundings. On this slope the scattered pine trees\nhad escaped the fire and offered a pleasant contrast to\nthe burnt timber. We passed several red-colored ledges\ncontaining rich deposits of iron ore, while crystals of\ncalcite and siderite were strewed everywhere, and often\nformed a brilliant surface of sparkling, sharp-edged rhombs\nover the dull gray limestone. Among the limestones and\nshales we found fossil shells and several species of trilo-\nbites.\nIn an hour we had come apparently to the top of our\nridge, though of course we hardly dared hope it was the\ntrue summit. As, one by one, we reached a commanding\nspot, a blank, silent gaze stole over the face of each. To\nour dismay, a vertical wall of rock, without any opening 174\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nwhatever, stood before us and rose a half thousand feet\nhigher. Thus were all our hopes dashed to the ground\nsuddenly, and we turned perforce, in imagination, to our\nweary return over the many miles of dead and prostrate\ntree trunks that intervened between us and our camp.\nThe main object of our long journey was, however,\nat this time attained, for the clouds lifted and revealed the\nsouth side of Mount Assiniboine, a sight that probably no\nother white men have ever seen. I took my camera and\ndescended on a rocky ridge for some distance in order to\nget a photograph. Returning to where my friends were\nresting, I felt the first sensation of dizziness and weakness,\nresulting from unusual physical exertion and a meagre\ndiet. I joined the others in another repast of raisins and\nhard tack, taken from our rapidly diminishing store of\nprovisions.\nSome more propitious divinity must have been guiding.,\nour affairs at this time, for while we were despondent at\nour defeat, and engaged in discussing the most extravagant routes up an inaccessible cliff, our eyes fell on a well\ndefined goat trail leading along the mountain side on our\nleft. It offered a chance and we accepted it. Peyto set\noff ahead of us while we were packing up our burdens,\nand soon appeared like a small black spot on the steep\nmountain side. Having already passed several places that\nappeared very dangerous, what was our surprise to see him\nnow begin to move slowly up a slope of snow that appeared nearly vertical. We stood still from amazement,\nand argued that if he could go up such a place as that,\nhe could go anywhere, and that where he went we could\nh^H Success at Last.\nfollow. We rushed after him, and found the goat trail\nnearly a foot wide, and the dangerous places not so bad\nas they seemed. The snow ascent was remarkably steep,\nbut safe enough, and, after reaching the top, the goat trail\nled us on, like a faithful guide pointing out a safe route.\nWe could only see a short distance ahead by reason of\nthe great ridges and gullies that we crossed. Below us\nwas a steep slope, rough with projecting crags, while, as we\npassed along, showers of loose stones rolled down the mountain side and made an infernal clatter, ever reminding us\nnot to slip. At one o'clock we stood on the top of the\nridge 9000 feet above sea-level, having ascended 4300 feet\nfrom our last camp.\nThe valley of the north fork of the Cross River lay\nfar below, with green timber once more in sight, inviting\nus to descend. After five minutes delay, for another\nphotograph, we started our descent, very rapidly, at first,\nin order to get warm. We descended a steep slope of\nloose debris, then through a long gully, rather rough, and\nrendered dangerous by loose stones, till at length we\nreached the grassy slopes, then bushes, finally trees and\nforests, with a warm summery atmosphere. Here,\nbeautiful asters and castilleias, and beds of the fragrant\nLinneas, delicate, low herbs with pale, twin flowers, each\npair pendent on a single stem, gave a new appearance to\nthe vegetation. In still greater contrast to the dark coniferous forests of the mountain, there were many white\nbirch trees, and a few small maples, the first I have ever\nseen in the Rockies. In a meadow by the river we feasted\non wild strawberries, which were now in their prime. i76 The Canadian Rockies.\nNear the river we discovered a trail, the first we had\nseen so far on our journey around Assiniboine. After an\nhour of walking we came to a number of horses, and soon\nsaw on the other side of the river a camp of another party\nof gentlemen, who were exploring this region, and had\nbeen out from Banff twenty-four days. We forded the\nriver, and found it a little over our knees, but very swift.\nA very pleasant half hour was spent at this place, enjoying their hospitality, and then we pushed on. We\nwere now going westward up the valley, which held a\nstraight course of about six miles, and then turned\naround to the north. The trail being good, we\nwalked very rapidly till nightfall in a supreme\neffort to reach our camp that night. Having now\nbeen on our feet almost continuously for the past\nfifteen hours, we had become so fatigued that a very\nslight obstruction was sufficient to cause a fall, and every\nfew minutes some one of the party would go headlong\namong the burnt timber. We had barely enough provisions for another meal, however, and so we desired to\nget as near headquarters as possible. At length, nightfall having rendered farther progress impossible, we found\na fairly level place among the prostrate trees, and, after a\nmeal of bacon and hard tack, lay down on the ground\naround a large fire. The night was mild, and extreme weariness gave us sound sleep. After four hours of sleep, we were\nagain on foot at four o'clock in the morning. We marched\ninto camp at 6:30, where the cooks were just building the\nmorning fires, and commencing to prepare breakfast. Topography.\n177\nWe were without doubt the first to accomplish the\ncircuit of Mount Assiniboine. By pedometer, the distance was fifty-one miles, which.we accomplished in forty-\nsix hours, or less than two days.\nMount Assiniboine is the culminating point of a nearly\nsquare system of mountains covering about thirty-five\nsquare miles. According to my estimates from angles\ntaken by surveying instruments made on the spot, the\nmountain is 11,680 feet in height. Later on, however, I learned from Mr. McArthur, who is connected\nwith the Topographical Survey, and who has probably\nclimbed more peaks of the Canadian Rockies than any\nother two men, that, according to some angles taken on\nthis mountain from a great distance, the height is 11,830\nfeet.\nThree rivers, the Spray, the Simpson, and the North\nFork of the Cross, drain this region, and as the two latter\nflow into the Columbia, and the former into the Saskatchewan, this great mountain is on the watershed, and\nconsequently on the boundary line between Alberta and\nBritish Columbia. About two-thirds of the forest area\nround its base has been burned over, and this renders\nthe scenery most unattractive. The north and northwest\nsides, however, are covered with green timber, and studded\nwith lakes, of which one is two miles or more in length.\nThere are in all thirteen lakes around the immediate base\nof the mountain, and some are exquisitely beautiful.\nThe great height and striking appearance of Mount\n^Assiniboine will undoubtedly, in the future, attract moun- The Canadian Rockies.\ntaineers to this region, especially as a much shorter route\nexists than the one we followed. If the trail is opened\nalong the Spray River, the explorer should be able to\nreach the mountain, with horses, in two days from Banff.\nMount Assiniboine, especially when seen from the north,\nresembles the Matterhorn in a striking manner. Its top\nis often shrouded in clouds, and when the wind is westerly,\nfrequently displays a long cloud banner trailing out from\nits eastern side. The mountain is one that will prove\nexceedingly difficult to the climber. On every side the\nslope is no less than fifty degrees, and on the east, approaches sixty-five or seventy. Moreover, the horizontal\nstrata have weathered away in such a manner as to form\nvertical ledges, which completely girdle the mountain, and,\nfrom below, appear to offer a hopeless problem. In every\nstorm the mountain is covered with new snow, even in\nsummer, and this comes rushing down in frequent avalanches, thus adding a new source of danger and perplexity\nto the mountaineer.\nThe day of our arrival in camp was spent in much-\nneeded rest. Our time was now up, and it was necessary,\non the next day, to commence our homeward journey,\nand, as our winding cavalcade left the beautiful site of\nour camp under the towering walls of Mount Assiniboine,\nmany were the unexpressed feelings of regret, for in the\ntwo weeks spent here we had had many delightful experiences, and had become familiar with every charming view\nof lakes and forests and mountains.\nIn two days we reached the fork where the Simpson . Crossing the Vermilion River.\n179\nand Vermilion rivers unite. It was our intention to\nfollow up the Vermilion River and reach the Bow valley\nby the Vermilion Pass. The Vermilion River is at this\npoint a large, deep stream flowing swiftly and smoothly\nThe valley is very wide and densely forested, with occasional open places near the river. For three days we\nprogressed up the river, often being compelled to cross it\non account of the dense timber. At one place, after\nseveral of the horses had gained a bar in the middle of\nthe river, one of those following, got beyond his depth\nand was swept rapidly down, and appeared in great danger\nof being drowned. Fortunately, the animal was caught\nby an eddy current, and by desperate swimming at length\ngained the bar. The poor beast was, however, so much\nbenumbed by the cold water that he could not climb upon\nthe bar, but the men dashed in bravely, and by pulling on\nhead and packs, and even his tail, the animal finally\nstruggled into shallow water. Standing up to our knees\nin the water, with a deep channel on either side of us and\nan angry rapid below, our prospects were far from encouraging.\nI mounted old Chiniquy behind Peyto and we plunged\nin first. \" It 's swim sure this time,\" said Peyto to me, as\nthe water rose at once nearly to the horse's back, and the\nice-cold water, creeping momentarily higher, gave us a\nmost uncomfortable sensation. The current was so swift\nthat the water was banked up much higher on the upstream side. Such crossings are very exciting, for at any\nmoment the horse may stumble on the rough bottom or i8o The Canadian Rockies.\nplunge into a deep hole. Chiniquy had a hard time of\nit and groaned at every step, but got us across all right.\nThe rest all followed, not, however, over-confident at our\nsuccess, to judge by their anxious looks. All got across\nexcept one pack-horse, which, after a voyage down stream,\nwe finally caught and pulled ashore.\nThere was evidence of much game in this valley, as\nwe saw many^ tracks of deer, caribou, and bears. One\nday, just as we stopped to camp, a doe started up and ran\nby us. We camped on August 2nd at a beautiful spot\nnear the summit of the Vermilion Pass. A large stream\ncame in from the northwest, and we set out to explore it\nfor a short distance, as, before leaving Banff, we had heard\nof a remarkable canyon near this place.\nNot more than an eighth of a mile from the junction\nof the two streams the canyon commences. At first, the\nstream is hemmed in by two rocky walls a few feet in\nheight, but as one ascends, the walls become higher and\nhigher, and the sound of the roaring stream is lost in the\nblack depth of a gloomy chasm. To one leaning over the\nedge of the beetling precipice, this wonderful gorge appears like a bottomless rift or rent in the mountain side,\nand so deep is it and so closely do the opposite, irregular\nwalls press one towards another, that it is impossible to\nsee the waters below from which a faint, sullen murmur\ncomes up.\nMost wonderful of all, the canyon at length comes to\na sudden termination, and here the whole mighty stream\nplunges headlong, as it were, into the very bowels of the A Wonderful Canyon.\nearth. The boiling stream, turned snow-white by a short\npreliminary leap, makes a final plunge downwards and\nis lost to sight in a dark cavernous hole, perhaps 300\nfeet deep, whence proceeds a most awful roar, like that\nof ponderous machinery in motion. The ground, which\nis here a solid quartzite formation, fairly trembles at.\nthe terrible concussion and force of the falling waters,\nwhile cold, mist-laden airs ascend in whirling gusts from\nthe awful depths. Niagara is majestically and supremely\ngrand, but this lesser fall, where the water plunges into a\nblack bottomless hole, is by far the more terrifying.\nOn the fourth of August we reached the summit of\nthe Vermilion Pass. On the summit we passed several\nsmall lakes\nin the forest.\nThe water was\nof a most beautiful color, far\nmore vivid\nthan any I\nhave^ hitherto\nseen. In the\nshallow places\nwhere the bottom could be\neasily seen,\nthe water assumed a bright, clear, green color, and in the deeper\nplaces, according to the light and angle of view, the color\nLAKE ON VERMILION PASS. The Canadian Rockies.\nvaried to darker hues of all possible shades and tints.\nThe rich colors of sky and water in the Rocky Mountains\nis one of the most beautiful features of the scenery, but\nlikewise one that can only be appreciated by actual\nexperience.