Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1843-10-28
NoEky MOuMtaiNs-ExtRact fr0M
kicul. EreM0sak,s lsepert.


.asyast i5.--lt had been saprossd that we
had mashed with the mounteiiss aud the evening
before, ii mad Oeen arranged that Cafsva she .id
sc, out ut day. ght, ais return to breakfast a We
Camp OF the lia.es, taxing with HIM all but
four or five men, who were 10 stay with me aud
bring back the mules aud ihsuunsAtS Accord
ing.Y, at the break of css .nss set out. With
Mf. rresss and rayssr :Shinnea Basil Ialea-
ncsse, Clement Lambert, and Descotesdx.--
Wnen We mad secured strength for tie day 5y a
hearty breakfast, we covered what isMaiicd,
which waS enough tor one meal, With rocks, ia
order that II might be SAFE from any mIaud ing
bird: aud saddiing our mule,, turned dur faces
oace more towards the p,aks. This tia.e We de-
termined to proceed quietly and cautiously, de-
liberateiy resolved to accomplish our object 1t it
were within the compass 81 human meaas.s We
were OF opinion that a loag defle wh.cn lay TO
the Ieft OF yesterdays route would lead US 10 the
foot of the main peak. Our mules had been ie-
freshed by the ne grass in the little rasine Al the
island camp, and We intended TO ride up the de-.
file as Ear as possible, in order to husband our
strength for the man ascent. Though thls was
q fae passage, still II was dehle OF the most
rugged mountains known, and we had many a
hougn AID steep slippery place to cross before
reaching the end. IN tn.s pace the sua rarely
shone, snow lay along the border Of the small
stream which lowed through It, aad occasional
iey passages made the footing OF the inuaes very
Insecure, and tue rocks and ground were moist
with the ,rickiing waters IN TINS sprung ct mgn-
" rivers. We soon had the satisfaction TO nad
ourselves riding along the hu:;e Wall which forms
the ceutral summit o. the cnain. There at last
it rose by our SIDES, nearly perpend .culaI wall
oil granite, terminaLng 2,yUJ 10 3,uOu teet above
our neads In serrateu line OF broker, Jagged
cones. We rode Oh ultll we { me almost lmnie-
dateiy below the mann peak, whichl demomi-
mated the Snow feas, AS It cxhb ited more snow
to the eye than ANY OF tho neaghboring submits.
Here were three SNAIL lakes oil green color,
each OF perhaps . Thousand yards An diameter,
and apparently very deep. These lay IN kind
OF chas,L; aud, according to the barometer, We
had ATTAINED nut iew hundred feet above the
Island lake. The barometer here stood at
~ AGO; attached thernion.eter ~ =.
We managed te get our moses up to little
bench aho1I . hundred i,et above the lakes,
where there was \ patch OF coed grass, and tdra-
ed them loose to Craze. During our rough ride
to this place they had exhlbned q wonderful
| suretoolednesss Parts OF the detiie were filled
with Angular, sharp Judgments OF rock, three or
four aud eight or ten feet cub. AID among these
they had worked their way, .eapmg from one
narrow point TO another, rarely insRins false
| step; aud giving US 40 occasion to dismount.--
| Hav,ns divested ourselves al every unnecessary
| epcunbraree, we commenced tue ascent. THIS
time; hike expefleteed travellers. we dad not
/ press ourselves, but cliined leistGe.y, sitting
| down 40 soon a we found breath begianlng to
fan: Al Intervals We reached places where q
number Of springs Giished from the 16cks, and
about 1900 feet ab6se the lakes came to the
suow line. From this point bur progfess was
uninterrupted climbins: h.therts hsd porn .
r,ir Of ,h.cK mdccaslns; With soseslc pdseecae;
but here 1 put on hight thin pair, which nai
i brought & the purpose, as nov tie use OF on!
toes fecame necessary 70 further advance.
aya,led myself Of sort Of comb ofthe mountain,
which stood against the wall like butifsss, aud
which the wind and the solar radiation, jometi to
| the steenness OF the smooth rock, had \, p al.
mo.t entirely free from snow. Up this 4 made
nv way rapidly. Our cautious methodot ad'
vanciuc in the outset had spared MY strengths
ana, with the exception OF slight disposition Il
HEADACHE, felt no Rename Of yesterdays illness
| IN ! few minutes we reached : point where tht
hu.trc.s was ovsrhangipg, and there was 40 Oh.
or way Of socnounilng the difficulty then oy
nass;ng around one side Of il, which was thu
lace d ! vertical lrseipice Of several hundres
sl pet,;pg bands and feet in the crevices betweer
tbe eicci 4 succeeded IA ssesins ovsr II o
~hen r,sehed The top, found Fly eompaatn
Il ! emall valley below. Descending 70 then
we rcctinrsd climbing, and ia short hsae reseh