Elizabeth Lewis's early Newbery Medal winner does not date as badly as Lawson's Honor book of 25 years later, but it shares the same faith in western ideas of progress. It presages the predominant themes of so many later Newberys--consequences and growing up--but still has the earlier ones--courage (The Dark Frigate, Call It Courage, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years) and responsibility and gung-ho western progress (Waterless Mountain, Invinicle Louisa, Caddie Woodlawn, Matchlock Gun).
Robert Lawson made me insane with the animals' worship of St. Francis in Rabbit Hill, as if animals had been unable to get along by themselves until about 800 years ago. This didn't annoy me quite as much, but it's certainly Horatio Alger-ish. A quick read, another Newbery Honor.
It's only .75 mile from the trailhead to the foot of the glacier, but there's a good grade to the start of it that must be a torrent in spring. It was 90 in Denver, less than that at the trailhead at 10,000 feet, and less than that again near the glacier, remaining snowpack, and the pond at the glacier's foot. The pond was lovely but, solitary as we were late on a Saturday afternoon, I didn't swim.