\nOur horses were plagued by great numbers of bull-dog\nflies as we entered the Bow valley. It seems as though\nthese insects were more numerous in the valley of the\nBow, and its various tributaries, than in those parts of the\nmountains drained by other rivers.\nAt four o'clock we reached the Bow River, and forded\nit where the width was about one hundred yards, and the\ndepth four feet. My camera and several plates were\nflooded in this passage, which was, however, effected in\nsafety.\nA march of one hour more, along the tote-road, brought\nus to the station of Castle Mountain, once a thriving village in the railroad-construction days, but now presenting\na forlorn and deserted appearance. The section men\nflagged the east-bound train for us, and we arrived in\nBanff that evening, after having been in camp for twenty-\nnine days. CHAPTER XI.\nThe Waputehk Range\u00E2\u0080\u0094Height of the Mountains\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Vast Snow Fields\nand Glaciers\u00E2\u0080\u0094Journey up the Bow\u00E2\u0080\u0094Home of a Prospector\u00E2\u0080\u0094Causes and\nFrequency of Forest Fires\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Visit to the Lower Bow Lake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Muskegs\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nA Mountain Flooded with Ice\u00E2\u0080\u0094Delightful Scenes at the Upper Bow\nLake\u00E2\u0080\u0094Beauty of the Shores\u00E2\u0080\u0094Lake Trout\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Great Bow Glacier.\nTHE Summit Range of the Rocky Mountains as they\nextend northward from the deep and narrow\nvalley of the Kicking Horse River has a special\nname\u00E2\u0080\u0094the Waputehk Range,\u00E2\u0080\u0094derived, it is said, from a\nword which in the language of the Stoney Indians means\nthe White Goat.\nFrom the summit of one of the peaks in this range,\nthe climber beholds a sea of mountains running in long,\nnearly parallel, ridges, sometimes uniting and rising to a\nhigher altitude, and again dividing, so as to form countless\nspurs and a complicated topography. In this range each\nridge usually presents a lofty escarpment and bare precipitous walls of rock on its eastern face, while the opposite slope is more gentle. Here the Cambrian sandstones\nand shales and the limestones of later ages may be seen\nin clearly marked strata tilted up, generally, toward the\neast, though many of the mountains reveal contortions\nand faults throughout their structure, which indicate the The Canadian Rockies.\nwellnigh inconceivable forces that have here been at\nwork.\nThe Waputehk Mountains have remained to this day\nbut very little known, and almost totally unexplored, in\ntheir interior portions. No passes are known through\nthis range between the Kicking Horse Pass on the south\nand the Howse Pass on the north. Then another long\ninterval northwards to the Athabasca Pass is said by the\nIndians to offer an impassable barrier to men and horses.\nThe continuity of the range is well indicated by the fact\nthat, for a distance of one hundred miles, these mountains\npresent only one pass across the range available for horses.\nThe several ridges which form this range rise to a\nvery uniform altitude of 10,000 or 11,000 feet. On Pal-\nliser's map of this region, one peak north of the Howse\nPass, Mount Forbes, is accredited with an altitude of\n13,400 feet, and the standard atlases have for many years\nplaced the altitude of Mount Brown at 16,000 feet, and\nthat of Mount Hooker at 15,700 feet, but there is much\nreason to doubt that any mountains attain such heights\nin this part of the Rocky Mountains.\nA heavy snowfall, due to the precipitation brought\nabout by this lofty and continuous range, as the westerly\nwinds ascend and pass over it, and the existence of many\nelevated plateaus, or large areas having gentle slopes,\nhave conspired to make vast n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9 regions and boundless\nsnowfields among these mountains. From the snowfields, '\nlong tongues of ice and large glaciers descend into the\nvalleys, and thus drain away the surplus material from the The Waputehk Range.\nLooking across the range from near Hector. The Waputehk Range. 185\nhigher altitudes. No other parts of the Rocky Mountains,\nsouth of Alaska, have glaciers and snowfields which may\ncompare in size or extent with those of the Waputehk\nRange.\nThe desolate though grand extent of gray cliffs and\nboundless snowfields, extending farther than the eye can\nreach, when seen from a high altitude, gives no suggestion\nof the delightful valleys below, where many beautiful\nlakes nestle among the green forests, and form picturesque\nmirrors for the surrounding rugged mountains. On the\nshores of one of these mountain lakes, in the genial warmth\nof lower altitudes, where the water is hemmed in, and encroached upon, by the trees and luxuriant vegetation\nfostered by a moist climate, the explorer beholds each\nmountain peak as the central point of interest in every\nview. Each cliff or massive snow-covered mountain then\nappears an unscalable height reaching upward toward the\nheavens,\u00E2\u0080\u0094a most inspiring work of nature, raising the eyes\nand the thoughts above the common level of our earth.\nWhen seen from high altitudes, a mountain appears merely\nas a part of a vast panorama or a single element in a wild,\nlimitless scene of desolate peaks, which raise their bare,\nbleak summits among the sea of mountains far up into the\ncold regions of the atmosphere, where they become white\nwith eternal snow, and bound by rigid glaciers.\nHaving become much interested in reports of the vast\ndimensions of the glaciers in the Waputehk Mountains,\nand the beauty of the lakes, especially near the sources of\nthe Bow River and the Little Fork of the Saskatchewan, I 186\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nstarted on August 14th, 1895, with the intention of visiting\nthose regions and spending some time there. My outfit\nconsisted of\n\u00C3\u008A\u00C3\u008B&i\u00C3\u008B\u00C3\u008ABSLl?*' 'f^m^mi ifi^ \"\"' ffi*^\nfive horses, a\n^0t^^^^^ !R\u00C2\u00A3j\u00C3\u0089^'\ncook, and a\nV *\u00C3\u0088* S^>Si\npacker. I had\nj\u00C3\u008B\u00C3\u0088\u00C3\u008A^\nengaged Pey\nTfSgpft \u00C3\u00AF-^v^ -** *\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 < *. ;\u00E2\u0096\u00A0>% ?| 'ta\5*^P^V^|^|^JfeS.\Mr\"5\nto for the lat\n^^\u00C3\u00AE^^w^^s^^sftj\"\nter service, as\nhe had been\n^^^Mli\u00C2\u00BB1^^^\u00C2\u00AE^\nmost efficient\n^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\non our trip to\nMountAssini-\nSI^^^^Bi^Wftfl^B^^^K\nboine. We\nleft Laggan a\nREADY TO MARCH.\nlittle before\nnoon. Not far from the station, there commenced an old\ntote-road, which runs northward for many miles toward the\nsource of the Bow River. This tote-road had been hastily\nbuilt for wagons, previous to the construction of the railroad through the Kicking Horse Pass, for at one time it\nwas thought the line would cross the range by the Howse\nPass.\nThus for several miles we enjoyed easy and rapid travelling. The weather was mild and pleasant, and my men\nseemed pleased at the prospect of another month or so in\ncamp.\nIn the course of a few miles we came to the house of\nan old prospector. As this was the farthest outpost of *\nHome of a Prospector. 187\ncivilization, and the old man was reported to be an interesting character, I entered the log-house for a brief visit.\nThe prospector's name was Hunter. I found him at\nhome and was cordially welcomed. Here, in a state of\nsolitude and absolute loneliness, with no lake or stream to\nentertain, and surrounded by a bristling maze of bleached\nbare sticks looking like the masts of countless ships in a\ngreat harbor, this man had spent several years of his life,\nand, moreover, was apparently happy. On his table I saw\nspread about illustrated magazines from the United States\nand Canada, newspapers, and books. The house was\nroughly but comfortably finished inside, and furnished\nwith good chairs and tables evidently imported from\ncivilization.\nThis isolated dwelling and its solitary inhabitant\nreminded me somewhat of Thoreau at Walden Pond.\nLike this lover of nature, Hunter enjoys his hermit life,\nwhich he varies occasionally by a visit to the village of\nLaggan. Hunter had the better house of the two men,\nbut Thoreau must have had much more to entertain him,\nin his garden, and the beautiful lake with its constant\nchange of light and shadow, and the surrounding forests\nfull of well-known plants and trees, where his bird and\nanimal friends lived in undisturbed possession.\nNo sooner had we taken leave of this interesting home\nof the old prospector, than the trail plunged into the\nintricacies of the burnt timber, and our horses were\nseverely tried. Peyto and another man had been at work\non this part of the trail for two days, very fortunately for The Canadian Rockies.\nus, as without some clearing we should not have been\nable to force our way through.\nThe fire had run through after the tote-road was built,\nso that the fallen timber now rendered it nearly impassable in many places. The forest fires have been much\nmore frequent since the country has been opened by the\nwhites, but it would be a great mistake to conclude that\nbefore the arrival of civilized men the country was clothed\nby an uninterrupted primeval forest. When we read the\naccounts of Alexander Mackenzie, and the earliest\nexplorers in the Rocky Mountains, we find burnt timber\nfrequently mentioned.\nHowever, these accounts only cover the last one hundred years, and records of geology must be sought previous\nto 1793. Dr. Dawso-n mentions a place near the Bow\nRiver where forest trees at least one hundred years old\nare growing over a bed of charcoal made by an ancient\nforest fire. Another bank near the Bow River, not far\nfrom Banff, reveals seven layers of charcoal, and under\neach layer the clay is reddened or otherwise changed by\nthe heat. Thus the oldest records carry us back thousands of years. The cause of these ancient fires was\nprobably, in great part, lightning, and possibly the\nescaping camp fires of an aboriginal race of men.\nForest fires in the Canadian Rockies only prevail at\none season of the year\u00E2\u0080\u0094in July, August, and September,\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094when the severe heat dries up the underbrush and fallen\ntimber. Earlier than this, everything is saturated by the\nmelting snows of winter, while in autumn the sharp frosts Forest Fires. 189\nand heavy night dews keep the forests damp. According\nto the condition of the trees, a forest fire will burn sometimes slowly and sometimes with fearful rapidity. . When\na long period of dry, hot weather has prevailed, the fire,\nonce started, leaps from tree to tree, while the sparks soar\nhigh into the air and, dropping farther, kindle a thousand\nplaces at once. The furious uprush of heated air causes\na strong draught, which fans the fire into a still more\nintense heat. Sometimes whirlwinds of smoke and heated\nair are seen above the forest fires, and at other times the\ngreat mass of vapor and smoke rises to such a height that\ncondensation ensues, and clouds are formed. In the summer of 1893, a forest fire was raging about five miles east\nof Laggan. Standing at an altitude of 9000 feet, I had\na grand view of the ascending smoke and vapors, which\nrose in the form of a great mushroom, or at other times\nmore like a pine tree,\u00E2\u0080\u0094in fact, resembling a volcanic eruption. Judging by the height of Mount Temple, the clouds\nrose about 13,000 feet above the valley, or to an altitude\nof 18,000 feet above sea-level. It was a cumulus cloud,\nshining brilliant in the sunlight, but often revealing a coppery cast from the presence of smoke. The ascending\nvapors gave a striking example of one of the laws of\nrising air currents. The tendency of an ascending column of air is to break up into a succession of uprushes,\nseparated by brief intervals of repose, and not to rise\nsteadily and constantly. The law was clearly illustrated\nhy this cloud, which, at intervals of about five or six\nminutes, would nearly disappear and then rapidly\n\t 190\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nform again and rise to an immense height and magnitude.\nIn the course of a few years after a forest fire has\nswept along its destructive course, the work of regeneration begins, and a new crop of trees appears. Sometimes the growth is alike all over the burnt region, young\ntrees springing up spontaneously everywhere, and sometimes the surrounding green forests send out skirmishers,\nand gradually encroach on the burnt areas. Curiously\nenough, however, a new kind of tree replaces the old\nalmost invariably. Out on the prairie the poplar usually\nfollows the coniferous trees, but in the Rockies, where the\npoplar can not grow at high altitudes, the pines follow\nafter spruce and balsam, or vice versa. The contest of\nspecies in nature is so keen that the slightest advantage\ngained by any, is sufficient to cause its universal establishment. This is probably due to the fact that the soil becomes\nsomewhat exhausted in the particular elements needed by\none species of tree, so that when they are removed by an\nunnatural cause, new kinds have the advantage in the\nrenewed struggle for existence. Thus we have a natural rotation of crops illustrated in the replacement of forest trees.