Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-01-04
UNCOMPAHGRE PEAK.
The Scenes and Sights from the Highest
fO1Mt On the Continental Splendid
Panorama of Beauty.

The Scenes and Sights from the Highest
roint ON the Continental Splendid
Panorama of Beauty.
Lake City Correspondence Denver Tribune |
| This will, some day, be part of the
grand rounds OF the tourist, for it is
right in the line of travel to the top of
| Uncompahgre Peak, the highest of the
ERocky Mountain peaks, its altitude be-
ing Ia, $40 feet above the sea. From
the crystal beds to the base of Uncom-
pahgre is but three miles by very easy
line of travel. Upon the morning of
the 29th of September, after having
gathered some four or five hundred
pounds of crystals, we broke camp, and
i'll company with three of my compan-
ions started for
THE TOP OF THE PEAK. = F.
Arriving the base, which rests up
on the tops of mountains 1000 to 5000
feet above the bed of Henson Creek, we
started up. For about one hour we
had very easy climbing, and to within
aoout 800 feet of the top, when it be-
came more precipitous. One of my
companions gave out at this point
lungs too weak to stand the lightness of
the air. The Others, G. G.. Lynd and
A. Strasburg, continued with me to the
top. have given the names of these
parties as witnesses, for it is continu-
ally asserted in Lake City, by parties
who pretend to have been up to the top
CT Uncompahgre, ''that the only means
OF getting to the top is from the western
end of the mountain" whereas it is ex-
actly the reverse.
Around the western face of the peak
is a square-cut perpendicular wall, over
which one looks with horror, into
depths so deep that the thought of q
view into the Grand Canyon of the Ar
| kansas
PALEs INTO INsIGNIFICANCE. = "
Could one be satisfied that the outer
edge would not crumble with the $50
pounds weight, we would perhaps get
accustomed to lying over the brink !;
but having no such assurance, one
naturally recoils with horror, and Sc
cures a more respectful distance to take
in the grandeur of the scene presented
to the view. We are standing upon a.
table of brown trap rock, of some five
to six acres in extent, sloping gently to
the northeast-over in which direction
we see the high peaks of Chalk Greek
and the mountains beyond, and direct
ly east of those of the S&ngre de Chris
to range, $50 miles away. Directly to
the north two long and straight rivers
put out from the low mountains at our
feet, and strike out for the Gunnison
River, which circles completely around
this grand old mountain chain. Ris-
ing to the southwest of where We stand,
it flows east, and north, and west, and
thence to the Colorado River, which
continues on in southwesterly course
until it loses itself in the broad Gulf of
California, so that the waters OF this
highest point in Colorado branch out to
ALL THE POINTS OF THE COMPASS,
and are gathered again by the Gunni-
son River IN circuit Of fifteen to fifty
miles from this grand old mountain.
And still over and beyond all this broad
expanse of mountain and valley can be
seen the heights of the Elk Mountain
range, all rich in mineral aud coal. Ta
To the northwest and west the eoun-
try breaks off more rolling, and among
the low mountains may be easily traced
the Valley of the Uncompahgre River,
willie still beyond great plains and roll
Utah, until one thinks the whole West
and Northwest is panoramaed before
the view. 1t does not take very great
stretch of imagination to hear the
whistle of the locomotive upon the
Utah and Southern Railroad, although
200 miles away in an air line. But tothe
south and southwest lies the picture of
GREATEST LONELINESS;
| no, of glory. From the time the eye
first catches o glimpse of it, to theslast
moment of leaving the mountain top,
it seems as though one could not see it
often enough. L have looked upon it
4 often, and each and every view only
confirms me in former impressions
that is the grandest, most sublime pic
ture of this continent. Why is ita 1t
is 100 miles of snow-capped mountains,
commencing at, say, % miles from
where we stand, and reaching out to
the south and southwest as far as the
eye can reach, and lying, tier upon 'tisf:
of white caps, an. ocean of angry
1 waves, each glazier and glacis reflect
ors of dazzling splendor. Here, but a
few mikes from us, and yet SEEM
ipgly at our, feet, lies Engineer
MOuntaln,' ana still DehInu ana beyond
it, Hardee's Peak, Mount Candy, Gale
ma Mountain, Mount Wilson, Pigeons
Peak, Sultan Mountain, Mount Snefels,
hand a5host of others, ran ging frbmnN I 81
900 to over H,e00. feet I'M sheight' Il
| shut my eyes, and with, the wind blow,
ing a hurricane, which it nearly always.
does upon these high peaks, = I coufd
fancy nothing in comparison to save
the grand old ocean las he'd to fury in its
widest storm. With this picture pho
tographed upon my. minds eye, wnOl left
hsyng hsy iup .built bu a embnahsnt sisht I fest
i high, from whichwe. left the Stars and
Stripes floating in the air. uol haas
r. This was my second visit to. Uncom-
pahgre. Once sbefore4-ih!A August of1674
and made this ascent with witnesses,
to
D o~j ..1a CLEAR up a 'pofNT CASEY 9