New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-11-19
LIVELY MOUNTAIN CLIMBING.


missing Park Is given DtlOWs
LIVELY MOUNTAIN CLIMBING.
A NARROW TRAIL WHICH LkD TIE PARTY AsTRAY-
SIGNS OF GAME-sroKIKs OF THE GUIDE.
TFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT oP THE rRIBUNE]
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. Oct. Of Parley's Park
Is right over there not more than ten or twelve
miles awayD said Mr.. J. G.. Kennedy, of the Bng
ham Canon Railway, one day last week, pointing
toward the high mountains that shut in tho town of
Alta in Little Cottonwood, on the east. III we re-
turn TO Salt Lake City shall not arrive there un-
til night, and it will take another whole day to
reach Park City. If we go the divide on
horseback we shall have some steep mountain
climbing and may encounter deep SHOWS, but We
can probably get through and eat late dinner at the
Ontario Mill" immediately decided that we should
20 over the mountains and we at once started
out from the miners boarding house where we had
spent the night in Alta, and where lively discus
sion was going on over the fire about the pronun-
cation OF the name " Rio Clara" In search Of
horses and guide.
We had no trouble in engaging three rather sorry
looking animals one for each of u.s. and one for the
boy, about fourteen years old who was to act a.
our guide. and to take the horses home from the
Park. The horse rode a rOugh-Ooking and
rongh-riding nag He walked so slowly that his
motion was hardly perceptible; he trotted hard
enough TO cure lne 1nOSb hRbIaNaIeu cdSo
Of Indigestion; and when he galloped he
did so with stiff fore-legs, that the
rider had constant sensation of being
astride "bucking" pony. BY constant persuasion,
emphasized with a switch. was able to make the
horse keep up fair gait on level slightly rising
ground but when It came to going down steep hills
had to let HIM have hisown way (which was pr0vok-
iugly slow onel, or run the risk of being pitched
down the side of n steep mountain or landed in
snow bank by the side of the trail. Mr.. kennedy's
horse was not much better. He would outwalk
mine and trotted rather faster. but he would not
lope even under the greatest provOcation. The boy
who was our guide rode rOugh-loOkinG colt. whose
coat had never been brushed smooth. aud which
could not be made 10 lead. SO the guide rode III
the rear.
Although the night had been cold aud the morn
ing sharp, when the sun appeared over the tops OF
the mountains in the east the SKY was cloudless,
and by o'clock the air began TO feel its softenirg
influence. The sunrise when seen from the top Of
high mountain peak is g,orious sig hi that has
often been described. Sunrise in deep valley or
canon has a beauty of another kind. At first
some crag rock rearing its head above tho sur
rounding SUBMITS IN the west catches the SUMS
rays and shines with dazzling light while the whole
valley is IN the shadow and that peculiarly cutting
cold that always prccedes the break of day in Win
ter still pervades the air Slowly tho light creeps
down tho sides of the western mountains revealing
hidden beauty and grandeur and making a wonder
full contrast between the lights aud shadows BY
the time the penetrates the bottom Of the
canon it is so high in the heavens that the chill in
the air rapidly disappears aud Winter morning
gives place o a warm Autumn MONDAY.
When we left Alta and began to climb the divide
between Little and Big Cottonwood Cafions the air
waS still keen for we were IN the shadow Of hi.h
and steep mountains. The ascent WAS not a diff
cult one, although the grade most Of the way was
sharp and the snow. which lay in patches only b.
the sides Of the trail below. grew heavier
and heavier until Il filed the road foot or two
deep and was trodden down very hard and compact.
As we climbed toward the summit we overlook
boy who taking supplies of beef TO one of the
Mining camps on the other side of the divide. He
rode one horse and led behind two others. each Of
which carried two quarters Of beef on his back.
There are many small mines IN the Wahsaich Range
that are not accessible with wagons. All the sup
plies of provisions tools. household outfit, etc,
have TO be taken to them on the backs of men OF
animals, and all the thew produce is sent ont in
the same way. Such inaccessible mines are fire.
qucnty very rich. but the deposits of ore in them
generally small.
When we reached the summit OF the divide the
view in both directions was one of the grandest ]
have seen in the Rocky Mountains. The elevation
was certainly 10, 900 feet, perhaps O.5O0 Look
ing back toward the west. the little town of Alta
seemed to he AT feet apparently within stones
throw, and yet so distant that ITS houses looked
like toys. The winnings % the canon could be
traced for little distance aud then it seemed 20 be
closed by high mountains rising above the
other. Between two peaks little glimpse of
Salt Lake Valley and the OquiTrh Mountains
was caught like o fragment of a beautiful
picture. 10 the east, on the other SIDE of
the DIVIDE Big Cottonwood Canon, its sides
covered with heavy growth OF timber. A few
hundred feet below caught glimpse Of a little
clear water lake, perhaps half mile long, and be-
yond another range OF mountains. which our guide
said we should have to in order to get into
Parey's Park. Our nearest way to 20 down
from the divide directly to the shores Of the lake
but the snow on the side of the mountain was foot
or two deep with no visible trail and the hill was
steep that we concluded that it would not be safe
to attempt to rIde down. aud at that stage OF the
journey we did not expect To do any climbing OH
foot. We therefore followed narrow trail that
led along the east side If the summit, gradually
ascending looking out all the time for place TO 70
down.
We found ont before we had gone mile that we
had made Il mistake. We were going higher and
higher aud finding signs of trail down INTO the
canon, nor If mountain slope that was not I'M
comfortably steep. But the views which we got as
we wound around the edge Of the mountain more
than repaid us for The time we spent and the extra
climbing winch we had to do AT length We SAW a
cabin on a little bench part of the way down
the mountain. and by the path in the
suow it was evident that some one had
preceded us that way. But the sun. which
had then been shining on the slope for several
lours. had not only solteued the but the soil
beneath II also making very Insecure footing for
our horses, and we were obliged to dismount and
walk down, holding on by the trees and bushes aud