Cloud Walkers: Six Climbs on Major Canadian Peaks, by Paddy Sherman

208 REVIEWS CLOUD WALKERS:SIX CLIMBS certain climbs are of historical interest, ON MAJORCANADIAN PEAKS. for instance the confusion of the true By PADDYSHERMAN. Toronto: Macmil- summit in thefirst ascent of Robson by lan of Canada, 1965. 9 x 6 inches, vii the Rev. George B. Kinney in 1909, ac- + 161 pages, 17photographs. $4.95. companied by a fearless prospector from Ontario,Donald Phillips, who was The six climbs selected by Sherman climbing for the first time and nearly are excellent examples of Canadian made it. mountaineeringin its varied aspects. They range from fierce Mount Robson One of the most vivid accounts is the nearJasper in the Rockies to Mount description of the ascent of Mount Slesse in the Cascade Mountains; from Fairweather, the MontBeautems of La MountWaddington in the Southern Pkrouse, one of the points of the Brit- CoastMountains, known fora long ish Columbia-Alaskaborder, by an timeand with reason as “Mystery expedition led by the author himself, Mountain”, to Mount Fairweather in as a part of the centennial celebration the St. Elias Mountains; and to Mount of the Province in 1958. After a success- Logan in the Yukon Territory, highest ful climb of the 15,300-foot mountain of them all. in howlingwinds, they returnedto The description of the regions and Lituya Bay, where LaPCrouse had the history of the attempts andvictories stayed in 1786 on hisvoyage around the are vivid and accurate, showing great world. He had written, “I doubt wheth- personal knowledge of the topography er the lofty mountains and deep val- of the various districts and the insight leys of the Alps and PyrCnCes afford so of a true mountaineer in the reactions tremendous yet so picturesque aspecta- and feelings of the pioneerswho ex- cle, well deserving the attention of the plored and climbed in some of the re- curious, were it not placed at the ex- motest parts of the world. The author, tremity of theearth.” At 6 p.m.the anEnglishman who moved to Van- planecame, twelve hours in advance, couver in 1952 and is now a journalist and the party took off safely at 9 p.m. inVictoria, has himself an excellent “Twohours and seventeen minutes record of mountaineeringin Europe later, an earthquake and a mountainous and Canada. tidal wave all but destroyedLituya The description of the expedition by Bay.” The wave that followed was the Don and Phillys Munday to the Mys- biggest yet recordedanywhere in the tery Mountaindistrict, sometimes in world and this narrow escape is indeed the merciless weather of these parts of one of the mostcurious in mountaineer- the Coast Range, makes very interest- ing history. ing reading; andthe conquest of its The conquest in 1925 of Mount highest point by Wiessner and House Logan, (19,850 feet, the highest Cana- is a real climax. The names of the dif- dian peak, situated in the Yukon near ferentclimbers who took part in the Alaska)by AlbertMcCarthy and his various expeditionsdescribed inthe colleagues was an extraordinary feat for book read like a roster of many of the the time. In order to start the climb in great mountaineers of Canada, England good condition so far away fromany and America who climbed in Canadian base, a first expedition had left early in mountains. The tragic death of Rex February to cache under winter arctic Gibson on MountHowson is described conditions four and a half tons of food with great simplicity. Many details of andequipment in variouskey places. REVIEWS 209 Thenon 12 May theclimbing party of any unfortunate controversy. There set off from a place called McCarthy in is a brief description of the Centennial Alaska and reached the summit on 22 ceremonies held 13 June, 1965 at Cal- June, returning on 15 July, after having licoon, New York, near Cook‘s birth- surmounted great difficulties and hard- place, The historical marker erected on ships. the occasion cites Cook as a “Pioneer One of the chapters deals with the American Explorer, Arctic& Antarctic, accidental discovery in 1957, while 1891-1909,” without specific reference mountaineeringon Mount Slesse, an to the northpole. The pamphlet seems 8,200-foot peak in theChilliwack re- to have atwofold purpose: to commem- gion of British Columbia, of the wreck- orate the anniversary and to set forth age of a TCA NorthStar airliner which the essential facts of Cook‘s career as had crashed there. Sixty-two died. For briefly as possible. five months it had been impossible to The biographicalsketch by Russell locate the place of the accident. Gibbons is straightforward and fair, al- The book also contains good maps though obviously much of the rich de- and photographs. tail of Cook‘s turbulent and complex Notwithstanding the variety of the life had to be omitted. Thereis no bit- subjects undertaken and their apparent terness and little reference to the con- lack of coordination, the book is full troversy with Peary; Cook’s priority at of interestingobservations onmoun- the pole is treated as an historical fact. tains and on human nature and makes One thing surely emerges from a study verygood reading. It is aremarkable of any of the more responsiblestate- and pleasant introduction to Canadian mentsmade over the years and now mountaineeringand deserves special summarizedin this pamphlet: Cook‘s mention. own story of the polar journey is vir- PAULBLANC tually unassailable. To this has now beenadded powerful ex postfacto FREDERICKALBERT COOK: evidence concerningocean currents and PIONEERAMERICAN POLAR ice islands. He was far out on the ice EXPLORER. By RUSSELLW. GIB- and certainlycould have reached the BONS. Hamburg, N.Y.: The Dr. Fred- pole. Judged on its own merits, Cook erick A. Cook Society, 1965. (Distrib- had a very strong case, and while the uted by Sullivan County Historical absolutetruth may never beknown, Society) Pamphlet, 23 pages, illustrated. it may now be possible for fair-minded 30 cents (Can.). men to render a just verdict. The 100th anniversary of Dr. Cook‘s It wasof greatestinterest to learn birth has revived interest in one of the that the Cook Society plans to estab- most baffling historical and geographi- lish aCook Memorial Library atan cal puzzles of the century. eastern university.This will contain the This 24-pages pamphlet is published unique collection of Cookmaterials by the Dr. Frederick A. Cook Society, and memorabilia,now in the possession anorganization founded in 1957 to of his daughter Helene Cook Vetter, “gain official recognition for the scien- includingall original records, charts, tific and geographical accomplishments manuscripts, and theclosely written, al- of the American physician and explor- most illegible diary that Cook kept on er. .’, The emphasis is on Cook‘s the north pole journey. This diary has achievements rather than on therevival never been fully transcribed; probably .

Load more