The Sunday Oregonian., February 22, 1903, PART FOUR, Image 25

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: PAGES 25 TO 32
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I PART FOUR
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NO. 8.
VOL. XXII
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY 22, 1903.
eLIMBlMG MT. HOOD ON SKEES
PLEASURES OF A WINTER SPORT NEW TO OREGON
INCOMPARABLE BEAUTY OF THE SCENE.
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HE dangers and hardships con
nected with our recent ascent of
Mount Hood." "said T. Brook
."White, while speaking of the trip taken
by himself In company with Colonel L.
L. Hawkins and M. W. Gorman, "exist
only In the minds of our friends. Tho
impression prevails among people gener
ally that the temperature of tho moun
tain air at this season must be very low.
and consequently that we must have suf
fered acutely from the cold. On the con
trary, we found that Ave degrees above
zero is the lowest mark registered there
this Winter, and that of course In tho
early morning. During the day tho mer
cury rises above the freezing point, and
the snow on the tree-tops melts a little.
You will be surprised, no doubt, when
I tell you that we found we were too
warmly clad and had to remove our coats
while making the ascent. So far as cold
Is concerned, then, we suffered no incon
venience: Indeed. I may say that It merely
Intensified the pleasure of the trip, for
there Is nothing quite so exhilarating as
brisk exercise .In a. frosty atsrtsphcre.
Twenty-four Miles on Sltecs.
"As regards the difficulties of the as
cent, they are no greater at this time of
year than in the Summer time. To be
sure, there is a great deal more snow
on the mountain now, and one would find
it very difficult, not to say Impossible,
to make any progress through the deep
snow, unless provided with snowshoes or
with skees. "We foresaw this, however, and
equipped ourselves with skees and poles,
and thus made good headway. The skee,
as you may know, is a device invented by
the Norwegians for use in traveling over
deep snow. It consists of a piece of hard
wood eight or ten feet in length and
turned up slightly at one end -to prevent
the point from sticking Into the snow and
tripping tho runner. It is fastened to the
foet by straps, in much the same way
as wero the old Dutch skates which we
used to have when we were boys. In
ascending an incline, the skce serves
merely as a snowshoe: that is. it gives a
broad basis to stand on and prevents
one from sinking into the snow. In de
scending, it acts like a skate: indeed, it
is a snow-skate, and is controlled and
guided Just as an ordinary ice-skate Is.
The pole which each man carries is about
12 feet long, and is provided with a flange
fastened a. few inches above Ihe lower
end. This flange keeps it from sinking
Into the soft snow, hence in going up the
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mountain one uses It merely as a climbing
pole, and in coming down it serves the
purpose of a balancing pole, such as rope
walkers use. A person who knows how to
skate and is not afraid to let himself go,
can learn the use of the skees In a very
short time; but ono who Is timid and is
afraid of a fall, even in the soft snow,
will have to be content to creep. Colonel
Hawkins had used the skees when a boy.
but although neither Mr. Gorman nor
myself knew anything about them, wc
had no trouble at all. We traveled 24
miles or more on our skees. and I am sura
I voice the opinion of the other members
of the party when I say that we enjoyed
every mile of It.
"The origin of this pioneer Winter out
ing to Mount Hood dates back to a few
years ago when Colonel Hawkins and
i myaelf made a bicycle trip to Government
I Camp in search of photographs. Mine
Host Yocura. who is in charge there, sug
gested that. If we wanted to get views of
the mountain scenery when it Is In gala
attire, we should come during the winter.
The suggestion took root in my mind,
and when I recalled It to Colonel Haw
kins recently, he immediately became en
thusiastic over it. and began to make the
necessary preparations. Everything was
soon In readiness, and on the 7th of Feb
ruary we left Portland to undertake what
no other party had ever undertaken, the
ascent of Mount Hood in mid-Winter. We
were gone in all ten days from Port
land, and we feel "amply repaid for both
our time and our labor or, shall I say,
our play?
"Our route from Portland lay by way
winds which surround them. Each treei
Is surrounded by a deep well, varying
from six or eight to 20 feet In diameter
and from flvc to 15 feet In depth Thtaa
wells are bowl-shaped, and a man who
had the misfortune to fall Into one o
them would have no little difficulty In
getting out. Fortunately, none of ua
had that experience.
Incomparable Winter Sport.
"What do I consider the chief result of
our trip? Well, it has demonstrated ono
thing which I think will, within a few
years, be considered one of Portland's
main attractions. That V. that we have'
here within easy reach of the city a place
where the Winter sporto. which we envy
the Eastern people, are placed at our
disposal throughout the Winter. And.
think of it! We don't have to wait s the
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of Gixebam and Sandy,- where we spent
the flrat night. The following night wa
reached Dutch Henry's. Thence we went
the usual road to Twin Bridges, and then
on skees to Government Camp, where
we were welcomed by O. C. Yocum. who
acted In' the dual capacity of guide and
host while we were on the mountain. This
marks the first and less important part
of our trip. Our way from here lay
straight up the mountain till we reached
the vast enow field, which lies on the
southern slope, and which is Just visible
from Portland. Many people bavo no
doubt often wondered, about the appear
ance of that great expanse of pure white
and speculated on what it looks like when
covered with a recent fall of snow; but
I assure you that, no matter, how ex
travagant their fancies concerning lta
glittering beauty, they did not exceed the
reality. As It stretched out before and
above us. we could imagine nothing more
dazzllngly beautiful. The undulations of
Its surface and the sparkling of the sun
on its unsullied crystals made It seem
like a vaat sea beaten Into foam, pure
white and bathed In the radiance of an
unclouded sun.
"It took us five hours to go from Gov
ernment Camp to the snow field, and one
hour to como down, mcst of which was
spent In getting through the timber close
to the snow line here. On the expanse
of the field, all we had to do was to bal
ance ourselves and elide, but in the timber
we could not go raptdly because of th
tcaes and tho boles made by swishing
weather to provide the snow for us: It Is
there from the beginning to the end of
Winter, and alt we have to do Is to go
and enjoy It. As I have eald. tfie diffi
culties of getting to Government Camp
are no greater In Winter than in Sum
mer, and as every man lovea Winter
sports. I make the prediction that within
a very few years the sleeping echoes of
the mountains will be awakened by tho
Jingle of the slelghbells and the Joyoue
shouts of the okee-ers as they glide over
the surface of the enow or extricate them
selves from some bank into which their
awkwardness has plunged them. Wa
haven't much skating In this climate, but
we have perpetual skeelng prepared be
fore us, and it ts due to our own short
sightedness that we haven't long befor
this availed ourselves of It.
Unsurpassed Scenery.
"Another thing. Words fail to describe
the beauty of the scenery, the trees laden
with their massive coverings of snow and
lace-like Ice. but we have the rfimera to
reproduce It for us. and It will not ba
long before amateurs 'will bo making the
trip merely for the purpose of getting
photographs, of the views. It Is baffling
to try to talk of some of the sights wa
saw. The snow falls and loads the trees
with Its fleecy whiteness till they can
bear no more; then the sun comes out
and melts the snow; and the water freezes
and forms a fringe which closely re
sembles the finest of laces. To get a pic-
(Concludi on Pxf e Thirty -one.)
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