\nWhile we have been considering the causes and effects\nof forest fires, our horses and men have been struggling\nwith the more material side of the question, and as the\nimagination leaps lightly over all sorts of obstacles, let us\nnow overtake them as they arrive at a good camping place\nabout eight miles from Laggan. Here the Bow is no\nlonger worthy the name of a river, but is rather a broad, The Lower Bow Lake. 191\nshallow stream, flowing with moderate rapidity. Towards\nevening Peyto shot a black duck on the river, and I caught\na fine string of trout, so that our camp fare was much\nimproved.\nThe next day we marched for about three hours\nthrough light forests and extensive swamps, finally pitching our camp near the first Bow Lake. The fishing was\nremarkably fine in this part of the river. From a single\npool I caught, in less than three minutes, five trout which\naveraged more than one pound each. We camped in this\nplace for two days in order to have time to explore about\nthe lake. This first Bow Lake is about four miles long, by\nperhaps one mile wide, and occupies the gently curving\nbasin of a valley which here sweeps into that of the Bow.\nThere is something remarkable in the unusual manner in\nwhich the Bow River divides itself into two streams some\ntime before it reaches this lake. The lesser of these two\nstreams continues in a straight course down the valley,\nwhile the larger deviates to the west and flows into the\nlower end of the lake, only to flow out again about a\nfourth of a mile farther down, at the extreme end of the\nlake. The island thus formed is intersected everywhere\nby the ancient courses of the river, which are now marked\nby crooked and devious channels, in great part filled with\nclear water, forming pools everywhere. This whole region\nmust have once formed part of a much larger lake, as ior\nseveral miles down the valley there are extensive swamps,\nalmost perfectly level and underlaid by large deposits of\nfine clay. The Canadian Rockies.\nThe drier places in these muskegs are covered with a\ngrowth of bushes or clumps of trees, gathered together on\nhummocks slightly elevated above the general level. A\nrich growth of grass and sedge covers the lower and\nwetter places, which often assume all the features of a\npeat bog, with a thick growth of sphagnum mosses, while\nthe ground trembles, for many yards about, under the\ntread of men and horses.\nThe next day Peyto and I crossed the river on one of\nour best horses known as the \" Bay,\" and after turning\nhim back towards the meadow, we started on a tramp\naround the lake. We followed the west shore for the\nentire distance. The last half mile was over a talus slope\nof loose stones, broken down from the overhanging mountain, and now disposed at a very steep angle. There was\na barely perceptible shelf or beach about six inches wide,\njust at the edge of the water, which we gladly took\nadvantage of while it lasted.\nThe glacial stream entering the lake has built out a\ncurious delta, not fan-shaped as we should expect, but\nalmost perfectly straight from shore to shore. This delta\nis a great gravel wash, nearly level, and quite bare of\ntrees or plants, except a few herbs, the seeds of which\nhave lately been washed down from higher up the valley.\nAll this material has been carried into the lake since the\ntime when, in the great Ice Age, these valleys were\nflooded with glaciers several thousand feet in depth.\nAs we turned the corner near the end of the gravel\nwash, the glaciers at the head of the valley began to Mount Daly. ~-ss A Mountain Flooded with Ice. 193\nappear, and in a few more steps we commanded a magnificent view of a great mountain, literally covered by a vast\nsheet of ice and snow, from the very summit down to our\nlevel. As we looked up the long gentle slope of this\nmountain, we could hardly realize that it rose more than\n5000 feet above us. The glacier which descended into\nthe valley was not very wide, but showed the lines of flow\nvery clearly. Six converging streams of ice united to\nform the glacier on our right, while the glacier on the left\npoured down a steep descent from the east, and formed a\nbeautiful ice cascade, where the sharp-pointed s\u00C3\u00A9racs, leaning forward, resembled a cataract suddenly frozen and\nrendered motionless. As if by way of contrast, a beautiful little waterfall poured gracefully over a dark precipice\nof rock on the opposite side of the valley, and added\nmotion to this grand expanse of dazzling white snow.\nThe loud-roaring, muddy stream near where we stood, is\none of the principal sources of the Bow, and, after depositing its milky sediment in the lake, the waters flow out\npurified and crystal clear, of that deep blue color characteristic of glacial water. On a smaller scale this lake is\nlike Lake Geneva, with the Rhone entering at one end,\nmuddy and polluted with glacial clays, and flowing out\nat the other, transparently clear, and blue as the skies\nabove it.\nAfter a partial ascent of Mount Hector on the next\nday, we moved our camp and continued our progress up\nthe Bow River for about two hours. Here we camped on\na terrace near the water, surrounded on all sides by a very 194\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nlight forest im a charming spot. On the following day the\ntrail led us for two miles through some very bad country,\nwhere the horses broke through the loose ground between\nthe roots of trees, and in their efforts to extricate themselves were often in great danger of breaking a leg.\nFortunately, however, this was not of long duration. The\ntrail soon improved and became very clearly marked like\na well made bridle-path. It led us along the banks of\nthe Bow, through groves of black pine, with a few spruces\nintermingled. The ascent was constant, though gradual,\nand our altitude was made apparent by the manner in\nwhich the trees grew in clumps, and by the fact that the\nforests were no longer densely luxuriant, but quite open,\nso that the horses could go easily among the trees in any\ndirection.\nIn about three hours after leaving camp, our horses\nentered an open meadow where the trail deserted us, but\nthere was not the slightest difficulty in making good\nprogress. To the south, a great wall of rock rose to an\nimmense height, one of the lower escarpments of the\nWaputehk Range, and as we progressed through the\npleasant moors a remarkable glacier was gradually revealed, clinging to the cliffs in a three-pronged mass.\nAs, one by one, these branches of the glaciers were disclosed, they appeared first in profile, and owing to the very\nsteep pitch down which the ice was forced to descend,\nthe glacier was rent and splintered into deep crevasses,\nwith sharp pinnacles of ice between, which appeared to\nlean out over the steep descent and threaten to fall at\nany moment. The Upper Bow Lake.\n*95\nThe absence of trees to the north of us, and the\ngeneral depression of the country in that direction, gave\nus every indication that we were approaching the Upper\nBow Lake, nor were our surmises incorrect, for in a few\nminutes more of progress, after seeing the glacier, glimpses\nof water surface were to be had in the near distance among\nthe trees. I went ahead of our column of horses and\nselected a beautiful site for our camp, on the shore of the\nlake, only a few yards from the water. The surrounding\nregion was certainly the most charming I have seen in\nthe Rocky Mountains. The lake on which we camped\nwas nearly cut off from the main body of water to the\nnorth, by a contraction of the shores to a narrow channel.\nIn fact, it might be regarded as a land-locked harbor of\nthe Upper Bow Lake. Just below our camping place the\nwaters were contracted again, and descended in a shallow\nrapid to another lake, resting against the mountain side\non the south. This latter lake is about three or four\nfeet lower than the others, and appeared to be about\ntwo-thirds of a mile in length.\nThis region, for the artist with pencil and brush,\nwould be a fairy-land of inexhaustible treasures. The\nshores along these various lakes were of a most irregular\nnature, and in sweeping curves or sudden turns, formed\ninnumerable coves and bays, no less pleasing by reason\nof their small extent. Long, low stretches of land, adorned\nwith forest trees, stretched straight and narrow far out\ninto the two larger lakes, their ends dissolving into chains\nof wooded islands, separated from the mainland by shal- The Canadian Rockies.\nlow channels of the clearest water. In every direction\nwere charming vistas of wooded isles and bushy shores,\nwhile in the distance were the irregular outlines of the\nmountains, their images often reflected in the surface of\nthe water. The very nature of the shores themselves,\nbesides their irregular contours, varied from place to place\nin a remarkable manner. In one locality the waters\nbecame suddenly deep, the abrupt shores were rocky, and\nformed low cliffs ; in other places the bottom shelved off\nmore gradually, and there would be a narrow beach of\nsand and small pebbles, ofttimes strewed with the wreckage of some storm,\u00E2\u0080\u0094a massive tree trunk washed upon\nthe beach, or stranded in shallow water near the shore.\nThere were, moreover, many shallow areas and\nswampy tracts where a rich, rank growth of water grasses\nand sedges extended into the lake. Such border regions\nbetween the land and water were perhaps the most\nbeautiful and attractive of all the many variations of\nthese delightful shores. The coarse, saw-edged leaves\nof the sedges, harsh to the touch, are pliant in the\ngentlest breath of wind. The waving meadows of green\nbanners, or ribbons, rising above the water, uniform in\nheight, and sensitive to the slightest air motion, rustle\ncontinuously as the breezes sweep over them, and rub\ntheir rough surfaces together.\nFrom this region, wherein were combined so many\ncharming views of nature, with mountain scenery, lakes,\nislands, and forests, all of the most attractive kind, it\nproved impossible to move our camp for several days. if I l\\mHmntt\u00E2\u0084\u00A2imam!imHm*Mm\tMWntimmBE&fflmL BHHHHHHH\nUpper Bow Lake.\nLooking east. pp\nn fsm\nIffl\u00C3\u00AFfit tHHtllPHWlGi\nmm\ny Ml BHMHHHS\nmmmmem\n^PSBBSfcC*\nExcursions.\n197\nDuring the time that we remained here, our explorations and wanderings took us along all the shores and\nislands, and up the neighboring mountain slopes. On\none of the islands opposite our camp we discovered a\nsmall pool of singular formation. The pool was nearly\ncircular, and about ten yards in diameter. The bottom\nwas funnel-shaped, and in the very centre was^a black\ncircle\u00E2\u0080\u0094in fact a bottomless hole\u00E2\u0080\u0094apparently connected\nby dark subterranean channels with the depths of the\nadjacent lake. Its borders were low and swampy, where\nthe spongy ground quaked as we moved about, and\ntrembled so much that we feared at any moment to be\nswallowed up. In fact the whole pool became rippled by\nthe movements of its banks.\nThe glacier opposite was the object of another trip,\nand this, too, proved interesting. The n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9 on the flat\nplateau above discharges its surplus ice for the most part\nby hanging glaciers, which from time to time break off\nand fall down the precipice. We were often startled\nboth day and night by the thunder of these avalanches.\nTwo tongues of ice, however, effect a descent of the\nprecipice where the slope is less steep, and though much\ncrevassed and splintered by the rapid motion, they reach\nthe bottom intact. Here the two streams, together with\nthe accumulations of ice constantly falling down from\nabove, become welded into a single glacier, which terminates only a short distance from the lake. The most\nunusual circumstance about this glacier is the fact that\nthe ice is much higher at the very end than a little The Canadian Rockies.\nfarther back, so that a great, swelling mound of ice,\nabout 200 feet thick, forms the termination.\nAbout one fourth of a mile below the end of the\nglacier, on an old moraine ridge now covered over with\nluxuriant forest, we saw a towering cliff of rock rising\nabove the trees. This proved, on a closer examination,\nto be a separate boulder, which must have been carried\nthere by the ice a long time ago. It was of colossal proportions, at least sixty feet high, and nearly as large in\nits other dimensions. From the top we had an extensive\nview of the lakes and valleys ; while at its base we found\non one side an overhanging roof, making so complete a\nshelter, that it was not difficult to imagine this place to\nhave been used by savages, in some past age, as a cave\ndwelling.\nMany years ago, not less than one hundred, the forests\non the slopes to the east of the valley had been devastated by a fire. The long lapse of time intervening had,\nhowever, nearly obliterated the dreary effects of this\ndestruction. The trees had replaced themselves scatter-\ningly among the dead timber, and attained a large size.