New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-08-01
Pixies PEAK.
AN ASCENT OF 1T IN JUNE.


M,NIroU, COLI june ga clear dav and sharp
owe are necessary 10 discern Pixies Peak from
"Frst View the Kansas Pacific station ld"
miles east of Denver. aud considerably more than
100 in an airline from the mountain, at which the
Westward traveller is told he may get MS hiSt
glimpse Of this lofty summit Of the Continental Ill
vide" We saw it, however 100 miles away from
Denver-a dmlv defined triangle of white against
the clear sky and from the city itself 1t looms up
grand and distinct, by far the most consp'c-
uous object IN the Southern horizon. For three
DAYS we had gazcd upon the Peak from altar on
and when the order came yesterday 10 leave for
Mantou, the ascent Of Pixies Peak seemed 10 ne
the fixed purpose and highest ambition of the
greater number Of our entire party OF thirty
Once at Manitou. apparently az the base
Of the mountain. yet eighteen miles from lis
summit weakening along the whole line hec"n'
painfully evident. The Instructions thrown III ''e
way If the youth who through the Alpine village
passed" were not more numerous ana hSuPeldoc
than those which the local guides and gcss'pS cast
in the way of our proposed ascent oil the m"''"'''"
The distance was twenty-five miles; Che snow WIS
six feet deep; the trail had not been shovellcd OUT
ore party tried il last week aud failed; the ha'-
way house was not opened and No food or comfort
could he had during the night. which We should ne
o,,r.llcd TO spend ON the mountain. and much
mar. of the same sort. all contradictory and uuch
untrue Whatever may bc san OF gude-ho"hS ana
NEWSPAPER letters. experience has Taught me 'H"i
the most Enthusiastically aud misleading oil an i"-
formation Is that volunteered 10y the local ora'les
and residents
The mountain party numbered SIX and the '"y
Pour of these were newspaper men, ana the o'"'I
two R,.ton LAWYERS The ascent was 70 be made on
horseback as far a. possible aud TIE remainder %
the distance ON foot. cur plan was to reach the
e., a. .f Inc Al 81 re- "a
half The elevation to the summit before 0aih ""o
couplctc the Journey e, early as possible tie next
morning Our "nouut" was rather indifferent, hut
atla.t We were an OH amid the cheers and Jeers oil
the prudent majority of the party. who from the
Lo,l titzlo hadc us goodbye The first three miles
of the route lav along the main highway
60 Colorado SpuuIs-au excellent ro'"' "S
tlcv AN arc iu thi, country-and at the
d,..rt,d village. once the territorial capital.
Colorado City. turned oh sharply into the
fields and skirtrd along the range of footii.'s-
..horbaek" i'm the vernacuaT-to the gate Of Bear
Cre,L c9fou AZ thc canon struck for the inst
finn, the trail proper. and leaving the wdeou-road
lost nm the under brush. followed tuc path. just Nd
enough for cur horses in single file. the canon
is perhaps three mile, long, and includes tile
st,epest and most dangerous part OF the entire
ascent. Lofty walls OF red and distorted
granite rise on ,ther side. and IN many places tne
on which "a foothod Is apparently impossible. fai
below. sometimes entirely hidden from view, ANA
da>hing among enormous loose bouders. the creek
pluuccs roaring down it. rapid descent. In some
t,lsc,. the rocks above are apparently so nicely
balanced that % breath OF wind would ovcrtum
them aud iu other pace, the ovcrhIueing pecWcc
Seems certain 60 give way beneath ones weight.
The pouie, are surc-footcd, however and the be>i
WAY !. 90 rust them. Indeed IL is the only way, and
accident, atc extremely rare. Gong up the
CANON au occasional turn Of hc path dlscoNe> beau
tfuI rlimp.es of the wide, rolling plains below, {"
and mort h aud Colorado Springs wtlits sur
rounding country, spread, ont clearly and distinctly.
Athvar the canon. fastened To trees and rocks the
SINGLE t,lcer.lh-yir ni,hcs like silver thread ln
tine SUNLIGHT and is thc only visible sign of tht outcr
world OF of ITS civilization. Near the upper end cd
the canon are IT, bug falls triple cascade OF
scveut, i've or eighty feet Of special note ia tn,
country fuil oi similar ami greater wonders hut
nearer home we'll worth fame and visit. Cut OF
The canon aud through "Jones's Park" clearing ol
several acres. where az au elevation of 10000 feet,
cattle rancho and summer resort are projected,
the trail b. easy and comparatively level. The four
mile, or passing the canon might be readily tray
er-.d bv "a good wagou-road easy of construction
and chcapIy kept in repair.
The Lake House, five miles and four thousand feet
below the summit. reached just at sunset. and
her, We AN found comfortable quarters Tor the ugHi
Mor,inc Lake. on the bank of which this lofty hotel
Of oes i, located is about eleven acres IN extent,
clear and pure fed by springs, and. so far as is
known without surface outlet or inlet. Here we
found Sergeant Hobbs Of the Signal Service and
the station 40 the summit and as the events OF
the next dav proved. % was very fortunate for us
that we did ind him. We allowed four hours to COM
pcte the ascent and under the effect of this caiou-
atiou the vote for start the next morning IN time
e. see the sun rise was small One impatient lawyer
however lrcakfastcd and was IN the saddle at 1870
H. and thc rest of Us followed al .. The morning
waschillv aud from starting point, We could see
that the top of the Peak wrapped iu fox. After
leaving Tie Lake House our ascent was rapid, and
cr,.re... though steady. slow and lahorious. Tue
tru was al tunes ob,iructed ythe fallen timber
which I'm places nearly covered the ground, and the
horse. found their way upward with considerable
die.culty Vegetation soon almost entirely di-ap-
reared. and only the deuudcd trunks Of the dead
hines. which fires long ago killed were visible. In
front rose the utterly bare and bleak Camerous
Cone. vast and regular mound Of red drift, dcst-
tute Of all signs of life vegetation, the picture
aud presence Of dcsoatou. About two miles from
Tho Lake House and more than that distance below
the summit. the timber abruptly ceased, and We
were soon envcoped in fog, dense and freezing and
driven by a wind Of thirty miles per hour. During
tie next mile found occasional patches of snow
r.pains Of drifts three four rods in diameter and
from one 10 two feet IN depth through ali Of which
tle horses passed without much difficulty Pushing on
ceuconute red moro snow and about two miles from
the summit we plunged into drift, through which
the horses would not and could not 20, and the
vicious animal ON which our boy was mounted
undertook to obtain relief aud revenge 10y rolling