Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1848-12-14
Toican de .Toluca.

Snow Mountain, in Mexico. prepared by an
officer Of the Fourth Artillery, who made one
Of the party, was originally published in "The
Outpost Guard."a small American paper al
Tclucal - Nat Intel
! Having breaklas,ed, and the day being fair,
no, a cloud obscnting the horizon. our. pans,
| kiiles, meats, and eatables Of all kinds were
s,ow ed away in our, wagons, together wi,hahe
knapsacks aud blankets of some fifty men, who
had volunteered from the Fourth Artillery TO
accompany us, and a, abou, eigh. o'clock on
the morning of the ihrteenih. day Of March
! Mountain al Toluca. La about two hours
we reached the Eaciepda Of Guadaloupe, pas
sing The ilrie hill of fIacotepec on our left
Procuring guides here we continued on, and,
with our wagons, entered some three miles into
The pine forest tha; encircles the mounain, and
there birouscked for the night. Some two or
three tents, ,broughlin the wagons, weIe pitched,
house, of pine tree boughs were built. and in
shor. lime the place had the appearance. Of a
smal village. Huge fires sprung up all around
as il by magic, and soof every one was en-
ployed in cooking. making bowers. bringing
water from a small stream near by, or hunting
dry wood for the fises. All was busle life
aud h,lanty. s.,..
The sun soon set, and the wind now. COM
meuced blowing, bringing up huge masses of
clouds, that, az the night sci in rainy and star
less, seemed TO fill every one with despondng
aud anxiety for the weather on the MORROW
The cold was severe, and we Continued on sit
ing around our fires. making merry with choc-
olate and hot punches until late hour, when
one by one, the party sole off, TO sleep a.
comfortably as The number of blankets each
man had brough, would permi, him.
The next morning before sunrise every one
had prepared his own breakfast. myself then
though, iha, nothing could have tasted sweeter
than did a cupof chocolate Of nv own make,
and the leg Of a chicken. Breakfas, over. onr
horses were saddled and, the guides leading,
we were soon on onr winding way pursuing a
narrow path through The forest which seemed
10 me in,erminable.,
and rhe mist so dense iha, we could scarcely
see the guide before US. The trees became
smaller and more ,,un,ed as W e proceeded, and
finally disappeared altogether. We then emer-
ged into sort of wild. ascending prairie, COZ.
cred with long rank growth of grass having
the appearances, from .ToIucs. Of banks Ct sand
Couunuing on over this prairie for some three
mile. we arrived a. the foot Of steep hill
On reaching The top Of this We found tia, we
~ere now only separated from the highest
peak. by deep intervening valley. Passing
through this and up .ight elevation on the
ol her side, we at length s,ood al the base ol
ths lowering snow-lopped SUBMITS far above
Us.
Our party now scai,erej.. some leaving their
horses here. commenced the ascen. Of the hill
al " hose base We then stood, while others con.
unusd ON ,uwards the peaks beyond the lakes
/ Ny horse being completely exhausted, | lef'
him and commenced the first ascent at hand
After climbing short distance stopped and
gazed with wonder upon the scene before me
My futlher ascent was to be over a perfect
mass Of piled up rocks. r-nt into prismatlc
bucks and through whose crevices tho eye
would occasionally penetrate into many dark
recess.
fhe ascent was so difficult and ,iresome
from ihs rarlfied stale of the air. that bu. few
upw ard steps could be taken at lime, and
Then the heart would ,hrob with violence, and
the air III The lungs seem exhausted. The
head would swim, and moi until one had ia'
haled eopious draught Of air could he continue
on. After climbing up for more then an hour
completely exhausted. seated myself upon a
projecting rock and gazed around IN bi'er DIS
tappoln,nse nt-denss mis-. and clouds hid every
! thing from my view. But while sitting here
the gods seemed 10 take compassion on me
and. IN fe~srd for my perseverance, with one
blssi swept ihe mIsi..and Clouds from before me
revealing 10 my longing eyes. IN ihs far east,
the snow Ioppsd-suDmi,s Of Popocatapei and
4 Izlaclhossi.
Below. me lay The fertile valley Of Tolnca,
which, though bounded OF the east by a lofty
ridge, now seemed 10 be shpl in BY. the msfesl
hills, Oyef ,heif tops could be seen The far
famed valley Of AnuhuOc. and s,ill further on
TO my right rose thai mariners guide, high aloll
amid The clouds, the snow topped peak ol
Odzba. This scene vas disclosed but for .
moment, and again lhe envious mist cn.hrou-
ded all in ohscuri,y.
Continuing the ascent. a. last stood on the
highest pinnacle Of this range. aud ,hsre now
only remained above me on The opposite side
ofahs lake, whose deep blue waters lay calm
below. ,Be high unappfoachable peaks Of the
western ridge.
| Again the mist fof sn Instant broke sway