\nThe fallen trunks showed the great length of time they\nhad lain on the ground by the spongy, decomposed condition of the wood. Many of the trunks had dissolved\ninto red humus, the last stage of slowly decomposing\nwood, and the fragments were disposed in lines, bare of\nvegetation, indicating where each tree had found its final\nresting-place.\nThe swampy shores and large extent of water surface BMiHBBI\u00C3\u008BIMHB\nInsect Life.\n199\nin this region fostered many varieties of gnats, mosquitoes, and other insects, though, fortunately, not in such\ngreat numbers as to be very troublesome. In fact, the\nseason of the year was approaching that period when the\nmosquitoes suddenly and regularly disappear, for some\nunexplained reason. I have always noticed that in the\nCanadian Rockies the mosquitoes become much reduced\nin numbers between the 15th and 20th of August, and\nafter that time cause little or no trouble. In order, however, that there may be no lack of insect pests, nature\nhas substituted several species of small flies and midgets,\nwhich appear about this time and follow in a rotation of\nspecies, till the sharp frosts of October put an end to all\nactive insect life. Some of these small pests are no less\ntroublesome than the mosquitoes which have preceded\nthem, though they afford a variation in their manner of\nannoyance, and are accordingly the more endurable.\nAlong the reedy shores of the lake and sometimes\nover its placid surface, when the air was quiet toward\nevening, we often saw clouds of gnats hovering motionless in one spot, or at times moving restlessly from place\nto place, like some lightless will-o'-the-wisp, composed of\na myriad of black points, darting and circling one about\nanother. Nature seems to love circular motion : for just\nas the stars composing the cloudy nebulae revolve about\ntheir centres of gravity in infinite numbers, moving forever, through an infinity of space ; so do these ephemeral\ncreations of our world pass their brief lives in a ceaseless\nvortex of complicated circles. The Canadian Rockies.\nOn one occasion we built a raft to ferry us across the\nnarrow part of the lake so that we might try the fishing\non the farther side. The raft was hastily constructed,\nand, after we had reached deep water, it proved-to be in .a\nstate of stable equilibrium only when the upper surface\nwas a yard under water. After a thorough wetting we\nfinally reached the shore, and proceeded to build a more\ntrustworthy craft.\nOn the 21st of August we moved our camp down to\nthe north end of the lake. Here the nature of the scenery\nis entirely changed. Whereas the lower end of the lake\nabounds in land-locked channels and wooded islands, so\ncombined as to make the most pleasing and artistic pictures from every shore, the other part of this lake presents regular shore lines, and everything is formed on a\nmore extensive scale. The north side of the lake is\ncurved in a great arc, so symmetrical in appearance that\nit seems mathematically perfect, and the eye sweeps along\nseveral miles of shore at a single glance as though this\nwere some bay on the sea-coast.\nAs we neared the north end of the lake, a valley was\ndisclosed toward the west, and an immense glacier appeared descending from the crest of the Waputehk Range.\nEven at a distance of three or four miles, this glacier\nrevealed its great size. The lower part descended in\nseveral regular falls to nearly the level of the lake. In\nthe lower part, the glacier is less than a mile in width, but\nabove, the ice stream expands to three or four miles,, and\nextends back indefinitely, probably ten miles or more. lilllljliilljlllljllillllllljllljllllllllllll\nUpper Bow Lake.\nLooking west. Companions. 201\nThis Great Bow Glacier had the same position relatively\nto the lake, as the glacier we visited at the Lower Bow\nLake held to that body of water.\nA better knowledge of these lakes revealed a striking\nsimilarity between them. Each lake occupies a curving\nvalley, which in each case enters the Bow valley from the\nsouth. The two lakes are about the same size and\nnearly the same shape, a long gentle curve about five\ntimes longer than broad. At the head of each, though\nat slightly different distances, are large glaciers. The\nglacial streams have likewise formed flat gravel washes,\nor deltas, which have encroached regularly on the lake\nand formed a straight line from shore to shore, perfectly\nsimilar one to another. A further resemblance might be\nobserved in the presence of two talus slopes from the\nmountain sides, in each case on the south side of the\nlake, near the delta. The Lower Bow Lake is about\n5500 feet above sea-level, while the upper lake is a little\nmore than 6000 feet. The increased altitude has the\neffect of making the forest more open, and the country\nmore generally accessible, in the region of the upper lake.\nFrom one point on the shores of the upper lake, five\nlarge glaciers may be counted, the least of which is two\nmiles long, and the greatest has an unknown extent, but is\ncertainly ten miles in length.\nOur camp was pleasantly located in the woods not\nfar from the water. After Peyto had put up the tent\nand got the camp in order, with the horses enjoying a fine\npasture, he set off to explore the lake shore toward the The Canadian Rockies.\nGreat Glacier. He returned to camp about five o'clock\ncarrying a fine lake trout which he had caught. This fish\nwas taken\nnear the shore,\nand was probably a small\none compared\nwith those\nwhich live in\ndeeper water ;\nnevertheless,\nit measured\ntwenty - three\ninches in\nlength, and\nweighed\nabout seven\npounds. The Bow lakes have a reputation for abounding\nin fish of a very large size. So far as I am aware, no\nboat has ever sailed these waters, and there is no certainty what size the fish may reach in the deeper parts of\nthe lake. Judging by trout which have been caught in\nLake Minnewanka, near Banff, it is very probable that\nthey run as high as thirty or forty pounds.\nThe next day, Peyto and I took a lunch with us and\nspent the entire day exploring and photographing the\nglacier and its immediate neighborhood. The ice is not\nhemmed in by any terminal moraine, but shelves down\ngradually to a thin edge. In fact the termination of\nCAMP AT UPPER BOW LAKE. mmrnmism\nmmmmmmmmmm\nmmmm\nThe Great Bow Glacier.\nthe glacier resembles somewhat the hoof of a horse, or\nrather that of a rhinoceros, the divided portions being\nformed by crevasses, while long thin projections of ice\nspread out between. It is a very easy matter to get\non the glacier, and quite safe to proceed a long way\non its smooth surface. We had some fine glimpses\nof crevasses so deep that it was impossible to see the\nbottom, while the rich blue color of the ice everywhere\nrevealed to us marvels of colored grottoes and hollow-\nsounding caverns, their sides dripping with the surface\nwaters. There is something peculiarly attractive, perhaps\nfrom the danger, pertaining to a deep crevasse in a glacier.\nOne stands near the edge and throws, or pushes, large\nstones into these caverns, and listens in awe to the hollow\nechoes from the depths, or the muffled splash as the missile finally reaches a pool of water at the bottom. There\nis a suggestion of a lingering death, should one make a\nfalse step and fall down these horrible crevasses, where,\nwedged between icy walls far below the surface, one could\nsee the glimmering light of day above, while starvation\nand cold prolong their agonies. A party of three mountaineers thus lost their lives on Mount Blanc in 1820, and\nmore than forty years later their bodies were found at the\nfoot of the Glacier des Bossons, whither they had been\nslowly transported, a distance of several miles, by the\nmovement of the ice. The most dangerous crevasses are\nnot those of the so-called \"dry glacier,\" where the bare ice is\neverywhere visible, but those of the n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9 regions where the\ncrevasses are concealed, or obscured by the overlying snow. 204\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nNot far from the foot of the glacier the muddy stream\nflows through a miniature canyon, with walls near together,\ncut out of a limestone formation. The water here rushes\nsome quarter of a mile, foaming and angry, as it dashes\nover many a fall and cascade. Where the canyon is deepest an immense block of limestone about twenty-five feet\nlong has fallen down, and with either end resting on the\ncanyon walls, it affords a natural bridge over the gloomy\nchasm. As probably no human being had ever crossed\nthis bridge, we felt a slight hesitation in making the\nattempt, fearing that even a slight jar might be sufficient\nto dislodge the great mass. It proved, however, quite\nsafe and will undoubtedly remain where it is for many\nyears and afford a safe crossing-place for those who visit\nthis interesting region. m\u00C3\u008Ammmmz\nCHAPTER XII.\nSources of the Bow\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Little Fork Bass\u00E2\u0080\u0094Magnificence of the\nScenery\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mount Murchison\u00E2\u0080\u0094Camp on the Divide\u00E2\u0080\u0094A High Mountain\nAscent\u00E2\u0080\u0094Future of the Bow Lakes\u00E2\u0080\u0094Return down the Bow\u00E2\u0080\u0094Search for a\nBass\u00E2\u0080\u0094Remarkable Agility of Back-Horses\u00E2\u0080\u0094The \"Bay\" and the. \"Pinto \"\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mountain Solitudes\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mount Hector\u00E2\u0080\u0094Difficult Nature of Johnston\nCreek\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Blinding Snow-Storm\u00E2\u0080\u0094Forty-Mile Creek\u00E2\u0080\u0094Mount Edith Pass.\nA FINE trout stream entered the lake near our camp. \"\nThis was, in fact, the Bow River. It held a meandering course a short distance before entering\nthe lake, through a level meadow, or rather an open\nregion, thickly grown over with alder bushes and other\nshrubby plants.\nWe were delayed at this camp by a period of unsettled\nweather with occasional storms and strong winds, so that\nthree days were required to finish our explorations. At\nlength, on the 24th of August, we broke camp, and followed the Bow valley northwards towards the source of the\nriver. The valley preserves its wide character to the head\nof the pass, and is unusual among all the mountain passes\nfor several reasons. The ascent to the summit is very gradual and constant, the valley is wide, and the country is\nquite open. In about two hours we came to the summit,\nand, after along level reach, the slope insensibly changed\nand the direction of drainage was reversed.\n205 20\u00C3\u0094\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nThis was a most delightful region. The smooth valley\nbottom sloped gradually upward toward the mountains on\nthe east and west, and insensibly downward toward the\nvalleys north and south, thus making an extensive region\nwith gentle slopes curving in two directions, which in some\nway impresses the mind with a sense of quiet grandeur\nand indefinite liberty. But chiefly this region of the divide\nis made charming by a most beautiful arrangement of the\ntrees. There are no forests here, nor do the trees grow\nmuch in groves or clumps, but each tree stands apart, at\na long interval from every other, so that the branches\nspread out symmetrically in every direction and give perfect forms and beautiful outlines. Between are smooth\nmeadows, quite free of brush, but crowded with flowering\nplants, herbs, and grasses, so that the general impression\nis that of a gentleman's park, under the control and care\nof a landscape gardener, rather than of the undirected\nefforts of nature.\nI shall never forget the first view we had into the\nvalley of the Saskatchewan. Approaching a low ridge\nat the south side of the valley, suddenly there is revealed a magnificent panorama of glaciers, lakes, and\nmountains, unparalleled among the Canadian Rockies for\nits combination of grandeur and extent. To the south,\none beholds the end of an immense glacier, at the termination of which there are two great arched caverns in the\nice. From out these issue two roaring glacial streams,\nthe source of the Saskatchewan River, or at least of its\nlongest tributary called the Little Fork. Lofty mountains ^^gy^yj^L^^f^fffff^ff^r.* jj=^xfify^x^a3g^^^^^^g^^s^j^^g\nSource of the Little Fork of the\nSaskatchewan River.\n_ 7b\n> 1\n11\n1\ni\n*\nM\nf J 1\n^^^m^m\n1\nfr'^tl\nill\n> '\nM\nH^Vtt\n\u00C2\u00A7\u00C2\u00A7:\nx\u00C2\u00BB Jtfl\nw\u00C3\u0088\u00C3\u008A\u00C3\u0088 ^M\nWBmEMbuM I\n1 mm^mmmmm^mmmmmmsmmmm\u00C3\u008AmBB&smm^s^sm^\nThe Little Fork Pass. 207\nhem in this glacier on either side, only revealing a portion\nof the vast n\u00C3\u00A9v\u00C3\u00A9 which may be seen extending southward\nfor six or seven miles.\nTo the north and, as it were, at our feet, though in\nreality a thousand feet below, lay a large and beautiful\nlake with irregular outlines. This lake reaches several\nmiles down the valley of the Little Fork, which here\nextends northward so straight and regular, that the view\nis only limited at the distance of thirty miles by the long\nrange of mountains on its east side. Dr. Hector, who\ncame through this region in the fall of 1858, comments\non the magnificent extent and grandeur of this view.