The North Cascades National Park, photos by Bob and Ira Spring, text by Harvey Manning. Seattle: Superior Publishing Co., 1969. 143 pages, 109 black-and-white photos, 15 color plates, 2 maps. Price $17.50

Here is another essay on the North Cascades in the “Exhibit Format” size. Filled with photos from the Springs’ vast collection, it covers peaks and ridges, glaciers and snowfields, cirques and canyons, lakes and tarns, forests, meadows, and brush, and the people who have accompanied the photographer-twins to both the common and the remote places of the range for over 20 years. The text gives a first-hand running account in Manning’s lively, sometimes staccato, diary style, of both the beauties of peaks, sunsets, and memories, and the miseries and apprehensions of family treks and scrambles.

Most obvious: the title is a misnomer. Of the seven chapters covering parts of the range only three deal with areas in the existing National Park; the others are not but should be, as editorialized in the foreword by Patrick Goldsworthy. Described are treks by the Manning family and climbs by Manning and friends, over a period of years that sees the kids growing in number and age — and in appreciation of the wilderness — as they travel to various sectors of the North Cascades. Discussed by chapters are: (1) the dripping forests of the White Chuck valley, with timberline fog finally giving away to clearing in the meadows of the Pumice Creek area on the northwest flank of Glacier Peak (in Wilderness Area); (2) a trip along the Chelan Crest east of Lake Chelan (in National Forest), with observations on the relative aridity of the eastern Cascades and a tracing of ancient sheepherders travels by cabin remnants and with cringing as a mod motorcyclist shatters the quiet landscape; (3) a two-man stormed-out climbing trip into the White Rocks Lake-South Cascade Glacier area (in Wilderness Area) and a much welcomed refuge (and steaks) at the Geological Survey’s research station above the glacier — but still it is decried as an intrusion on the landscape; (4) a family trek up the Stehekin Valley toward Cascade Pass, a camp among the waterfalls below Horseshoe Basin (the text finally gets us into the National Park!) and the problems of travelling with small children and wife (with “another on the way”), with bugs and flies, wind and lightning — a testimony to keeping out of the Cascades; (5) a Manning-led Climbing Course party on Mount Shuksan (in the National Park) in competition with two other large parties on the bottleneck-plagued route; (6) a climbing trip into the Northern Pickets (in the National Park), with ascents of Whatcom Peak, Challenger, and Luna, and reminiscences of earlier conquests and storm-outs in the area; and (7) a family drive and hike in the Pasayten Wilderness of the Methow-Harts Pass area in the eastern North Cascades, with broad tundra-like crests offering open views to the higher ranges on the west, while sheep and cattle still nibble down the fragile vegetation, and hunters boom away at deer “like cows in a pasture.”

The photo coverage of the range is broad, with portfolio of scenes presenting a cross section moving from closeups of forest fungus and flowers at valley bottoms to barren ice and rock and storm-shrouded summits. Beside summer scenes, a series of photos shows the Cascades under winter and spring snow cover. In a few places the black-and-white photo reproduction fails to do justice to the Springs’ camera work; a few smaller snapshots show the Manning Gang in various poses of hiking and tenting; at least one of the larger photos is too obviously posed — sans gloves, a pretty member of the liberated sex begins a rappel from Magic Mountain. The 15 color plates are excellent; more of these would have made this book stand apart from previous similar formats on the North Cascades.

Dee Molenaar