Climbs and exploration in the Canadian Rockies (1903) (14774058355)

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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pressedby the beauty of its surroundings. Here, in awide basin in the heart of the mountains, is theconfluence of the three principal branches of theNorth Saskatchewan—the South Fork, or BearCreek, the Middle (or West) Fork, and theNorth Fork—all leading to splendid Alpinescenery; while the main valley, up which wehad just travelled, displays pictures of hill,forest, and river that are by no means to bedespised. In every direction is a landscape todelight an artists eye. Great mountain masses,bare and rugged to the north, their flanks moregently sloping and richly wooded towards thewest and south, and remarkably diversified inform, tower round the spectator on all sides, butat a distance sufficient to enable him to gaugetheir true dimensions and grandeur. The mainSaskatchewan River makes its exit through amighty cleft between Mount Murchison andPeak Wilson, which stand as the huge twinportals of this threshold to the higher mountain region: lower down, the valley opens out, and 88
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THE SASKATCHEWAN VALLEY the adjacent ranges, though steep and rocky inplaces, are for the most part of moderate height.The tributary streams, on the other hand—those of Bear Creek and the North Fork—issuefrom narrow canyons of a more sombre andforbidding character, with lofty peaks risingabruptly on either side. Taken altogether the place seems an idealone for a tourist centre; and we may fairlyanticipate that at the mouth of Bear Creekwill be the Chamonix or Grindelwald of theCanadian Alps in days to come, when theremoter peaks and valleys of this beautifulregion are made accessible to the outside world,and the new mountain playground of the Ameri-can continent becomes no longer a dream but areality. 89 CHAPTER V UP THE NORTH FORK OF THE SASKATCHEWAN We cached a considerable portion of our pro-visions at the camping-place, as henceforth oursaddle-horses would be required for fordingrivers. Bear Creek itself had to be crossed onthe morrow, and, as we watched the swollenstream foam