\nThrough a notch in a mass of mountains to the north,\nthere appeared the extreme summit of Mount Murchison,\na very sharp and angular rock peak, which the Indians\nregard as the highest mountain of the Canadian Rockies.\nAccording to some rough angles taken by Dr. Hector,\nthis mountain has an altitude of 13,500 feet. In Palliser's\nPapers a sketch of this mountain, as seen from the summit of the Pipestone Pass, makes the rock peak much\nmore sharp and striking in appearance even than that\nof Mount Assiniboine, or of Mount Sir Donald in the\nSelkirks.\nWe continued our journey over the pass and descended\ninto the valley of the Little Fork for several miles. The\ntrail was very good, though the descent was remarkably\nsteep. We camped by a small narrow lake, in reality\nmerely an expansion of the Little Fork. Behind us was\nan area of burnt timber, but southward the forests were 208\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nin their primeval vigor and the mountains rose to impressive heights above. The weather became rather dubious,\nand during the night there was a fall of rain, followed by\ncolder weather, so that our tent became frozen stiff by\nmorning.\nIt seemed best to return the next day to the summit of\nthe pass, where everything conspired to make an ideal\ncamping place. Accordingly, the men packed the horses\nand we located our camp on the crest of the divide, 6350\nfeet above sea-level. The tent was pitched in a clump of\nlarge trees surrounded on all sides by open meadows,\nwhere one could wander for long distances without encountering rough ground or underbrush. Near the camp\na small stream, and several pools of clear water, were all\neasily accessible.\nThe next day I induced Peyto to ascend a mountain\nwith me. He was not used to mountain climbing, and\nhad never been any higher than the ridge that we were\ncompelled to cross when we were walking around Mount\nAssiniboine, which was less than 9000 feet in altitude.\nThe peak which I had now in view lay just to the northeast from our camp on the pass. It appeared to be\nbetween 9000 and 10,000 feet high, and offered no\napparent difficulties, on the lower part at least. We left\ncamp at 8:30 a.m. and passed through some groves of\nspruce and balsam, where we had the good fortune to see\nseveral grouse roosting among the branches of the trees.\nPeyto soon brought them down with his six-shooter, in\nhandling which he always displays remarkable accuracy Storm in Little Fork Valley. m ______ A High Mountain Ascent.\n209\nand skill. Many a time, when on the trail, I have seen\nhim suddenly take his six-shooter and fire into a tall tree,\nwhereupon a grouse would come tumbling down, with his\nneck severed, or his head knocked off by the bullet.\nA hawk scented our game and came soaring above us\nso that we had to hide our birds under a covering of stones,\nas of course we did not care to take them with us up the\nmountain. We found not the slightest difficulty in the\nascent till we came near the summit. The atmosphere\nwas remarkably clear, and some clouds high above the\nmountains rendered the conditions very good for photography. At an altitude of 9800 feet we came to the summit of the arete which we were climbing, and saw the\nhighest point of the mountain about one-third of a mile\ndistant, and considerably higher. Fortunately, a crest of\nsnow connected the two peaks, and with my ice-axe I\nknocked away the sharp edge, and made a path. In a\nfew minutes we were across the difficult part and found\nan easy slope rising gradually to the summit. We reached\nit at 11:30, and found the altitude 10,125 feet. The view\nfrom the great snow dome of this unnamed mountain was\ntruly magnificent. The Waputehk Range could be seen\nthrough an extent of more than seventy-five miles, while\nsome of the most distant peaks of the Selkirks must have\nbeen more than one hundred miles from where we stood.\nTo the east about ten miles was the high peak of Mount\nHector, almost touching the clouds.\nIn the northern part of the Waputehk Range we saw\nsome very high peaks, though the clouds covered every-\nW\u00C3\u00AFm The Canadian Rockies.\nthing above 11,000 feet. There seemed to be a storm in\nthat direction, as snow could be discerned falling on the\nmountains about thirty miles distant. The general uniformity of height, and the absence of unusually high peaks,\na characteristic feature of the Canadian Rockies, were very\nclearly revealed from this mountain.\nPeyto was overwhelmed with the magnificent panorama, and said that he now appreciated, as never before,\nthe mania which impels men to climb mountains. The\nstorm which we saw in the west and north passed over\nus toward evening, in the form of gentle showers. On the\nnext day, however, the weather was perfectly clear and calm.\nOn the 26th of August our horses were packed and\nour little procession was in motion early in the morning,\nand we were wending our way down the Bow River. I\ncannot take leave of this region, however, even in imagination, without a word in regard to the unusual attractiveness of this part of the mountains.\nIn the first place there are magnificent mountains and\nglaciers to interest the mountaineer, and beautiful water\nscenes, with endless combinations of natural scenery for\nthe artist ; moreover, the streams abound in brook trout\nand the lakes are full of large lake trout, so numerous as\nto afford endless sport for fishermen. The botanist, the\ngeologist, and the general lover of science will likewise\nfind extensive fields of inquiry open to him on every side.\nThe time of travelling required by us to reach the\nUpper Bow Lake was about nine hours, and this was with\nheavily laden pack-horses. Hitherto, only those con- mmmmmmmmmmmm\nMount Hector and Slate Mountains.\nFrom\" summit of a mountain near Little Fork Pass, 10,123 feel *n\naltitude. mmmmm\n ^SBB-.sj mm $^m\nmimimm\u00C3\u008Amgmmmgmmm\nVisions of the Future.\nnected with the early explorations, or the railroad surveys,\nhave visited this lake, but I cannot look forward to the\nfuture without conjuring up a vision of a far different\ncondition of things. In a few years, if I mistake not, a\ncomfortable building, erected in a tasteful and artistic\nmanner, will stand near the shores of this lake on some\nbeautiful site. A steam launch and row-boats or canoes\nwill convey tourists and fishermen over the broad waters\nof the lake, and a fine coach road will connect this place\nwith Laggan, so that passengers may leave Banff in the\nmorning and, after a ride of two hours by railroad, they\nwill be transferred to a coach and reach the Upper Bow\nLake in time for lunch ! If a good road were constructed\nthis would not be impossible, as the distance from Laggan\nis only about twenty miles, and the total ascent iooo feet.\nWith such visions of the future and the more vivid\nmemory of recent experiences in mind, we took leave of\nthe beautiful sheet of water, and continued on our way\ndown the Bow valley. It was not our purpose, however,\nto return to Laggan directly, for Wilson had planned an\nelaborate route, by which some of the wilder parts of the\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 mountains might be visited. This route would lead us\nover a course of about eighty or one hundred miles\nthrough the Slate Mountains and Sawback Range, and\neventually bring us to Banff.\nWe were to follow a certain stream that enters the\nBow from the north, but as we were now, and had been\nfor many days, outside the region covered by Dawson's\nmap, it was impossible to feel certain which stream we The Canadian Rockies.\nshould take. On our way up the Bow River, Peyto had\nmade exploring excursions into several tributary valleys,\nbut in every case these had proved to be hemmed in by\nprecipitous mountain walls, and guarded at the ends by\nimpassable cliffs or large glaciers.\nThe second day after leaving the lake we came to a\nlarge stream which had not been examined hitherto.\nThough we were far from certain that this was the stream\nthat had been indicated by Wilson, it seemed best to\nfollow up the valley and see where we should come out.\nAfter ascending an exceedingly steep bank, we found easy\ntravelling in a fairly open valley. One fact made us apprehensive that there was no pass out of the valley.\nThere was no sign of a trail on either side of the stream,\nand none of the trees were blazed. Indian trails exist in\nalmost every valley where an available pass leads over the\nsummit, and where there are no trails the probability is\nthat the valley is blind, or, in other words, leads into an\nimpassable mountain wall. The valley curved around in\nsuch a manner that we could not tell what our prospects\nwere, but at about two o'clock we reached a place far\nabove timber line,\u00E2\u0080\u0094a region of open moors, absolutely\ntreeless,\u00E2\u0080\u0094surrounded by bare mountains on every side.\nOur tent was pitched in a ravine near a small stream.\nImmediately after lunch, Peyto and I ascended iooo\nfeet on a mountain north of the valley with the purpose of discovering a pass. From this point we saw\nMount Hector due southland the remarkable mountain\nnamed Mount Molar, nearly due east. Three possible Camp at Little Fork Pass. wm&\nmmmMmsMmff\u00C3\u00AEf\u00C3\u00A2nmmmmm\nwmm A Difficult Place.\noutlets from the valley appeared from our high elevation.\nPeyto set off alone to explore a pass toward the north,\nin the direction of the Pipestone Pass, while I made an\nexamination of a notch toward the east. Each proved\nimpossible for horses, if not for human beings. The third\nnotch lay in the direction of Mount Hector, and together\nwe set out to examine it. A walk of about two miles\nacross the rolling uplands of this high region brought us\nto the pass. It was very steep, but an old Indian trail\nproved that the pass was available for horses. The trail\nappeared more like those made by the mountain goats\nthan by human beings, for it led up to a very rough and\nforbidding cliff, where loose stones and long disuse had\nnearly obliterated the path. We spent some time putting\nthe trail in repair, by rolling down tons of loose stones,\nand making everything as secure as possible.\nThe next morning was threatening, and gray, watery\nclouds hung only a little above the summit of the lofty\npass, which was nearly 8000 feet above sea-level. I\nstarted about an hour before the outfit, as I desired to observe the horses climbing the trail. I felt considerable anxiety as they approached. All my photographic\nplates, the result of many excursions and mountain ascents in a region where the camera had never before\nbeen used, were placed on one of the horses, for which\npurpose one of the most sure-footed animals had been\nselected. In case of a false step and a roll down the\nmountain side, the results of all this labor would be lost.\nThe horses, however, all reached the summit in safety. 214\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nThese mountain pack-horses reveal a wonderful agility\nand sagacity in such difficulties as this place presented.\nIn fact, the several animals in my pack-train had become\nold friends, for they had been with me all summer. Peyto,\nas packer, always rode in the saddle, for the dignity of\nthis office never allows a packer to walk, and besides, from\ntheir physical elevation on a horse's back they can better\ndiscern the trail. A venerable Indian steed, long-legged\nand lean, but most useful in fording deep streams, was\nPeyto's saddle-horse. The bell-mare followed next, led\nby a head-rope. The other horses followed in single file,\nand never allowed the sound of the bell to get out of hearing. There were two horses in the train that were endowed with an unusual amount of equine intelligence and\nsagacity. The larger of the two was known as the\n| Bay,\" and\nthe other was\ncalled \" Pinto,\" the latter\nbeing a name\ngiven to all\nhorses having\nIrregular\nwhite markings. These\nanimals were\nTHE BAY.\"\nwell proportioned, with thick necks and broad chests, and, though\nof Indian stock, they probably had some infusion of m\n4g\n\u00C3\u00AF\nIntelligence of Pack Horses.\nSpanish blood in their veins, derived from the conquest\nof Mexico.\nThe Pinto was remarkably quick in selecting the best\nroutes among fallen timber, or in avoiding hidden dangers,\nbut the Bay was far more affectionate and fond of human\ncompany. In camp, all the horses would frequently leave\nthe pasture and visit the tent, where they would stand\nnear the fire to get the benefit of the smoke when the flies\nwere thick, or nose about in the hope of getting some salt.\nOn the trail, it was always very interesting to watch the\nBay and Pinto. They would unravel a pathway through\nburnt timber in a better manner than their human leaders,\nand would calculate in every case whether it were better\nto jump over a log or to walk around it. But one day I\nwas surprised to see the Bay jump over a log which\nmeasured 3 feet 10 inches above the ground. With a\nheavy, rigid pack this is more of a feat than to clear a\nmuch greater height with a rider in the saddle. Sometimes\nwhen the trail was lost we would put the Pinto ahead to\nlead us, and on several occasions he found the trail for us.