, 1873-09-14

tno Iays OF tho san ny the very ofoht OF tho
range.
=: Wo made no stecp aecents tho frat day, and
CAatrED At NIGHT,
1itt1a bolow timbor-lino, and at NJ elevation Of
not much loas thnn II, 600 foot. Afor TIN inre9
boon tneasurnbly palisfoti. 70 made oi ito waa-
on-coror ahod-llko Blloltor for tho woman nila
Tho mon, incased IN many thichnoBsoa Of blasi-
kot. stretched thosnso1voH OF, tho Wagon-butlu',,s
aud untlor troos and b,'shos. Tho ground WIZ
had built great fire. and cnyoldpod ourselvos
In NUMEROUS blankets, In obedience to the tEirco-
tiona Ut those who had oroasod tho rnnge before
1ia, aud know how intonBo vas tho cold by night
at so high an altitude. And what with tho min
gled dsmpnosa and heat, With their generated
atoam and porspiration, tho difficulty Of COM
fortably fitting our persons to the inequalities Of
Tho ground. tlle novelty Of tho situation, and tho
great, white oye," wo slopt but lstlo. An old
soldier said ho lacked but ono thing to complete
hin happiness, and that WAS to got aslecp, mud
thon wake up IN tho midss Of s.us so7ors
sea ~assr 1ss ais! ''fs L. back e
1n thu morning.. a majority Of the party arose
tired and soro; and delay Of two hours, causcd
by tho straying away OF the mules, made all
cross Tho dolny was tho moro exasperating
from the fact that 1t is always desirable to get
nctl ovor tho range BY noon, and thus oscapo
tho daily storm thereon, that IL usually hail,
sometimes snow, and always decidedly cold.
But such dolays, just at the most inconvonient
aud tho critical periods, ato among the thinga
TINT mountain tourists ca, slvays calculate upon,
aud which tile quicker thoy learn to endure with
philosophical eauAnimisy and ChFfetian resignn-
tion, tho better will DO their chances for hnppi-
ness In this world, and the suror thor prospeula
for eternal bfsa In tho world to come. We,
howoyer, commenced, et about half-rhst 0, to
climb an aacont soeming1y as atoep rs tho pitch
Of the roof Of = house Of the most approved and
suporlRtiye stylo of Gothic architecture L climb
OF hRlf-a-milo OF go brought rs to
T111nEn-LINE.
The torn Is literally accurate. There ls indecd
stretched all along tho sidoR Of tho groat range
mathematical limo, on ono side OF which ia
moderately thick growth Of timber, and on tho
other only baro rock or sterile, stony soil, covered
NTH Short dry grass. and coarao aowera with
atunted Btnlka. Approaching ttmbor-llno, tho
trees gradually boooue short and gnarly, md
tho Inst growth Ia Of thick clumra Of short troos,
or bushea, bens to the eastward, blown down
timbar-line thero Ii little Of level road, pana-
ing along u narrow neck Of land, at tho left Of
which, It tho bottom OF m almost perpendicular
desoont Of several hundred feet AeB little lake,
Boulder, and at the right, along at tho bottom Of
canon With scarcely leas precipitous sides,
runs one Of tho branches Of tho Middle Boulder.
Another ascent, shorter but etoepor than tho
though, for half-a-mile farther, tho road
course. Walked Up thenc two hills. and
soma Of tho mon lifted at the wagon-wloeIs.-
worry d9liehaf9,ll aud eshlsrssing sort Of exor-
pleted zigzag, OF letter s, on tho shorter Of
these aacents, aud intends to Borvo the other In
the samo way. Then the climbing Of the range
from tho cast sido will 10 mere paatime, com
raratively speaking. The altitude Of tho high
est point on this route IL variouHly estimated at
from II 500 to IL, 600 feet. And from II is yiai-
bio long extent OF mouutain-raugo,
rith = score or two - of ao pcaka vary, X
Ing II height tSg t.. ffGm aa9o to
soem to rise up, as huge gray banks againHt the
ocar eky mud. noar by; tho snow-banka lfS
Thick on sds psass
exist during tho month Of August
ONLY IN THE TMAoINAT1oNB
Of tho old goographers. Tho highest peaks, and
all the peaks arc now bare Of snow. All tho
nnow now upon the range iH in banks that lie
sheltered from tho sun. In fact, tho midday
rays Of an August aun glare down upon NOUN
tain-rango and peaks about as hot and 1uelting
as they do upon loW-lying plains. and paved
streets Of cities, OF tho same latitude. We wit
ncHsod the phenomenon which 30 carly taxes
tho crodulity Of achool-boya, Of rain III tho val
loya below, while tho monntnin-top on which no
stood was bathcd In sunlight; but Hoon new
clonda camo along higher up, and We wore
the summit Of tho range arc to bo soon half-a~
dozen or moro small lakes, that. lying in depres
sionH OF basins, arc formed from tlla melted
anowa and tho raiufalls that are concentrated
f., from en9.rcling peaks aud surrounding nlopes.
and their water.. though olear, arc Ut a deop-
green hue. Tlcy aro. thu souyces of
tho various mountain-streams thnt flow
through deep canons to the plains.
and that when united, form 80 many Of tile
great rivorp Of the Continent.
Near tho orest Of tho range. thoro extend
from the road, in long lines along tho lofty
mouutain-rldge, low
piled up almost ss regularly and symmotrieaa'y
a. could be done by tho hand Of ulAn. Those
who have particularly examined tho walls say
THAT, in many places. holes are dug on the uppor
side 30 deep that defenders against an advancing
There Ia belief that thoHs are old Indian forth
fcationB. A. legend indeed existB, that. In tho
remote ages Of tho paat. q fierce warfare onco
ragged along this mountain-crest: thnt here,
perhaps, tho ancient AztocB made their last
stand for their homes and their civilization.
against tho shvage hordes that, in overwhelming
numbers, Burgod up tho 8teep mountain-sidos.
But soontiac mon, with thor uHual dHregnrd
for the charm aud tho poetry Of legend, at
iceborgs during tho glao!er.period,-a vory easy
and satisfactory way OF dispoBing OF great
many otherwise Troublesome questions.
pasring down tho western deoliyisy Of tho
range, and Just before again roacliug ti1nber-
line, Wo looked down into
MIDDLE PARK.
with ita hillu and wouds, ita winding streana,
and the adjacent, broad, green strips Of bottom
lands. The Park aeomB to bo between two neayly
parallel ranges of mountains. But it il really
enco!npassod by tho nanin range, and two Bpura
from tho same, known as tho Cora and tho
Rabblt-Ear ranges. Tho former branches on
from tho mnin range near Brockinridge, and OK
tend many mileR In northcrly aud westerly
direction. 1t takes Its name from an English gen-
ten'an, who. aomo fifteen yonra ago, orgaulzed
and conducted q hunting expedition from Fort
Lcayenwosth to tho Park. Ho brought With
him numerous horues, sixty or seventy hounds,
and all the other secmingly vast paraphosnalla
requisite for o regular aristooratio, ligh-toued
hunting. expedition conducted after the fashion
Of English fo1-hunting. uo thereby incurred
the deriBion Of all American pioucora; old
mountaincors evcn now speak Of him in terms
Of ths aupromast contempt and ridicule.
THE RAnn1T-EAu
branches on FROM the main range nenr Longs