WHILE the first ascent of Mount Constance was made on June 26, 1922, by Robert Schellin and myself, it seems to me that mention should be made of a trip made a month earlier by Thomas J. Acheson and myself. This was Mr. Acheson's fifth attempt at the mountain.

Mr. Acheson and I went in from the Docewallips river, and on the second day of our trip reached a point on the headwaters of the Quilcene river, about two and a half miles in an air-line from the summit of the mountain.

The view of the mountain top and surrounding country at that time made me more than ever determined some day to make the climb. Mr. Acheson's ten-power binoculars revealed a succession of almost perpendicular rock walls, which promised some real climbing for any party who should ever reach the top. It was from this point, and at this time, that Mr. Acheson and I picked out approximately the route followed a month later by Mr. Schellin and myself.

After getting back to Bremerton, I got in touch with Mr. Schellin and Mr. Collier, and we arranged to climb the mountain. The three of us intended to start the evening of the 23rd of June, but unfortunately Mr. Collier was injured, so he was unable to accompany us.

In the few days preceding our start, I had purchased and divided into three parts the commissary necessary for an eleven day stay in the hills. Just as we were ready to leave, we heard that Mr. Collier had had an accident. Our time was so limited that we could not rearrange the food, so Bob and I started with forty pounds of food between us.

Our first lap was to Seabeck by stage and from there we took a launch to Brinnon. We camped that night about one-quarter of a mile from the Olympic highway.

The following morning we started at 4:25, Bob carrying fully fifty pounds, while I ad about sixty pounds. We arrived at the Miner's Cabin thirteen miles from the highway at 5 PM, and cooked and ate supper. The bunks were ready for the blankets and as the day's work had been all the exercise we cared for, we retired early.

The morning of the 25th we left the cabin at 5.30 with approximately twenty-five pounds in one knapsack, consisting of two blankets, an extra outer garment apiece, food for three days, and a few medical supplies.

The climb to the top of the ridge that runs parallel to the Dosewallips, will long be remembered. We climber as steadily as possible for I knew there was no water till we reached the top. We found snow at the top at 1.50 am, so we stopped for lunch. Tea was made from melted snow and we took an hour off to eat and rest. While resting we decided our course form that point.

Leaving at 1 PM, we climbed a hill that rose to about 5,500 feet elevation. Then we dropped about 1,000 feet and climbed several hundred feet up over a second ridge, which was the divide leading to the Quilcene river. This ridge was the farthest point Mr. Acheson and I had reached on our May trip. A long snow slide lay before us so we had some easy going. After losing about 1,000 feet in elevation, we swung off the snow, crossing several rock slides and kept at the foot of a wall, a good but of the way, till we came to a long, rock chimney. As it was a likely looking side, we made camp for the night at 4.30 PM.

Camp that night was cold, as we were up about 4,000 feet, and a wind blew continually through the chimney. Before going to bed, I filled the pail from the small stream. It was well that I did for in the morning the stream was frozen.

On the morning of the 26th, at 4.20, the sunrise was beautiful. We rose early and ate as quickly as possible. Taking about two pounds of food and extra wraps, we started for the top at 5.25. As we had decided our route the previous night, we lost no time on the 1,500 foot wall that rose in front of us. This wall was cracked in a manner that made climbing easy. It was not necessary to tell either of us to keep our hands full of mountain. We struck one point where we were forced to turn back, but it did not take long to go around and get above the obstacle that blocked our way.

About 500 feet higher we reached the top of the ridge at a point where a vein of red and very rotten rock crossed. Our course lay along the ridge and as there was no other choice, we had to cross it. One side broke sheer away with no possible footing, the other was a steep slope fifty or sixty feet ending with a cliff. A rope would have been a great help here, but we had not taken one of this trip. I believe it took us half an hour to cross that fifty foot vein.

We had about 1,000 feet of easy climbing, from this point to the top. Only a few places required the use of the hands. At eight-fifty we were about seventy-five feet below the summit which was remarkably fast climbing. It was 10.15 when we reached the top, as it took us some time to find a way up, and we had stopped to get pictures from below the summit.

We spent only a few minutes on top, leaving our record and a ptarmigan feature which we found there, in an aluminum tube. We built a small cairn on the peak and left the tube under it.

The view was spoiled somewhat by smoke, but about 4,000 feet of Mount Rainier showed at all times, and occasionally Mount Baker and Glacier Peak were above the clouds, and Mount Olympus and other Olympic peaks were always in view. Seattle and Bremerton were not visible, but for a while, part of Hood Canal was in sight.

After repeatedly cautioning each other to be doubly careful, we started down. As the climb up had really been hard we decided to go down the north or opposite side of the ridge. We regretted this afterwards, but as we were both alive at the bottom it was probably well we went that way. Once down neither of us was extremely eager for another climb of the same mountain. Bob's trousers were sadly in need of repair, or perhaps new trousers would have been more in order.

From the north side we circled around to the spot where we had camped the night before, and at 4 PM. we started down the Quilcene River. Our supplies were rather short so we walked till 6 PM. with all the speed we possessed. The evening meal consisted of one cup of cooked oatmeal each with nothing but loaf sugar for trimmings. Neither of us ever ate that night.

We were both tired but we spent some time bringing in firewood for the night, for our bedding amounted to one single blanket each. That was the worst night we had. I am sure neither of us slept at all. It was a cold night to start with and there seemed to be no place really sheltered from the wind which blew through the canyon.

The morning of the 27th, after a hearty breakfast of tea and three slides of rye bread each, we started down the river at 5 am. It was just 12 noon when we struck a bridge crossing the river. We stopped at the bridge and got our our small supply of fishing tackle, hoping to find a meal in the river.

About this time a troop of Boy Scouts arrived on the scene, and in answer to our questions, told us it was three miles to the highway. That sounded like food to us, so shouldering our packs we took the trail and reached the road at 1 PM. Nothing was in sight to eat, but we were lucky in getting a ride to Brinnon, where we over ate.

After lunch we hiked the thirteen miles to the Miner's Cabin for our equipment, returning to Brinnon the following morning. We reached home that afternoon, greatly pleased with that we had accomplished.