BLINDED AND FROZEN AT 20,000 FEET.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 October 1925, Page 3

BLINDED AND FROZEN AT 20,000 FEET.

MT. LOGAN CLIMBERS’ SUFFERINGS. CLINGING TO PEAK IN A GALE. MONTREAL. August 20. Captain A. 11. McCarthy, the eon qtieror of Mount Logan, in the Yukon tlie highest mountain in Canada, mailt his first official statement on his eliinl when lie lectured before the Alpine Club, of Canada, and the United State; at Lake McArthur, lie said: The final peak of Mount Logan, a flat triangle of snow 00ft long, am! IfJ.SoOft above sea level, was reachei: at 8 o'clock on the evening of June 23. 21 days after we had left our advance base camp 18 miles away and 12,000 ft below. The top was a raging hell such as I never expect to see again. Ihe thermometer registered 33 degrees below zero, and the wind was so terrific that we had to lie down and hold oil lo keep from being blown into space.

The altitude had so affected us that we were all slightly deranged, mentally and physically, ft I had not reached the summit of Logan that day I could never possibly have considered going back again.

From the advance base camp estab lislied at the foot of the A ukon Cas cade. B.oooft above sea level, eight met under Captain McCarthy started uni In conquer Mount Logan on .May 20 In accomplish a feat that man hail never done before. They were to eli nil: lg.onnft ill 18 miles. It took them II da vs to do this and return. Half of them were totally blinded by snow glare and half of them suffered frozen feet and hands.

As tliev climbed miles above the sea level in the glare of the noi l horn midnight sun. which never sets in that country, they suffered terribly from hallucinations and mental abberrations. -aid the intrepid explorer.

As they trooped upwards half out ol Ibcir minds with the elicits ol the alii--21 tul oxposiuv, th<*y xjiw 11 i<*o barns and farmhouses peopled comfortably on the crags above, but for fear of being ridiculed and accused ol wanting to rest none ol them would mention ulial he saw. thinking that soon other- would see it. mention il, and then they would go in lor a rest in the ham. BI.EEI' IN THE SNOW. The altitude left them just enough rlierv to dig holes ill the snow sufficient to admit the trunks of their hollies. Tliev would crawl into these and shiver and doze until they lelt 11 weight on their legs. Thinking that a companion was lying on their limbs they would wake up and shout for him to get off. only In find that it was the weight of the snow which had fallen since 1 hey had eraw led in. This went on lor weeks in the chilly wliitene.-s of the northern summer snow fields. Finally, just la-fore they reached the peak, the most dangerous a-ceiit of all was encountered. For several hundred yards they had to wallup a knife-edge ice ridge with almost ead drops of thousands ol loot on

cither vide. lillt the.v were so .1.-per-ale and listless with the dangers that had gone I a-lore that the.v walked up this perilous blade onlv ball conscious ol what tliev were doing. Suddenly the knife-edge i|»r I into a Hat triangle ~|' snow till feel long : till' was the peak ol Mount l.ogan. seen lor the first time by the eyes ol a man. ’face IN a RAINBOW. ( apia in .Met all by continued : As iny bead readied and peered over tie Hat triangle. I wa- startled by seeing small rainbow with my exact photograph in its cent re. Know ing that the rest o! the party had showed mill limed evidence ol being oil llieil mental balance, and realising that I must he .-lightly oil too. I was afraid tu make am noise about it. But I ililiig oil the ice against the wind and watched Ihe other- mine up and noticed a luill-frightened look in each ol I heir face- as iliev peered over. They. |j|,- t . ln e. were afraid to mention what tliev saw. But finally I mustered up courage and said. " Men. do you see what. I do in that rain bow /" and they Snow almost immediately joined tile wind and formed the most terrific blizzard I have ever seen. Snow hit and -mug us from all directions. I.iteial|y, it came no leet. Several days later, when we readied the foot ~1 Hurricane Ridge, still more than is.dtinlt up, 11 seemed lor the Hist t j ic,. ,luring our 1 rip that the end lor all ol us was near. The men readied llie camp and sat down and wouldn't move. I was tinsame way. We were ins! half conscious ~t ill,- and did not have one ambition |,.|'t in the world. Nothing mattered fur any of us then. We had reached that point where physical feeling ceases ami a sort, of false feeling of eomtort cuts in. I knew that it we spent the night there, as we had intended to do, it would be the > lee 11 of peace for all of us. So. alter a liall-liour of thistupor, I made the men got up and move on. I knew that exertion, something to do. was the only thing that would save us, and it did. 1 told 111 v wife that 1 would be back at McArthur in I lie middle of July. I was an hour and a half late, having leached there at, 1.31) on July 1-V