The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-12-24
Climbing Pixies Peak.
Tn a letter dated Colorado Springs, Col

a correspondent says IL SHOOK the Sanu OI
Pueblo off my feet and took train for this
charming retreat-charming, at least COM
pared with the other places that have seen
in Colorado 1t is located at the nearest
point to the base of the mountains, where
the country stretches off into long level
plain. The town is laid out in squares,
and the straight streets are bordered with
shade trees and rippling streams in irrigat-
ing bitches Public and private fountains
are continually playing, and the dust is
kept from being whirled into clouds by the
prevailing high winds through the free use
of sprinkling carts. The town nestles at
the foot of the giant Pixies Peak, which
towers 1896 feet above the level of the
sea. One does not realize the height of
this great dome at a glance on a clear day.
The eye must first rest on the top Of each
lower peak, as one rises above another
horizontal distance of twelve miles. Then
as the great peak is seen lowering above all
the rest the spectator appreciates its enor-
nous elevation. When clouds rest upon
the lower peaks, while the gray giant raises
his head into the blue sky above, the sub
Unity of the scene is heightened
But full realization of the grandeur Of
this mountain is reserved for the man or
woman who is willing to sit on the back Of
a twelve-hand-high mountain pony for
eleven or twelve hours while he lazily trav-
erses twenty-four miles of the very roughest
kind of road I, with party, tried it.
! Wewent through narrow canons and gorges,
where the little mountain streams rushed
| and tumbled and roared over the broken
rocks, and we climbed the mountain sides
where the trail was not foot wide, and the
sides in places were so nearly perpendicular
that great shelving rocks 1000 feet above
seemed ready to dash themselves upon our
defenceless heads. At times it seemed as
if we would surely be crowded off the mar
row pathway by the projecting rocks and
hurled into the chasm 900 or 1000 feet
below us. At any one of hundred differ
ent points our lives depended upon the sure
footedness of the ponies, not at all in any
skill in horsemanship. Our guides special
instruction was to give the pony his head
and hang on to the pommel Here and
there great pronfonotories of rock, with l.
500 feet of perpendicular walls stood out
like huge sentinels on our march, and many
of them had their titles of Major, or Cap
tain, or Sergeant Gradually the tall, state
ly pines of the ravines gave way to less
and less thrifty growth as we approached
the timber line. Finally there remained
only short, stumpy trees, hardly thirty feet
high, thou ugh probably 100 or 200 years
old. After we passed the timber line we
had vet four miles of rocks to climb, and
as 1 looked up at that long steep ascent
and back over the eight miles of ravine from
which we had just emerged, my courage,
like that of Bob Acres's, began to rapidly
ooze away Twelve hours of daylight seemed
hardly enough to enable us to complete the
ascent and to make the return trip; but
thanks to the faithful ponies and to our
persistence in clinging to the pommels, we
at last reached the summit and sat down,
If a drunken man can stand while chairs
and furniture seem rushing around him,
then l might possibly have stood in that
highly rarifed air. But, like the drunken
man, found it easier to sit down. As L
: dismounted, or, rather, stepped off, the
: slight exertion threw my heart into vio-
, lent palpitation My ears felt as if they
: were being beaten upon by mufied trip
7 hammers, and my respiration was so rapid
E that / thought must stop breathing just
for rest. After staggering about five feet
' to the door of the United States signal ser
: vice station, where we were entertained with
n lunch and cup of coffee, I ventured out
= again, but the rarifed air and the great
r wide world below bewildered the senses, and
t my muscles refused to do even fatigue duty
g So [ sat and gazed in almost stupid wonder
$ [ learned that nearly all who visit the Peak
# experience similar sensations. 1t is kinc
/. of sea-sickness, accompanied sometimes with
: hemorrhage from the nose or mouth. Many
D women faint, and some cannot be restored
e until they are carried below the timber line
o 1t is an exceedingly dangerous trip for any
: body who has any disease of the heart
:, The two men at the signal station, though
# strong and hearty, have to be relieved al
/ ternately every month to get the air of the
y plains, as they grow irritable and quar-
< relsome up there, and even get to lighting
y so much does the rariied air accelerate th'
: circulation and the nervous action. Three
= kinds of animals I found up there that
e seemed to thrive without any change of all
f white quails, chipmunks, about three
: times as large as those common in the East
and having tails nearly as bushy as {
|, squirrels tail, and which the sergeant al
t the post said closely resembled the rats OF
4 Jerusalem. '