The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-08-06
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. NO. 2.


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IT BoJ MxRLlxsrIKE.
On tho 25th Of May, We camped before
noon, miles below Denver, in little bend
of the Platte, where We found plenty Of
wood and tolerabls supply of grass. The
weather had been wet and cherries all the
morning, and at P. NJ, a regular snow
storm set in, whish lasted without intermis-
sion till midnight. Up to this time the tenn.
perature had been comparatively mild, but
when the storm ceased, the mercury fol-
rapidly, and we were soon shivering with
cold, and glad to roll up as snugly as posi-.
bic in our robes and blankets, while the
poor horses and mules tied up around the
camp, suffered intensely. When morning
dawued, the mountains and the plain every.
where, as far as the eye could reach, were
clothed with mantle Of white. The snowy
range now had no precedence in point Of
beauty over the mountains below it. From
our camp Westward, till tho sky rose behind
the loftiest peaks, all was dazzling wilderness.
As the sun climbed up over this ocean Of
snow, kissed the tops of the mountains and
erept down their sides in broad, golden
streaks, into tho dark ravines, the cotton
woods on the plain and the pines on the
bills shook off their chilling vestments, and
ere he had reached the zenith, the Platte
and its tributaries had swallowed up the
melted snow, and the plain and the noun
tains wero green and brown again, while
the long undulating range in the background
still thickly wrapped in its wintry robes,
flashed and blazed in the sun, as if holding
high carnival over the sudden reverse Of its
humble rivals below.
After dinner We DR. owe up to town, crossed
Cherry Greek, which, between Denver and
Auraria, is about so yards wide, and camp
ed on tho bottom near the latter city. The
location Of these towns is beautiful, and
were they nearer the mountains, the hope
of rich return for their log house invest
ments, SO fondly INDUCED in by their pro-
prietors, might be realized, but where teams
can Just as well drive ten miles further and
stop at the base of the hills, these towns
stand poor chance in the race with those
which will spring up there.
On the 2Sth of May, in company with
seven others, started for n foot tramp in
the mountains. We crossed the Platte on
foot-log, and under broilng sun tolled
along over the plain lazily enough. With me
tramping was an old story, but the other
boys who had rode most of the way from
their homes, had to get broken in, and they
srumbled good deal during the operation.
We got three or four miles into the noun
tains, however, the first night, and building
a brush house and a roaring FIRE, turned in
for sleep rs sound and sweet as weary
mortals could wish for. The manner Of
building these brush houses, might not be
uninteresting to some Of my readers, who
have never lived in a brush country. Well,
we drive two stout crotched stakes into the
ground, varying their distance apart accor-
ding to the number Of men who are to occu-
py the house. In the crotches we lay q
stout pole across the front; then at each
end, a pole with one end in the crotch and
! one extending back upon the ground. The
space between these, is filled up with other
poles, placed two or three feet apart, one
end resting on the front pole and the other
end on the ground. These in turn, are
covered with cross poles, two or three feet
apart, and the whole then covered with
brush. Long boughs are stood up at the
ends, and little fat ones thrown inside to
sleep on. For the latter purpose, We
preferred the limbs Of young frs and spruces
10 my others, AS the pine boughs under
sleeper, Ike cottonwood lumber in the sun,
will crawl about and get hcaped up into
punches. a big FIRE is built along the whole
front of the shanty, and if fellow can't
take solid comfort on bis brush bed with
blanket under and over him, and right
royal blaze cracking and sparkling at bis
feet, he has no business away from home.
Perhaps | may bring down the Indignation
of the girls upon me by saying so, but it
occurred to me that such a jaunt, (ponies
along, of course,) with lofty mountains,
tremendous gorgcs, and ice and snow, and
way ing pines and roaring streams, to vary
the scene, with new house every night,
and not bedbus or a ''skeeter," would be
just the trip, above oil others, for the hon
eymOOn. This, of course, struck me as one
of those plea>ing dreams which We never
expect to realize, as who would have the
hardihood to propose such tramp to his
adorable Scraphina.
IN idea is prevalent among those who
have not been into the m fountains, that plenty
Of game may be killed along the road, and
our company carried four or FIVE rifles, ex-
pecting to have fine fun and an abundance
of meat, but We were sadly disappointed.
With one exception, we saw hardly anything
worth shooting, unless We went far into the
woods or ravincs, away from what had be-
come so lately the haunts Of man, and even
then, we saw not single bear or elk and
very rarely deer or sheep. In fact, the
only sheep we saw, were three that came out
upon hill side, one night, across the creek
from where we encamped. This was nearly
twenty miles in the mountains, on Vasauer
River, which was here, twenty five or thirty
yards wide. Wcwcre close upon one bank,
while, from tho other, the mountain rose
abruptly, seven or eight hundred feet, so
steep that for man to climb it would have
been very difficult task. Down the face
Of this hill the sheep came to nibble the
scanty grass. When nearly half way down
and within good rifle shot, whiz! whiz. went
three or four balls over their backs into the
mountain and the sheep, untouched, scram-
bled off towards the top. My rifle was not
loaded, or, instead of joining with the boys
who had no guns, in laughing at those who
H.