Climbs and exploration in the Canadian Rockies (1903) (14773716852)

Identifier: climbsexploratio00stut (find matches)
Title: Climbs & exploration in the Canadian Rockies
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Stutfield, Hugh Edward Millington, 1858-1929. (from old catalog) Collie, Norman, 1859-1942, joint author
Subjects: Rocky mountains Mountaineering
Publisher: London, New York and Bombay, Longmans, Green and co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



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how our grub-pile was gettingon. We knew that it was pretty low, as we had started with an insufficient stock, our appetites 103 CLIMBS AND EXPLORATION were healthy, and the dogs had eaten a greatdeal more of our bacon than was good either forthem or for us; but we were quite unpreparedfor the alarming state of affairs which the inspec-tion disclosed. There was flour for five, andbacon for two, days, at the outside ; and this wasall that was left on which to do a fortnights orthree weeks climbing, and to get back to BearCreek ! Meat, it was evident, must be procuredsomehow, and soon, or we should be starvedinto retreat, and the trip would result in ignomi-nious failure. A council of war was held, andStutfield suggested that Collie and WooUey hadbetter do the chmb by themselves, while he wentoff in search of mountain sheep, or bighorn,which were said to be fairly plentiful in theneighbouring mountains. This plan was agreedto, and we made our arrangements for themorrow accordingly. 104
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CHAPTER VI ATHABASCA PEAK; A BIGHORN HUNT; AND DIS-COVERY OF THE COLUMBIA ICE-FIELD The story of the ascent of Athabasca Peak hadbetter, perhaps, be given in Collies own words. It was somewhat late in the morning whenWoolley and I started for our peak. Just afterwe had emerged from the pine-woods some valu-able time was wasted over killing two ptarmiganwith stones, but the small glacier on the eastside of the peak was soon reached. It was notmuch crevassed, and keeping to the right wesoon hit the north-eastern arete. This ridge fora short time gave us good climbing, but, like somany of these limestone crags, was very rotten.As the glacier to the westward appeared mode-rately easy, we clambered down on to it, andworked our way up into the great basin justunderneath the summit. A choice of routesthen lay before us—either we could skirt undersome overhanging ice-clifFs on our right up tothe northern arete, or, by cutting up an ice-slope on our left, the north-eastern ridge could be 105