\nThe summit of the pass revealed to us one of those\nlonely places among the high mountains where silence\nappears to reign supreme. We were in an upland vale,\nwhere the ground was smooth and rolling, and carpeted\nwith a short growth of grass and herbs. On either side\nwere bare cliffs of limestone, unrelieved by vegetation or\nperpetual snow. Here no birds or insects broke the silence\nof the mountain solitude, no avalanche thundered among\nthe mountains, and even the air was calm and made no 2i6 The Canadian Rockies.\nsound in the scanty herbage. All was silent as the desert,\nor as the ocean in a perfect calm. The dull tramp of our\nhorses, and the tinkling of the bell, were the only sounds\nthat interrupted the death-like quiet of the place. It is\nsaid that such places soon drive the lost traveller to insanity, but in company with others these lonely passes\nafford a delightful contrast to the life and motion and\nsound of lower altitudes.\nAs we advanced and commenced to descend, the north\nside of Mount Hector began to appear. It was completely\ncovered with a great ice sheet and snow fields. Mount\nHector is a little more than 11,000 feet in altitude, and\ngives a good example of how the exposure to the sun\naffects the size of glaciers in these mountains. On the\nsouth and west sides of Mount Hector there is almost no\nsnow, while the opposite slopes are flooded by a broad\nglacier many miles in area, and brilliant in a covering of\nperpetual snow.\nAt the tree line a trail appeared, and led us in rapid\ndescent to the valley. The scenery on all sides was\nmagnificent. Many waterfalls came dashing down from\nthe melting glaciers of Mount Hector and joined a torrent\nin the valley bottom. The great cliffs about us, and the\nlofty mountains, visible here and there through avenues in\nthe giant forest trees, were illumined by a brilliant sun,\never now and again breaking through the clouds. About\neleven o'clock we stopped to have a light lunch, as was our\ncustom on all long marches. Peyto loosed the girdle of\nthe horses, slipped off the packs, and turned the animals Little Pipestone Creek.\ninto a meadow near by. Meanwhile our cook cut firewood and made a large pot of tea, which always proved\nthe most acceptable drink when a long march had made\nus somewhat weary. These brief rests of about forty\nminutes in the midst of a day's march always proved very\nbeneficial to men and horses.\nA long straight valley led us southwards for many\nmiles. In every clear pool or stream, trout could be seen\ndarting about and seeking hiding-places, though we had\nno time to stop and catch them. At about one o'clock we\nreached the Pipestone Creek and obtained a view of\nMount Temple and other familiar peaks about fifteen\nmiles to the south.\nWe camped near the stream in a meadow, not far from\nthe Little Pipestone Creek. As the march of this day\nhad brought us back to the region covered by the map, we\nhad little apprehension of losing our way in the future.\nThe next day we followed up the Little Pipestone\nCreek and enjoyed a fine trail through a dense forest.\nWe camped near the summit of a pass south of Mount\nMacoun, which I partially ascended after lunch. The\nrugged peak named Mount Douglas lay due east, and\npresented some very large and fine glaciers.\nOur camp was on a little peninsula jutting out into a\nlake, with water of a most brilliant blue color. The sunset colors this evening were heightened by the presence of\na little smoke in the atmosphere, which gave a deep\ncopper color to the western sky, while the placid lake\nappeared vividly blue in the evening light. 2i8 The Canadian Rockies.\nL\nThe following day, which was the first of September,\nwe continued south over a divide and into the valley of\nBaker Creek, which we followed for several hours, and\nthen took a branch stream which comes in from the\neast, and finally camped in a high valley. We were now in\nthe Sawback Range, where the mountains are peculiarly\nrugged, and the strata thrown up at high angles. The\nweather was giving evidence of an approaching storm,\nand before we had made camp the next day in Johnston's\nCreek, rain, began to fall.\nHitherto the nature of the country since leaving the\nUpper Bow Lake had been such as to render the travelling very easy and delightful, but from this point on,\nwe met with all sorts of difficulties. In the lower part of\nJohnston's Creek, and in the valley of a tributary which\ncomes in from the northeast, the trail was covered by\nfallen timber, and our progress was very slow and tedious.\nMoreover, the weather now became very bad, and we\nwere caught near the summit of a pass between Baker\nCreek and Forty-Mile Creek in a heavy snow-storm, so\nthat the trail was soon obliterated and the surrounding\nmountains could not be seen. Fearing that we might\nlose our bearings altogether, Peyto urged forward the\nhorses at a gallop, so that we might get over the pass\nbefore the snow gained much depth.\nThe descent into the valley of Forty-Mile Creek was\nvery steep, and we camped among some large trees with\nseveral inches of snow on the ground. The next day we\nurged our horses on again and followed down the valley ^^^^^^^m^m^^^^^^^^^^mm^^^^^^^^m\nMount Edith Pass.\n219\nof Forty-Mile Creek. In some parts of the valley we\nfound absolutely the worst travelling I have anywhere\nmet with in the Rockies. The horses were compelled to\nmake long detours among the dead timber, and the axe\nwas frequently required to cut out a passage-way. Frequent snow showers swept through the valley, and,\nthough very beautiful to look at, they kept the underbrush covered with damp snow and saturated our clothes\nwith water.\nIn the afternoon we reached the summit of the Mount\nEdith Pass, and once more caught sight of the Bow\nvalley and the flat meadows near Banff. A fine wide\ntrail or bridle-path, smooth and hard, led us down toward\nthe valley. The contrast to our recent trails was very\nstriking. We walked between a broad avenue of trees,\neach one blazed to such an extent that all the bark\nhad been removed on one side of the tree, and some\nwere practically girdled. This was very different from\nour recent experience where we had only found a small\ninsignificant axe-mark on some dead tree, about once in\nevery quarter mile, or often none at all during hours of\nprogress.\nOn the fifth of September we reached Banff late in\nthe evening, and found that the valley was free of new\nsnow by reason ! of its lower altitude. We had been out\nfor twenty-three days and had covered, in all, about one\nhundred and seventy-five miles. CHAPTER XIII.\nHISTORICAL.\nOrigin and Rise of the Fur Trade\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Coureurs des Bois and the\nVoyageurs\u00E2\u0080\u0094Perils of the Canoe Voyages\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Hudson Bay Company and\nthe Northwest Company\u00E2\u0080\u0094Intense Rivalry\u00E2\u0080\u0094Downfall of the Northwest\nCompany\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sir Alexander Mackenzie\u00E2\u0080\u0094His Character and Physical Endowments \u00E2\u0080\u0094 Cook's Explorations \u00E2\u0080\u0094 Mackenzie Starts to Penetrate the\nRockies\u00E2\u0080\u0094The Peace River\u00E2\u0080\u0094A Marvellous Escape \u00E2\u0080\u0094The Pacific Reached\nby Land\u00E2\u0080\u0094Perils of the Sea and of the Wilderness.\nTHE history of the early explorations in the Canadian Rockies centres about the fur trade. From\ntheMate of the very earliest settlements in Canada,\nthe quest of furs had occupied a position of chief importance, to which the pursuits of agriculture, grazing, or\nmanufacture had been subordinate. The search for gold,\nwhich throughout the history of the world has ever been\none of the most powerful incentives to hardy adventure\nand daring exploit, did not at first occupy the attention of\nthose who were ready to hazard their lives for the sake of\npossible wealth quickly acquired.\nThe unremitting and often ruthless destruction of the\nfur-bearing animals, in the immediate vicinity of the settlements, caused them to become exceedingly scarce, and at\nlength to disappear altogether. But fortunately it was not Voyageurs.\ndifficult to induce the Indians to bring their furs from\nmore distant regions, until at length even those who lived\nin the most remote parts of Canada became accustomed to\nbarter their winter catch at the settlements.\nAs the trade gradually became more extensive, there\nsprang up two slightly different classes of men, the\ncoureurs des bois, or wood rangers, and the voyageurs,\neach of Canadian birth, but who, by reason of constant\ncontact with the Indians and long-continued separation\nfrom the amenities and refinements of civilized life, came\nat length to have more in common with the rude savages,\nthan with the French settlers from whom they were sprung.\nMany of these wilderness wanderers married Indian wives,\nand, moreover, their plastic nature, a result of their\nFrench extraction, helped them quickly to assume the\nmanners and customs of the swarthy children of the\nforest. The voyageurs, like the coureurs des bois, were\naccustomed to take long canoe voyages, under the employ\nof some fur company, or even of private individuals ; sometimes alone, but more often several banded together, carrying loads of ammunition, provisions, and tobacco from the\nsettlements and returning with their canoes laden down\nwith beaver, marten, and other furs collected among the\nIndians. The vast domain of Canada is so completely\nwatered by a network of large streams, rivers, and lakes,\nmore or less connected, that it is not difficult to make\ncanoe voyages in almost any direction throughout the\nlength and breadth of this great territory. It is indeed\npossible to start from Montreal and journey by water to The Canadian Rockies.\nHudson Bay, the Arctic Ocean, or the base of the\nRocky Mountains.\nThe voyageurs were a hardy race, possessed of incredible physical strength and untiring patience, remarkable for\nan implicit obedience to their superiors, and endowed with\na happy, careless nature, regardless of the morrow, so long\nas they were well-off to-day. While making their long\nand arduous journeys, the voyageurs would arouse their\nflagging spirits with merriment and laughter, or awaken\nechoes from the wooded shores and rocky cliffs along the\nrivers and lakes, by their characteristic songs, to the accompaniment of the ceaseless and rhythmic movement of their .\npaddles.\nHow much of romance and poetry filled up the measure of their simple lives ! Nature in all its beauty and\ngrandeur was ever around them, and nature's people\u00E2\u0080\u0094the\nIndians\u00E2\u0080\u0094were those with whom they most associated.\nThey loved all men, and all men loved them, whether\ncivilized or barbarian. The stranger among them was\ncalled Cousin, or Brother, and the great fur barons, the\npartners in the fur companies, on whom they gazed with\nawe and admiration, as they travelled in regal state from\npost to post, and to whom they bore almost the relation of\nserf to feudal lord, they called by their Christian names.\nThe melodies which they chanted in unison as they glided\nalong quiet rivers, with banks of changing outlines and\nconstant variety of forest beauty, would hardly cease as\nthey dashed madly down some roaring, snow-white rapid\nbeset with dangerous rocks, where a single false stroke\nwould be fatal. For many days continuously they were mmmmmmm\nglgggggggggg\u00C2\u00A3g\u00C2\u00A3ll\nPerils of the Canoe Voyages.\n223\nwont to travel, with short time for sleep, working hour\nafter hour at the paddle, or making the toilsome portages,\nwhen they were accustomed to carry on their backs loads\nof almost incredible weight. Nevertheless, on any opportunity for relaxation, they were ever ready for revelry,\nmusic, and the dance, which they would prolong throughout the night.\nThe usual dress of the voyageur consisted of a coat or\ncapote cut from a blanket, a cotton shirt, moccasins, and\nleather or cloth trousers, held in place by a belt of colored worsted. A hunting knife and tobacco-pouch, the\nlatter a most indispensable adjunct to the happiness of\nthe voyageur, were suspended from his belt. Sometimes\nthey would be absent from the settlements twelve or\nfifteen months, and many never returned from their perilous trips. Some were drowned while attempting to run\ndangerous rapids. Others were overtaken by the approach of winter, or were stopped by ice-bound rivers\nimpossible to navigate, and perished miserably from exposure and starvation.\nThose who returned, however, would be amply rewarded by the wealth suddenly acquired from the result\nof their long toil. The dissipation of their gains in the\ncourse of a few weeks, accompanied by all manner of\nrevelry, licentiousness, and mad extravagance, was their\ncompensation for long periods of privation. At length,\ntheir means being exhausted, a longing for the old manner of life returned, and with renewed hopes they would\nrecommence their long journeys into the wilderness.\nThe value of the fur trade soon aroused the attention 224 The Canadian Rockies.