AN ALPINE FEAT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 16 January 1926, Page 6

AN ALPINE FEAT.

ASCENT OF MOUNT LOGAN % CANADA’S “MOUNT EVEREST’’ Records of endurance always make a strong appeal to British people, and the story related in Wellington by Captain A. 11. McCarthy, of Windermere, British Columbia, of the successful ascent of Mount Logan, Canada's Mount Everest, is one that makes stirring reading.

Captain MacCarthy arrived in the Dominion with Mrs. MacCarthy recently. and has gone to Mount Cook, where they hope to climb a few of the peaks as a. preliminary to a more protracted visit to New Zealand later on. Captain MacCarthy is a member of the American. Canadian. English. Swiss and French alpine clubs, and served 15 years in the United States Navy. Mount Logan is at the south-west corner of Yukon territory in Canada, is tlie second highest peak on the North American continent, and the highest peak in Canada. It is 19,850 ft above sea level, it stands 14,000 feet above the normal level of its surrounding glaciers, and if is in reality the largest block mountain known in the world. It is possible to reach the mountain in the winter only by dog team, and in the summer it is approached for the first 86 miles by pack train and the remainder of the distance has to be made on foot over the Mount Logai Glacier, the known section of which m over 52 miles long and from three to five miles wide. The climb of Mount Logan begins at the base of the massif at SOOOft. The road then to the final summit is .18 miles, the elevation in that distance being 12,000 ft. Preparing for the Assault.

Captain MaeCarthy gave details of the reconnaissance which enabled men to ascend the great peak for the first time.

In 1913 a survey party reached th? elevation of 6500 ft on an outlying peak. In 1924 Captain MacCartliy went to make a reconnaissance, and succeeded in reaching 10,200 ft elevation at a point 16 miles from the summit, and it was on the data obtained on that trip that the plans were based for the great expedition of 1925.

The expedition was under the direction of the Alpine Club of Canada, with the co-operation of the American and English clubs. During the winter of 1924-25 70 days were spent in transporting equipment and provisions to the weight of four tons to the base of the massif by dog teams. The climbing party arrived at the railhead the. first week in May of last year, and consisted of eight members, with one naturalist, who did not go beyond the end of the timber. The leader of the party was Captain MaeCarthy, and the recorder was Eieutenant-Colonel W. W Foster, D. 5.0., A.D.C., of Vancouver, also a great alpinist, who had a distinguished record with the Canadian corps during the war. The Climb Begins. It tool: three weeks to get the patty in from the railhead to the base of the mountain -where the supplies and equipment had been cached on the winter trip. The actual climb began an Tune I. There were six camps made on the various stretches of the massif in the 23 days required for the complete climb. The highest camp established was at IS,sooft, which is probably the highest camp that has evebeen established in the Western Hemisphere. .The party reached ! he elevation of IO.SOOft at'4 p.m., which proved to be the summit of the second highest peak of the massif, with the final summit towering above it two miles away with an intervening drop of 1000 ft. 1 The dual summit- was reached at d p.m. the same day, tno thermometer registering four degrees below zero. Records were placed in a small' tube dropped in snowholes at the summit, pictures were taken, and at 8.15 p.m. the descent was commenced. Caught in a Blizzard. By 10 p.m. the party was envelope! in a dense fog, which soon developed into a. very heavy blizzard. Being unable to see. the climbers found it necessary to burrow into the snowbanks at IS,oooft. elevation, where they

remained until 2 o’clock the next afternobu. With a slight lifting of thi storm, visibility improved. It should be,pointed out that during June and July it is daylight for the whole 24 hours, so that when it is stated that the summit was reached at 8 p.m. it does not suggest that they were m darkness.

There was great danger, due to the difficulty in determining the slope on which the party was travelling. Steep mountain sides appeared perfectly level, wide plains stretched out before them. One member of the party fell 30ft, and Captain MacCarthy also fell 15ft, born fortunately landing in soft snow banks, and being held secure by the rope.

On ‘ ‘ Iron ’ ’ Rations,

The rays of the sun beat through the storm enabling them to see 50ft aheau. The descent was recommenced, but it took them 32 hours to reach the nearest camp to the summit. They had only “iron’’ rations for the final stages of the descent. After resting at this camp for .18 hours the descent was resumed and the party stopped at, two of the intermediate camps for short rests, abandoning the surplus provisions and equipment upon their retreat until th . advance base camp was reached on June 28.

For almost the entire distance from the advance base camp to the summit the trail had been blazed by the use of willow switches stuck in the snow at intervals of 100 ft apart, and these were easily discernible in the unending vista of white for much greater distances.

Coloured glasses were worn to guard against, snow blindness, and upon occasions if* was necessary to wear two pairs. Even so, one of the members became totally snow-blind for 3G hours, and the others were more or less affected, although none suffered any lasting effect.

ihe time spent on the snow and ice was 45 days.