October-December 1879, First Alaska Trip with S. Hall Young Image 30
The day was rainy and the clouds hung low. The trees here are remarkably well developed, tall and straight, 150 ft. or more. Noticed three or four hemlocks which had been struck by lightning – the first I had seen in Alaska. Some of this species on stormy rock points become very picturesque, almost...
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| Language: | English |
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Scholarly Commons
1879
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| Online Access: | https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmj-all/1631 https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmj-all/article/2630/type/native/viewcontent/fullsize.jpg |
| Summary: | The day was rainy and the clouds hung low. The trees here are remarkably well developed, tall and straight, 150 ft. or more. Noticed three or four hemlocks which had been struck by lightning – the first I had seen in Alaska. Some of this species on stormy rock points become very picturesque, almost as much so as old oaks. The foliage becomes dense and the branchlets tufted in heavy plume shaped horizontal masses. Nov. 3rd. Clear and with our head wind again. Pull at the oars and paddles, rather dull work, but we must make what headway we can as the storm season is at hand. Met five canoes, more Hoonas coming home. The rock hereabouts is marble. Noted many picturesque points, tree-tufted and worn into caves, small waterfalls leaping on the cliffs which are not over 50 ft. high. Towards noon came in sight of the great Chilcat glacier, a massive snout coming out from a narrow canyon and seeming to reach out two or three miles into the canal. Told the crew that I wanted to camp alongside this gl[acier] or ice-mountain as they called it, to-night, but we failed to reach it, stopping short some 8 or 10 miles. Came by on the W side of an island in a narrow cove below the fork of the Canal about 12 ms. There is a smaller gl[acier] that comes down nearly to the salt water just opp[opsite] our camp, but Toyatte declared that it would take too long to reach it. A few steps from the spot selected for our bed we found the skeleton of a man which we buried. Nov. 4th. The wind light but fair, and we glide up the beautiful channel enjoying the noble landscape and hoping to reach the lower Chilcat vil[lage] before night. The great gl[acier] on our left just opposite the end of the promontory at the angle between the Chilcat and Chilcoot bays showed grandly as it thrust its immense snout forward into the channel. It is fan-shaped and measures about three miles around the curve and about one mile at the mouth of its own proper channel, which is back about 2 miles from the end of the snout, the gl[acier] coming this distance out ... |
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