\nof a number of wealthy and influential traders, and in\n1670 a charter was granted to Prince Rupert and a company of fourteen others^ to I the sole trade and commerce\" throughout all the regions watered by streams\nflowing into Hudson or James Bay. This region was\nhenceforth known as Rupert's Land. In addition to the\nright of trade, the Hudson Bay Company had the authority of government and the dispensation of justice throughout this vast territory.\nDuring the winter of 1783-4, however, a number of\nCanadian merchants, previously engaged in the fur trade,\njoined their several interests, and formed a coalition which\nassumed the name of the Northwest Company.\nThis organization, governed, as it was, by different\nprinciples from that of the Hudson Bay Company, soon\nbecame a powerful rival. The younger men in the Northwest Company were fired with ambition and assured of an\nadequate reward for their services. While for many years\ntheir older rivals had slumbered, content with the limits\nof their territory, the more enterprising Northwest Company, with infinite toil and danger, extended their posts\nthroughout the interior and western parts of Canada, and\nopened up a new and hitherto undeveloped country.\nAnother great advantage that the Northwest Company\nhad over the Hudson Bay Company resulted from their\nemployment of the suave and plastic voyageurs, in whose\nblood the French quality of ready adaptability to surroundings was especially well shown in their dealings with\nthe Indians, with whom they had the greatest influence. Rivalry of Hudson Bay Company.\nOn the other hand, the greater part of the Hudson\nBay canoe men were imported from the Orkney Islands.\nWhat with their obstinate, unbending nature, and mental\nsluggishness, these men presented a most unfavorable\ncontrast to the genial voyageurs.\nThe establishment of the Northwest Company aroused\nthe utmost jealousy and animosity of the Hudson Bay\nCompany. While the various parties were engaged in\ndealings with the Indians, there not infrequently occurred open conflicts, bloodshed, and murder among the\nagents, in their attempts to outwit and circumvent one\nanother.\nAt length the partners of the Northwest Company in\nthe interior of Canada, realizing that all the profits were\nmore than balanced by their endless and painful contest,\ndetermined to open a negotiation with their rivals, and\nfor this purpose sent two delegates to London with full\nauthority to close whatever agreement would be for the\nbest intefests of the company. Just at this time the\ndirectors of the two companies were about to sign a contract most favorable to the Northwest Company. Unfortunately, on the eve of this event, the two delegates\nfrom Canada made their appearance, and instead of communicating at once with their own directors, they showed\ntheir papers to the officers of the Hudson Bay Company.\nThe Hudson Bay Company took advantage of the opportunity, and, instead of receiving terms from the other, now\nproceeded to dictate them. The outcome of this unfortunate man\u00C5\u0093uvre was, that the Northwest Company 226 The Canadian Rockies.\nbecame merged in that, of the Hudson Bay Company,\ntogether with the privileges and trade of all of the vast\nterritory which the Northwest Company had developed\nby superior enterprise. Thus, in 1821, the Northwest\nCompany ended its career.\nThe Hudson Bay Company's territory was at length,\nfrom time to time, encroached upon as the colonies\nof British Columbia, Vancouver's Island, and Manitoba were established. Finally, in 1869, the Company\nceded all their governmental and territorial rights to the\nDominion, receiving ,\u00C2\u00A3300,000 in compensation. Their\nforts or posts, together with a small amount of land in\nthe immediate vicinity, were reserved by them. The\nHudson Bay Company still exists as a commercial organization, carrying on a thriving business in many of the\nprincipal cities and towns of Canada.\nSo much by way of introduction to the exploration of\nthe Canadian Rockies.\nLet us now turn to Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the\nhardy explorer who first crossed the continent of North\nAmerica, after penetrating the grim and inhospitable array\nof mountains which had hitherto presented an impassable\nbarrier to all further westward progress..\nMackenzie was born in the northern part of Scotland,\nin the picturesque and historic town of Inverness. The\nyear of his birth is usually set down as 1755. In his .\nyouth he emigrated to Canada, and found employment\nas a clerk to one of the partners in the great Northwest\nFur Company. Later on he went to Fort Chipewyan, mm\u00C2\u00A3mmm\u00C2\u00A7^^^&mm$mmmm^mg\nMackenzie's Character.\n227\non Lake Athabasca, and became one of the principal partners in the Northwest Company.\nMackenzie was endowed by nature with a powerful\nphysique and a strong constitution, which enabled him\nto undergo the unusual hardships of his explorations in\nthe wilderness. Beside these physical qualifications, he\nwas inspired with the ambition necessary to the formation of great plans, and with an enterprising spirit which\nimpelled him to carry them through to a successful termination. Great versatility of idea enabled him to\noppose every novel and sudden danger with new plans,\nwhile a rugged perseverance, indomitable patience, and\na boldness often bordering on recklessness, carried him\nthrough all manner of physical and material obstacles.\nIn his dealings with the Indians and his own followers,\nhe showed an unusual tact, a quality which more than\nany other contributed to his success. Nothing so quickly\nsaps the strength and tries the courage of the explorer,\nbe he ever so bold and persevering, as cowardice and\nunwillingness among his followers.\nNevertheless, Mackenzie was not a scientific explorer.\nOutside of the manners and customs of the various tribes\nwith which he came in contact, only the most patent and\nstriking phenomena of the great nature-world impressed\nhim. No better idea of his views on this subject could\nbe obtained than from a passage in the preface to his\nVoyages ;\n\" I could not stop,\" says Mackenzie, \"to dig into the\nearth, over whose surface I was compelled to pass with 228 The Canadian Rockies.\nrapid steps ; nor could I turn aside to collect the plants\nwhich nature might have scattered on the way, when my\nthoughts were anxiously employed in making provision\nfor the day that was passing over me. I had to encounter\nperils by land and perils by water ; to watch the savage\nwho was our guide, or to guard against those of his tribe\nwho might meditate our destruction. I had, also, the passions and fears of others to control and subdue. To-day,\nI had to assuage the rising discontents, and on the morrow, to cheer the fainting spirits of the people who accompanied me. The toil of our navigation was incessant,\nand oftentimes extreme ; and, in our progress overland,\nwe had no protection from the severity of the elements,\nand possessed no accommodations or conveniences but\nsuch as could be contained in the burden on our shoulders,\nwhich aggravated the toils of our march, and added to the\nwearisomeness of our way.\n\" Though the events which compose my journals may\nhave little in themselves to strike the imagination of those\nwho love to be astonished, or to gratify the curiosity of\nsuch as are enamoured of romantic adventures ; nevertheless, when it is considered that I explored those waters\nwhich had never before borne any other vessel than the\ncanoe of the savage ; and traversed those deserts where\nan European had never before presented himself to the\neye of its swarthy natives ; when to these considerations\nare added the important objects which were pursued, with\nthe dangers that were encountered, and the difficulties\nthat were surmounted to attain them, this work will, I ggj/^n^g^^^^f^g^^ggg^^^\nPrevious Explorations.\n229\nflatter myself, be found to excite an interest and conciliate\nregard in the minds of those who peruse it\"\nThus Mackenzie writes in the preface to his journal.\nNevertheless, there is no evidence throughout his works\nthat he was learned or even interested in the sciences\nof botany or geology. The scientific mind becomes\nso much absorbed in the search for information, when\nsurrounded by the infinite variety of nature's productions, especially in regions hitherto unknown, that\nmere inconvenience, physical suffering, or imminent peril\nis incapable of withdrawing the attention from the\nchosen objects of pursuit. Whoever reads Humboldt's\nnarrative of travels in the equinoctial regions of South\nAmerica, especially\u00E2\u0080\u0094that part which pertains to his voyage\non the Orinoco, will appreciate the truth of this. The\nstifling, humid heat of a fever-laden atmosphere, the ever\npresent danger of sudden death from venomous serpents,\nferocious alligators, or the stealthy jaguar, the very air\nitself darkened by innumerable swarms of mosquitoes and\nstinging insects, with changing varieties appearing at\nevery hour of the day and night, were unable to force this\ngreat naturalist to resign his work.\nUnfortunately, the explorer and the naturalist are not\noften combined in one person, notwithstanding that the fact\nof being one, implies a tendency toward becoming the other.\nMackenzie mentions one or two attempts previous to\n1792 to cross the Rocky Mountains. No record of these\nexpeditions is available, a circumstance that implies their\ntermination in failure or disaster. 230 The Canadian Rockies.\nUp to this time the Rocky Mountains, with their awful\narray of saw-edged peaks covered with a dazzling white\nmantle of perpetual snow, had stood as the western limit\nof overland exploration, beyond which no European had\never passed. The Pacific Coast had already been explored\nby Captain Cook in 1778, and a few years later so accurately charted by Vancouver, that his work is still\nstandard among navigators. The eastern border of the\nRockies was vaguely located, but between these narrow\nstrips there remained a vast region, four hundred miles\nwide, extending to the Arctic Ocean, about which little.or\nnothing was known.\nAs in the case of other unexplored regions, there were\nvague and conflicting rumors among the Indians concerning the dangers of these upland fastnesses, accounts of\nhostile tribes, men partly human, partly animal in form\nand nature, and colossal beasts, endowed with fabulous\nstrength and agility, from which escape was next to impossible. These Indian tales, though in great part the\nproduct of imagination or superstition, unfortunately did\nbut partial justice to the reality, for although the reported\ndangers and terrors were mythical, there were real and\nmaterial obstacles in the form of mountain ranges bewildering in their endless extent and complexity, between\nwhich were valleys blocked by fallen timber, and torrential\nstreams rendered unnavigable by roaring rapids or gloomy\ncanyons of awful depth. In fact, this region was one of\nthe most difficult to penetrate and explore that the world\ncould offer at that time. The Peace River.\n231\nNevertheless, Mackenzie now turned his attention\ntoward this region, resolved to traverse and explore it till\nhe should reach the Pacific. Moreover, he was confident\nof success, perhaps realizing his many qualifications for\nsuch an enterprise, and certainly encouraged by the\nremembrance of the difficulties he had overcome during\nhis former voyage, in 1789, to the mouth of that great\nriver which bears his name.\nLeaving Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca, he soon\nreached that great waterway, the Peace River, and with\nseveral canoes began to stem the moderate current of this\nstream, which is at this point about one fourth of a mile\nin width and quite deep.\nThe origin of names is always interesting, and that of\nthe Peace River is said to be derived from a circumstance\nof Indian history. The tribe of Indians called the Knis-\nteneux, who originally inhabited the Atlantic seaboard\nand the St. Lawrence valley, migrated in a northwesterly\ndirection. In the course of this tribal movement, after\nreaching the centre of the continent, they at length came\nin contact with the Beaver Indians, and a neighboring\ntribe called the Slaves, at a point some fifty leagues due\nsouth from Lake Athabasca. The Knisteneux drove\nthese tribes from their lands, the Slave Indians moving\nnorthward down'the Slave River to Great Slave Lake,\nfromvwhich circumstance the lake derives its name. The\nterm Slave was not applied to indicate servitude, but by\nway of reproach on their unusual barbarity and destitution. The Beaver Indians moved in another direction, The Canadian Rockies.\nmore to the westward, and on the ratification of peace\nbetween them and the Knisteneux, the Peace River was\nassigned as the boundary between them.\nAfter proceeding for three weeks up the Peace River,\nMackenzie camped for the winter at a point previously\ndecided on, and early in the following spring recommenced his \"voyage,\" as these inland water journeys\nare called. Mackenzie was accompanied by Alexander\nMackay, one of the officers of the Northwest Company.\nThe crew consisted of six Canadian voyageurs, and the\nparty was completed by two Indians, who, it was intended, should act as interpreters and hunters. A single\ncanoe, twenty-five feet long and not quite five feet in extreme breadth, served to carry the entire party, in addition to three thousand pounds of baggage and provisions.