The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1883-04-05

! ". cqusl 70 tho emergency ! weni ior
spothef big cottonwood tfcr. cut u down
aud scored and he~ei FROM Il plank two
inches ihiei. 1 hsd no anger os hit 70 bore
holes With. bat pounded cot piece Of
iron and barned the holes aud Gscd WOOD.
en- pegs instead Of pAils, rnd made box
trap big eoonsh 10 bold cinpamon bear
When The trap falls you can hear Il for
forty miles. movs w iess
started on, ihis morning si eight
O. clock 10 make the ssccst ~ the Basin.
put ca my gorgeous Iedian snow shoes
aad packed the long ones on my back.
The san shoae out bot 90 the snow. and
siaitrd the sweat from every pore, kept
on slo~ly hui surely. stopping now AID
then ~ get breath, for the air IA light 10
these mountains. Hill after bill was
climbed, sad the little SNOW shoes were
uonderiully plneky. by the time ] set
10 Keil's cabin, where | went last week.
'el, like taking rest; sol went lin and
made cup Of cofrsc aud ate my three lii.
tie biscuit which brought with me. 4
stove and few sticks Of wood had been
left there, and ! made good use Of them.
After my lunch | felt much better. and
started ON. / still had the hardest part OF
the trip before me; for mile and u half
IL is one immense mountain, very steep
aud covered with about eight feet Of solid
snow. II was two o'clock when / got to
the lake a, t,e upper end Of the basin, aud
what sight all the snow slides for many
miles could be seen; snow piled up hmm.
dreds OF feet deep. it lay there a. il its
voak MAS done and it was satisfied; 1t
could go no farther, aud it was ready TO
return 10 air again from whencs it came.
"0ld Sol" does bis share Of the work every
lay. aud before long nothing will be seen
CT the terrible slides At 1000 feet above
timber limo located two claims, viz; The
Cherokee aud the Broncho, and they are
good ones too, or would not have made
this trip TO locate them. My friend Ad
johnson said there was not q mau in this
camp who could make that trip in one
day. but went down tonight and proved
to him that he was greatly mistaken. AZ
ter making locations 10 the little eight
fee, of SNOW exchanged the now dilapi-
dated looking shoes for the Rocky Noun
tain shoes. They are eight feet long,
five inches wide, turning up at the fore
end, with toe pieces. and heel block in the
center for the feet strapped my faith
full old shoes on my back, took my ''guid
ing" or riding" pole, placed my feet in
the cups gave them shove, and was off.
Down the mountain went, the snow flew
in my face and almost smothsred me some
times, but there was no stopping; faster
and faster, till it seemed as though l was
flying. Turn here to the left a little,
there throw the pole on the right side to
miss the top Of that little tree, standing
with its top just above the level of the
snow. II you lose your balance, you will
be thrown in the snow out Of sight, and
the snow shoes will go on down the noun
tain. and You will have to put on the slow
gong ones. But we will keep in that draw |
to the left; to the left we go, and with al
most groan we stop in the bottom OF
Bear Greek after run OF one and one-half
miles in just four minutes by the watch.
i wiped the snow and sweat from my face,
and sat down to look back up that noun.
tain with feeling Of great relief Two
hours to go up, and four minutes to
come back But / was getting hungry
again and still had long ride before me.
But could go slower now by going zig
gag down the hill, and it is useless to add
that took advantage Of it. returned in
half an hour; SIX hours to 60 up, and a
half-hour to come back. My face is terri
bly, burned by the sun, but arnica will
cure that 10 short time. ! am glad you
did not see the pile Of grub l slowed
away, for it would have frightened you.
1t was surprising to me what strength and
endurance found in myself in that last
pull up the mountain. The snow was a
little soft from the heat OF the sun, and
the cumbersome snow shoes clogged up o
great deal; they must have weighed ten
pounds each, but still walked up that
mountain in good time and carried my
long shoes and pole. But had some con.
tidence in my pluck and that helped me
out. Ii man has no pluck he had better
keep away from Colorado The frontier
state has made half man Of me already,
lnd hope she will finish tue ponderous
job she has undertaken.
WILLIAM.