Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-08-22

sition TO headache, felt no remains
of yesterdays Illness. In few min
utes VIC reached a point where the
buttress was ovcrhanging and there
was no other way Of surrounding the
difficulty than by passing around one
side Of it, which was the face of
vertical precipice Of several hundred
feet.
Putting hands and feet in the crew
ices between the blocks, succeeded
in getting over it, and when ] reach
ed the top, found my companions in
a small valley below. Descending
to them, we continued climbing, and
in n short time reached the crest.
sprang upon the summit, and anolh-
er step would have precipiated me
into an immense snow field five
hundred feet below. To the edge
Of this field was a sheer icy precipice
and then, with a gradual fall, the
deld sloped off for about a mile, un-
I'll II struck the foot Of another lower
ridge. | stood on a narrow crest, A.
bout three feet in width, with an in
clinalion OF about 20 deg. ~ 81 deg.
e. As soon as had gralified the
first feelings Of curiosity, descend
cd, and each man assembled in his
turn for would only allow one at
a time TO mount the unstable and
procarious slab, which it seemed
breath would hurl into the abyss be.
low. We mounted the barometer in
the snow of the summit, and, fixing
a ramrod IN n crevice, unfurled the
national flag to wave in the breeze
where never flag waved before
During our mornings ascent, we had
met no sign of animal life, except
the small sparrow like bird already
mentioned. A Stiffness the most pro-
found and a terrible solitude forced
themselves constantly on the mind
as the great features of the place.
Here, on the summit, where the still
ness was absolute, unbroken by any
sound, and solitude complete, we
thought ourselves beyond the region
Of animated life but while we were
sitting on the rock, a solitary bee
(JromaS, the hamJie-be- J came wing
ing his flight from the eastern valley,
and lit on the knee Of one Of the
men,
II was strange place, the icy rock
and tho highest peak OF the Rocky
Mountains, for lover Of warm sun
shine and flowers and we pleased
ourselves with the idea that he was
the first Of his species to cross the
mountain barrier--a solitary pioneer
TO foretell the advance of civilization.
/ | believe that a moments thought
would have made us let him continue
his way unharmed but we carried
out the law of this country, where
all animated nature seems at war
and, seizlng him Immediately, put
him in at least fit pace-in the
leaves of large book, among the
flowers we had collected on our way.
The barometer stood at 1929, the
attached thermometer at IA deg. /:
giving for the elevation of this sum
init 800 feet above the Gulf of
Mexico, which may be called the
highest flight Of the bee. II is GER
talnly the highest known flight of
that insect. From the description
given by Mackenzie of the mountains
where he crossed them, with that Of
a French officer still further to the
north, and Col. Longs measurements
to the south, Joined to the opinion Of
the oldest traders Of the country, it
is presumed that this is the highest
peak of the Rocky Mountains. The
day was sunny and bright, but a
slight shining mist hung over the
lower plains, which interlered with
our view OF the surrounding country.
On cne side we overlooked innumer-
able lakes aud streams, the spring Of
the Colorado Of the Gulf Of Cahfor-
MIA and on the other was the Wind
River valley, where were the heads
of the Yellowstone branch Of the
Missouri far TO the north, we could
Just discover the snowy heads of the
, IroiS T'et0nS, where were the sour.
ces of the Missouri and Columbia
| Rivers; and at the southern extrem-
ity of the ridge, the peaks were plain
} ly visible, among which were some
of the springs Of the Nebraska Of
Platte River. Around us, the whole
scene bad one main, striking feature
which was that of terrible convul-
sion. Parallel TO its length, the ridge
was split into chasms and lissures
between which rose the thin lofty
walls, terminated with slender min
arets and columns. According 10
the barometer, the little crest Of the
wall on which we stood was three
thousand five hundred and seventy
feet above that place, and two thou
sand seven hundred and eighty above
,ha little lakes at the bottom, imme-
diately al our feet.
Tho Early PufnOGe In Seize