No grander expression of Nature's sculptural art exists than this mighty pinnacle, 14,408 feet in altitude, whose glacial area, no less than 45 square miles in extent, exceeds that of any other peak in the United States. One of the most interesting glaciers is Carbon on the north slope, reaching down to a lower elevation than any other; the most readily reached is the Nisqually, five miles in length; and the largest is the White or Emmon's. Other primary glaciers are the Cowlitz, Ingraham, Winthrop, North and South Mowich, Puyallup, North and South Tahoma, and the Kautz. The most important secondary glaciers are Van Trump, Frying-Pan, Stevens, Paradise, and Interglacier.

[IN MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK.]

The summit may be reached by five different routes. These are the Paradise Valley, Indian Henry's, the Kautz Glacier, Ptarmigan Ridge, and Emmon's or the White Glacier route. The Paradise Valley (known also as the "Gibraltar") route, on the south side, is by far the most popular, for it is well provided with hotel accommodations, and both the government road and Paradise trail lead right up to the Camp of the Clouds, at the mountain's foot. It is usual to leave this tented village at midnight, arriving at Muir Camp (10,062 feet elevation) at about 5 a. m., and Columbia Crest, the highest point on the mountain, at about 11 a. m. From this celestial height one may see more than a hundred miles in every direction, far away to the ocean on the west and into the great Inland Empire on the east. The snow-capped peaks already noted are seen toward the south, Mount Olympus to the northwest, and Baker, Shuksan, Stuart, and Glacier Peak to the north; while the Mother, the Sluiskin, the Sourdough Mountains, and the Tatoosh Range near by seem like mere foothills, between eight and nine thousand feet below. No grander or more inspiring view may be observed anywhere in the world.

Scaling the peak, however, is a feat undertaken by only a few, and always with the aid of an experienced guide. The largest measure of real joy is found in the alpine "parks." The best known and most frequented is along the Paradise River. Tributary to it and reached from Longmire, are Indian Henry's, Van Trump, Cowlitz and Magnetic Parks. Others requiring more time to visit are Summerland, one of the largest and most beautiful, Elysian Fields, and Morain, Saint Andrews and Grand Parks.

Surrounded by rugged peaks and snow fields these natural amphitheaters present a pleasing contrast. Scarcely any underbrush exists in them but many beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees abound; three hundred distinct plants are said to exist; pretty lakelets gem their surface; and all are drained by trickling streamlets or cut by raging rivers producing waterfalls of rare beauty as they go tumbling from the melting glaciers to the sea. Excellent trails, built by the government, lead to every point of interest and extend clear around the mountain. Camping places are plentiful or accommodations may be obtained at comfortable hotels.

[MOUNT RAINIER—LOOKING ACROSS LAKE WASHINGTON.]