3 Portland Women Make History

"Plucky fishermen with trout rods have succeeded In reaching a point in the Salmon River Canyon a mile or so from the falls, but could get no further." the article said. And yet, these three women beat them there!

Guide C. W. Kern; Mr, and Mrs. F. A. Rasch, Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Compton, and Mr. and Mrs Joseph O'Connor were the third party to ever reach the waterfall and cave and the three women were the first of their sex to accomplish such a feat.

To give an Idea of the difficulties of penetrating this wild jungle, it took 20 men a week to cut out one mile of the trail built by the Mount Hood Company. Since the trail was built, parts of it have been washed away and obstructed by storms and falling timber.

The party followed the river It a general way, but often the bed of the stream would have to be crossed and recrossed, and very frequently big boulders and cliffs would make further progress along the stream impossible. Detours through the most dense brush and over the very roughest rocks and big boulders was necessary - alpine climbing in fact. Foot holds often had to be dug before the party could pass. The rope was freely used until the trip partook of the nature of a difficult mountain ascent. Long poles were frequently resorted to for help in crossing treacherous sliding rocks. At one point, where It would have been utterly Impossible to have scaled a high cliff otherwise, a giant fir tree had fallen from the mountain above and the roots still caught on the cliffs above. This saved the day, for the party would have had to turn back had not this tree been made to serve as a ladder; steps having been chopped to aid in the climb.

When the falls were finally reached, the sight was found to be well worth the hardships of the trip. The whole river was precipitated sheer over the cliff about 60 feet high. The mountains towered perpendicularly on every side. Behind the falls was a cavern 20 to 30 feet deep, and about 15 feet high. This extended across the falls in a crescent shape over 100 feet; apparently  worn away by the falling water.

"How did you manage to carry your camera on that climb?" asked an Oregonian reporter of Mr. Rasch, who is an amateur photographer of note. "To be incumbered with a heavy camera when using every fiber of muscle to make a dangerous climb as this, is no pleasure," he an swered. "You strap It to your back, and every shrub pulls ... it about your body until you wonder at your stupidity in attempting to carry anything with you ... It bad to be petted' and cared for ... shifted and tenderly handled ... passed from hand to hand. You stand hundreds of feet above the roaring waters and the fear of losing limb or life sets every nerve or tension. Why does one with rash decision not desire to heave the camera and all to the depths below? And again you hesitate. So far I have carried It, why should I acknowledge defeat? Exhaustion says, 'Throw it overboard. Pride says, 'Don't be a quitter.' And so at every hazardous approach these moments came and were conquered. "When the falls were reached ... then were you thankful ... "

SOURCE
oregonnews.uoregon.edu