New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-29
PIXIES PEAK.
An ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN.


COLORADO SPRINGS, COL june -. Pixies
Peak viewed from distance satisfactory, but closer
acouanianeeship with Il IA disappointment IL ever
aean my face Is turned toward the Rocky Mountains
shah content to admire the grand outline OF this IA
muus Peak from the windows without single wish
to scale its summit Seen from distance OF from 90 10
200 miles Pixies Peak the most regular ani imposing
mountain u The Rocky Mountain range. it, sides are
regular, it, angles uniform IL towers hirh above It's tel
iows The clouds play about its crest and its coat cover
ing II from head 70 foot is Of the whiiet It's con-
panlots a common looking herd they are irregular
their peaks are round and well defined; the snow on
them lies in boiches and ther surface is brown aud
dinry From Colorado Springs distant from the summit
according to tie guidebo0k IL miles, the Peak oSks
commonplace. II has lost s fair proportions and its
dcects mcastious II Is no longer covered with
boEHdess sheet Of more than half Of Its su face
bare and uely gigantic symmetry Is broken and dis
figured aud dozen peaks bare OF snow though they
be- regular Ia their outline, beautiful to
behold and apparently Of greaterh hight There nothing
harder TO estimate than distance. The regular noun
ta'ns, viewed from this place appear TO be no nearer
than Pies Peak. aud yet they merely foot hills OF
inferior rahses al angles with the landscape. II
makes great difference which side Of Pixies Peak "a
On the cold side the unbroken. but On the warm
south sle the wolts sooner and during the Sum
les only drifts along the sides II Is yet too early
In the make the ascent with any degree Of
plea are H. indeed 10 he made with any emo
ten Of satisfaction. My time limited, and had
either TO make the ascent early la the season or abandon
slt eher Two three persons only had been 10 ine
sumla this season and their experience had been most
disastrous and unhappy. After much trouble aud CON
siderable delay party was made M There was much
b. sitaton. good dc Of baneriBg some backing out,
case or OF sicuessand there we're Other excuses
not necessary % mention. Our party mustered seven
but when the word given 20 start there were only
five persons beside tie guide. Il rather an eccentric
party There retired doctor oil in years young
in sl,iFit dicifed in manner clerical IN dress IL
was remarked by the guide that the doctors FIX haf was
the first ever the Peak The doctor wore his
body made OF broadcioh and his paialoons OF the
same material There 4 lawyer from Cleveland
whose worldly experience was sonwhat limited
Tie grliuh,ed a good deal about lis horse for which
he kao paid extra price. He was, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
the popular one IN the party IAch ti're
VIE a druggist from Maine who had little oi worldly
wisdom but wealth Of patience lie sat asirice no. ~
for the first time in 1--WE years As he had never been 10
the Peak expected TO know the sort OF clothes
70 wear SO he shvcrcd in nee lookIS SUIT OF navy
flannel, unineL The fourth person Of the party was
Brooklyn boy, whose lungs were source OF anxiety 70
hl- friends He had spent three months in Colorado
owned his horse and although yoGns and GeAeiite
he had uro ably mOrr experience and VAS b. tier able to
stand ,he hardship thm any Of e. Ihe guic was Tie
she t-snchOr of hope ami tlih tie aceeptel Tie
service as a friendly at he furnished LIS Own horse,
paid ais bills and went through world OF s-aTlns
refusing compensation
TIE sCENTRY ON TIE WAY TO TIE PEAK.
We started ist about p. n. The d1y Mas very hot
one ana the Maine had tic advantage al regard o
elotles. although snow in TIE mountains was seen on
every hand hOGIe rie took into Bear Creek
canon. Son a.taTward We began the ascent OF tie
mountiins over ROCKS roi ia glcIes, across streams,
akis precipitoU- trails made way amid SCENERY
TIE most grand and beautiful that the Inomta.ns can
afford. Keeping along beside the creek, winch was a
river Of spray and foam, slowly made our way II
seemed Impossible that whole distance should he
IL md m We
were sop f0r thc nihta ut place called Like Morine
or he halfway house Why II is called tie halfway
house, when It's situation - at pon more than two
thirds % the WAY 10 tie summit, is more ;hau can TIL
only know that portions Of the trail 70 the lake are
ir-erous II tie extreme. Sometimes the tan is MD
WAY along O mountain thousands Of feet high To tue
left arc perpendicular banks, with oyerhansng rocks
and ds migrating particles OF stone that constantly roll
down under your borscs feet Locking nj you can
scarcely see the top of the mountain Tie tra 10 fVom
foot TO two three feet vide, although it Is rarely
three or even two feet To the right abyss thou
sands OF feet in DEPTH is bottom scarcely to ne seen
through the nists and Of the water in TIE sulch
false step OF yOnr SOre, or an unusual amount 0f the
Gsntesratu- stone coming down at tie instant you al
preach the most dangerous place, and you and your
horse would find a romantic death place in the chasm
beneath The grandeur OF the scenery no doubt made
one think less OF the danger WAS ast0hislled al Tue
eoeuery this eJn FOR in all the descriptions Oi the
beautiful scenery Colorado do not remember to have
eeen canon mentioned We reached tse Lake
little alter o'clock The shadows were gathering on
Il mountains very aud len @tAening toward tno<s
The surface o. the Lake beat about by the wind tat
seus ever II blow on tie mountains, AID yei the scene
WAS very peaceful one. The lake itself Is phenomenon
l. has nett er outlet inlet and covers abont twelve
acres Of land II is thirteen niles from the Valley or
Colorado Springs and four miles from the 'uInni Oh
Pixies Peak. it Is sid 10 De about 40 ieet uoep' lN
waters unquestlonaby from the melted snow in tie
HIGHER ueaks the evaporation and the supply being
about eiual log-hOIse and iOg-stib.e furnish the
most miserable accommodations fcT man and bst mat
It nae ever been my misfortune to encounter IN le Gan
Juan country, by miners where il s almost IN
possible ~ transport goods, the fare Is infinitely better
and chea,er SIX dollars and hai bought Us a scanty
supper privilege OF lying awake on DfoHch lounge
horl1le breakfast bad dinner, and Two quarts OF
oats for the horse Twenty-Five cents, fifty al furthest
would have paid for everything eaten by each Of the
Dsrsous with the hOrssIeed thrown IN.
ASCENT OF TIE MOUNTAIN.
We got away at early hour in the morning Haldef
trim tl.u We had had awaited US Heavy OF bodj bGi
light OF heart, again began the ascent III was our
hone that might reach the summit before sGrse DIX
tired nature held until after the dawn Of day Half an
hour or AL hour after departure from the LAKE We
behed a sc,ns only that repaid us for the terri
HE fatigue which the trip had cost We had reached the
snuitu OF chain mountains that bound one side o.
the Peak and were high above The foot hills, ana the
RANCE OF mountains above them Naturally Tie position
of observation was a good The valley was spread
out before us for miles and miles. villages d0tbod the
plain aad away beyond, other mountains arose TO greet
the norung sun. This scene we descended
later in the day on our return But IN the early morning
As we asceuded the whole landscape Gas cut of from
our sight were five thousand feet above the clouds
There spread between and tic landscape lake OF
clouds level the oceans suFface, and ipenetiaoe
AT times this lake immovable but now and again