\nIt would be entirely aside from our purpose to narrate\nin detail the many interesting adventures and narrow\nescapes of the party. A single incident will serve to\nthrow some light on the perils and toils that were encountered. At the time of the incident in question, they\nhad crossed the watershed by following the south branch\nof the Peace River to its source, and were now descending a mad torrent which runs westward, and is tributary\nto the Fraser River, which latter Mackenzie mistook for\nthe Columbia.\nIt was on the morning of the 13th of June, and the\ncanoe had proceeded but a short distance, when it\nstruck, and, turning sidewise, broke on a stone. Mackenzie and all the men jumped into the water at once, A Marvellous Escape. 233\nand endeavored to stop the canoe and turn it round. But\nalmost immediately she was swept into deeper water,\nwhere it became necessary for everybody to scramble\naboard with the greatest celerity. In this uncertain contest, one of the men was left in mid-stream to effect a\npassage to shore in the best way he could.\n\" We had hardly regained our situations,\" writes Mackenzie, \" when we drove against a rock, which shattered\nthe stern of the canoe in such a manner that it held only\nby the gunwales, so that the steersman could no longer\nkeep his place. The violence of this stroke drove us to\nthe opposite side of the river, which is but narrow, when\nthe bow met with the same fate as the stern. At this\nmoment the foreman seized on some branches of a small\ntree, in the hope of bringing up the canoe, but such was\ntheir elasticity that, in a manner not easily described, he\nwas jerked on shore in an instant, and with a degree of\nviolence that threatened his destruction. But we had no\ntime to turn from our own situation to inquire what had\nbefallen him ; for, in a few moments, we came across a\ncascade, which broke several large holes in the bottom of\nthe canoe, and started all the bars, except one behind the\nscooping seat If this accident, however, had not happened, the vessel must have been irretrievably overset\nThe wreck becoming flat on the water, we all jumped out,\nwhile the steersman, who had been compelled to abandon\nhis place, and had not recovered from his fright, called\nOut to his companions to save themselves. My peremptory commands superseded the effects of his fear, and 234 The Canadian Rockies.\nthey all held fast to the wreck ; to which fortunate resolution we owed our safety, as we should otherwise have\nbeen dashed against the rocks by the force of the water,\nor driven over the cascades. In this condition we were\nforced several hundred yards, and every yard on the verge\nof destruction ; but, at length, we most fortunately arrived\nin shallow water and a small eddy, where we were enabled\nto make a stand, from the weight of the canoe resting on\nthe stones, rather than from any exertions of our exhausted strength. For, though our efforts were short,\nthey were pushed to the utmost, as life or death depended\non them.\"\nAt this juncture, the Indians, instead of making any\neffort to assist the others, sat down and shed tears, though\nit is considered a mortal disgrace among Indians to weep\nexcept when intoxicated.\nOn the 22d of July, after encountering countless trials\nand the dangers of savage foes, no less than the obstacles\nof nature, Mackenzie reached an arm of the sea in latitude\n520 20' 48\", where on a rocky cliff he inscribed this brief\nlegend in vermilion : \" Alexander Mackenzie from Canada\nby land, the 22d of July, one thousand seven hundred\nand ninety-three.\"\nThe next day, when alone, he was nearly murdered by\na band of Indians, but escaped by his agility and by a\nfortunate momentary hesitation on the part of the savages.\nMackenzie's return journey was over the same route\nthat he had first taken, and required but four weeks to\ntraverse the mountains. Perils of the Wilderness. 235\nIn reading a detailed account of this voyage, one is\nimpressed with the many perils encountered, no less than\nthe ofttimes remarkable and fortunate escapes from them.\nIt is so with the journals of nearly all great travellers.\nThey recount an endless succession of dangers and adventures by sea and land, from which, though often in the\nvery jaws of death by reason of the operations of nature\nand the elements, the- traveller ever eventually escapes,\napparently in defiance of the laws of chance and probability. But we must bear in mind the great host of travellers who have never returned, and whose unfinished^\njournals are lost forever to mankind.\nThe remotest corners of the earth have been mute\nwitnesses to these tragedies. The inhospitable, rock-\nbound shores of lonely islands, or low-lying sands of coral\nreefs, where the ceaseless ocean billows thunder in everlasting surf, have beheld the expiring struggles of many a\nbold navigator. The colossal bergs and crushing ice of\npolar seas ; hurricanes and typhoons in tropic latitudes ;\nthe horrors of fire at sea ; the broad wastes of continents ;\ntrackless desert sands, where, under a scorching sun,\nobjects on the distant horizon dance in the waving air,\nand portray mirage pictures of lakes and streams to the\nthirsty traveller ; deep, cool forests bewildering in the\nendless maze of trees ; piercing winter storms, with cutting winds and driving snows ; the blood-thirsty pack of\nfamishing wolves ; rivers, dangerous to navigate, with impetuous current swirling and roaring in fearful rapids,\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nall these have their records of death and disaster. 236\nThe Canadian Rockies.\nBut of them all, man has ever been the worst\ndestroyer. The hostile savage, the mutinous crew, or\ntreacherous guide have proved far more cruel, revengeful, and cunningly destructive than the catastrophes of\nnature, whose mute, dead forces act out their laws in\naccordance with the great plan of the universe, unguided\nby motives of hate, and envy, and the wicked devices of\nhuman passions. HffHimtt~r \" ''\J\u00C2\u00A3fffifi\u00C3\u00AEtt^SJ\u00C2\u00A7}*&\nCHAPTER XIV.\nHISTORICAL.\nCaptain Cook's Explorations\u00E2\u0080\u0094The American Fur Company\u00E2\u0080\u0094First\nExploration of the Fraser River\u00E2\u0080\u0094Expedition of Ross Cox\u00E2\u0080\u0094Cannibalism\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Simplicity of a Voyageur\u00E2\u0080\u0094Sir George Simpson's Journey\u00E2\u0080\u0094Discovery\nof Gold in 1858\u00E2\u0080\u0094 The Palliser Expedition\u00E2\u0080\u0094Dr. Hector's Adventures\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nMilton and Clieadle\u00E2\u0080\u0094Growth of the Dominion\u00E2\u0080\u0094Railroad Surveys\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nConstruction of the Railroad\u00E2\u0080\u0094Historical Periods\u00E2\u0080\u0094Future Popularity\ncf the Canadian Rockies.\nTHE early explorations of Captain Cook had an\nalmost immediate effect on the development of\nthe fur trade. Upon the publication of that\nwonderful book, Cooks Voyages round the World, wherein were shown the great value and quantity of furs\nobtainable along the northwest coast of America, a considerable number of ships were fitted out for the purpose\nof carrying on this trade. Three years after, or in 1792,\nthere were twenty American vessels along the Pacific\nCoast, from California northward to Alaska, collecting\nfurs, especially that of the sea otter, from the natives.\nOf these \" canoes, large as islands, and filled with white\nmen,\" Mackenzie had heard many times from the natives\nmet with on his overland journey across the Rocky Mountains. Mackenzie's journal was not published till 1801.\n237 j&\u00C3\u00AAt\n238 The Canadian Rockies.\nIn this book, however, he outlines a plan to perfect a well\nregulated trade by means of an overland route, with posts\nat intervals along the line, and a well established terminus\non the Pacific Coast. Should this plan be carried out, he\npredicted that the Canadians would obtain control of the\nfur trade of the entire northern part of North America,\nand that the Americans would be compelled to relinquish\ntheir irregular trade.\nWhile the agents of the American Fur Company, a\nrival organization controlled and managed by Mr. John\nJacob Astor, were preparing to extend their limits northwards from their headquarters at the mouth of the Columbia, the Northwest Company was pushing southward\nthrough British Columbia, and had already established a\ncolony called New Caledonia near the headquarters of\nthe Fraser River. Thus Mr. Astor's scheme of gaining\ncontrol of the head waters of the Columbia River was\nanticipated. The war of 1812 completely frustrated his\nplans, when the post of Astoria fell temporarily into the\nhands of the English.\nA very good idea of the hardships of life at one of\nthese western posts, together with a brief account of the\nfirst exploration of the Fraser River, may be obtained\nfrom a letter written in 1809 by Jules Quesnel to a friend\nin Montreal. The letter is dated New Caledonia, May\n1st, 1809, and after a few remarks on other matters, Mr.\nQuesnel goes on to say : \" There are places in the north\nwhere, notwithstanding the disadvantages of the country\nin general, it is possible sometimes to enjoy one's self ;\nbut here nothing is to be found but hardship and loneli-\n 224\n' ' downfall of 225\n' ' Mounted Police 2\nOutfit for camp 275\nPacific Coast reached by Mackenzie 234\nPack-horses, difficulties with 102\n\" \" nature of 214\n\" \" remarkable experience with 105 f4\n282 Index.\nPAGE\nPalliser expedition 245\nParadise Valley 91, 105\n\" \" discovery of 91\n\" \" in winter 117\n\" \" location 84\nPatience, need of, in camp life 274\nPeace River, origin of name 23 r\nPeechee 8\nPerseverance, need of, in camp life 274\nPeyto, William 140\nPhlox, alpine 72\nPica, tailless hare 105\nPinnacle Mountain 92, 97\nPlateau region 263\nPleasure of camp life 271\nPtarmigan 76\nQuesnel, Jules 238\nRat, wood 106\nRhododendron 20\nRoger's Pass 254\nRundle Mountain 5\nRundle's early visit to Banff region 9\nRundle the missionary 9\nRupert, Prince 224\nSaddle, the 77\nSaskatchewan 206\nScenery at high altitudes 45, 89, 108\nSchrunds, cause of 87\nSelkirk Range, humidity of 123\nSelkirks, early popularity of 124\n\" forest trees 132\n' ' geographical position 119\nSheep, mountain 10\nSimpson Pass 144\n\" River . 145\n' ' Sir George 244\nSimpson's, Sir George, expedition 7\nSky, color of, in mountains 268\nSmoke of forest fires 81\nSnow line, determination of 56\n\" \" in Colorado and the Andes 57\n\" patches, effect on vegetation 67\n\" storm in June 12\nSolitude of high altitudes 215\nSounds, forest and mountain 273 Index.\n281\nSpray River 4\nSpruce trees 38\nStones, loose, danger of, in Canadian Rockies 59, 69\nStoney Indians, characteristics of 51\n\" \" dress of , 52\n\" \" nature of 9\n\" \" Palliser's account of 53\n\" \" religion of 52\nStorms, approach of 27, 81\n1 ' mountain 156\nSt. Piran, flowers and butterflies 72, 73\n' ' summit of 71\nStuart, John 239\nSullivan, Mr , 246\nSulzer and Huber 124\nSurveys for railroad 253\nTemple, Mount, altitude 78\n\" \" first ascent of 115\n\" \" avalanches from 78\ni ' \" first attempt to ascend 109\n\" \" maximum temperature on summit 116\n\" \" north side of no\n\" \" strata of 79\n\" \" summit of 116\nThirst, method of quenching 74\nThunderstorms in mountains 28\nTourists at Banff 2\nTree line 270\nTrees, age of 135\n\" \"at Lake Louise. 23\nTunnel Mountain 4\nTwilight, length of n\nTwin, William 48\nValleys, age of 262\n\" blind 212\nVan Home, Sir William 254\nVegetation of Canadian Rockies 270\nVermilion Pass ,. 181\nPlain 248\n\" River 179\nVitality of mountain trees and herbs , 12\nVoyageurs 221\nWaputehk Range 183\nWasps and bull-dog flies 25\nWildman, Enoch 48, 119\nWilson, Tom 138 \u00C2\u00BB\u00C5\u0093ssf*s&s*j\nsslayg ^rn?\u00C2\u00A3|gHia\u00C5\u0093iicfbr&^ fsitv of British Columbia Library\nDATE DUE rtftfr&mgfett&cg^ggn\nml psoas\nRt. Wt>5\nl\u00C2\u00A3\u00C2\u00AB\u00C3\u00AE7 of the LAKE LOUISE region showing part of\nthe Summit Range of the Canadian Rocky Mountain\nSURVEYED AND DRAWN BY\nWALTER D .WILCOX.\nSCALE 1 AND 1-2 INCH - i MILE\n-f-i!i\u00C2\u00BB\nGLACIERS\nLAKES\nTRAILS \t\nCONTINENTAL WATERSHED\t\nINDREW B GRAHAM PHOTO'UTHO. WASHIN GTON. 0 C\nCOPYRIGHT BY G- P. PUTNAM'S SONS."@en . "Includes index.

Edition: Second Edition.

Other copies: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/643134071"@en . "Books"@en . "Travel literature"@en . "F5025.R6 W65 1897"@en . "I-1250"@en . "10.14288/1.0340553"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons"@en . "London : G. P. Putnam's Sons"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy, or otherwise distribute these images please contact\u00A0digital.initiatives@ubc.ca."@en . "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. F5025.R6 W65 1897"@en . "Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.)"@en . "Alberta--Description and travel"@en . "Camping in the Canadian Rockies : an account of camp life in the wilder parts of the Canadian Rocky mountains, together with a description of the region about Banff, Lake Louise and Glacier, and a sketch of the early explorations. With twenty-five full-page photogravures, and many text illustrations from photographs by the author"@en . "Text"@en .