Bradford on Mt. Fairweather

Publication Year: 1931.

Bradford on Mt. Fairweathcr, by Bradford Washburn. Putnam’s, 1930. Pp. ix, 127; 31 photos, 3 sketch maps. $1.75.

This book for boys, detailing the experiences of a band of youthful adventurers on the skirts of Mt. Fairweather, may be noticed here on account of current interest in this giant of the Alaskan wilderness. It is the story of a month’s arduous back-packing in relays from Lituya Bay over glaciers that bound the westerly base of the mountain. While older heads must shake dubiously at the sheer audacity of these young neophytes, they will accord unstinted praise for manful perseverance in the face of heavy odds, both of weather and terrain. Although a height of about 6700 feet was attained on a westerly spur, no real attempt to climb the mountain was made. One discovers a number of errors due to superficial acquaintance with earlier work and literature. The historic “Grand Plateau Glacier” is called throughout “Great Plateau Glacier,” and the original connotation of the name is considerably extended. The book is well illustrated, one picture by the U. S. F. S. Aerial Survey being particularly informative.