Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-09-21
CLIWBTNG TEPETL.


HIGHEST or MEXICAN MOUNTAINS FROM
JULY TO SNOWY WINTER IN SINGLE DAY.
Mexico might well be called the Switzerland
OF America on account Of the number size
aud accessibility Of its mountain peaks. On
approaching Vera Cruz the first thing that
gladdens the eye Of the weary voyager, as he
peers over the bow Of the steamer in search
of land, is the snow capped peak Of Orizaba,
apparently suspended in the Clouds and ex-
ceeding by nearly 1000 feet the height of any
European peak. The entire horizon of the
City Of Mexico is filed with mountains The
dominating features Of the eastern landscape
are the regular, geome etrioal, snowy cone Of
Popocatepetl, and Just to the north of this
the rugged, broken white crest Of Tztacc-
huatl. Popocatepot occupies the second
place among North American mountains, be-
ing Il, 720 feet high, about so feet lower than
Mount st. Elias. Historically it is the oldest
of American mountains, al the first recorded
ascent was mado just 30 years after the dis
coyery of the continent In spite Of the va
rious troubles that were wildly depicted as
awaiting u.s. IL party of six left Mexico for the
volcano POpocatepetl on bright morning in
the middle Of April. We took the 8 A. NJ.
train for Amecameca on the Morelos railroad.
As we rolled out of the station on this lovely
April morning, nature seemed to have a sort
of Fourth July mir. The fields, the roads
and the pastures recalled the New England
summer rather than the time Of year shown
by the calendar. The scenery was not start
ling, but quiet and interesting. We passed
| Al. 4
huts, and reached Amecameca, a quaint little
Mexican settlement nesting down in the woods
under the northwestern slope Of the volcano.
Its population is about 5000 and intensely Ro.
man Catholic. The town lies about S 800 feet
above the sea level, 1000 feet higher than the
City of Mexico. We were provided with let
ters to the principal man of the town, and he
received US with unbounded hospitality. A
breakfast was prepared for us, and when we
arose from the table everything was in readi-
ness for us to start The horses, the guides,
the pack mule loaded with provisions for the
party, were all at the door, 80 we mounted
our horses, bid our genial host good bye, and
| started for the ranch where We were to pass
the night
We reached the ranch ut $50 p NJ It lies
| IL 600 feet above the sea level, just within
the timber belt with the mountAn.so ris-
ing sharply aud regularly behind it to the
summit. The quarters we're far from pala
tial The only buildings were two small wood.
en- sheds or barns One contained small
furnace used in refining sulphur aud the 9th
er furnished shelter for the poems, as tue work
| ing Indians are called who have charge of the
herd of horses grazing on the mountain side.
| This latter we were to share with the poems
| for the night. We dismounted aud examined
our quarters. The barn was 30 feet long and
20 feet wide. The only floor was strip about
g feet wide, extending across one end of the
interior and this was to serve us as bedstead
and mattress. The roof and walls were black
with accumulating SCOT. large fire was
blazing on the ground in the centre of the
room, the smoke completely filling the build
ing and slowly finding its way into the outer
air through the many apertures in the boards,
especially at the eastern end, where every al
ternste board was missing. donkey was
snugly established in one corner, and there he
quietly remained all night. 1t was dark al
most directly. The poems boiled come coffee
provisions we had brought we made a frugal
supper. Thinking it advisable to get as much
rest as possible we rolled ourselves in our
blankets, and, with saddles for pillows stretch
ed ourselves on the boards. The poems, after
chattering together for a short time, wrapped
their zarapes about them and disposed them
selves on the ground around the fire. Silence
settled over the company, but sleep did not
visit our eyes
arose and walked out to see what the pros
pect was for the morrow. The moon aud
stars we're shining brightly. The air was as
crisp and cold as on a November night in New
England. just back of the ranch the huge
smoothly rounded cone of the volcano tower
ed grandly up into the air, its 5000 feet of
snow mantle sparkling in the brilliant moon
light and sharply defining its outline against
the dark midnight sky. Low in the northern
horizon was a dense black cloud, illuminated
by almost incessant flashes of lightning. No
| thunder was to be heard, nor were there any
other indications of a storm, so l returned to
the others with good report of the prospect.
| At A. NJ. we mounted our horses and started
for the peak Day WAS just dswning In the
| east a rev uhhneh OF Ttu were Nlhlblt, Huht
in the north the same cloud and lightning
were to be seen that had noticed the pre-.
vious evening. picturesque procession we
made as in single file we followed along the
trail in the dim, cold morning light. We wore
broad Mexican hats, and each had showy
but comfortable blanket wrapped about him
in true Mexican fashion. We first rode thro'
a region of stunted pines, and then struck the
black mountain sand with no vegetation The
light kept growing clearer and clearer, and in
half an hour it was as light as day. although
the sun did not rise until 10 minutes later.
The red in the east became moro and more
vivid, spread further into the sky, and was
accompanied with brilliant yellow The
lightning in the north continued until the sun
spraug up from behind the peak of Ori2aba
aud day began. The sand through which we
were travelling was not very soft and the slope
did not seem steep, but as we zigzagged along
the horses painted very hard, and frequently
stopped to regain their breath. At Gl5 A, NJ.
we reached thin coating of snow, and after
riding through it for a quarter of an hour the
snow.line was reached
Here we left our horses, blankets and all
unnecessary luggage, and they were taken
back to the ranch. The guides bound our
feet with coarse cloth to keep the snow from
melting on the boots and chilling the feet.
They furnished us each with pointed stick,
and we started up the northeastern slope of
the cone. There were no preoipices nor crew
icies it was plain climbing, the slope being
quite smooth and regular to the summit, but
very steep. The snow was hard and firm,
there being but two kinds of surface, one
where the snow was perfectly even, the other
where it was sharply ridged by the melting
action of the sun. The rarefaotion of the air
was the only impediment to our rapid prog
ress Fortunately, none of our party expert
enced any other i'll effect from this cause than
the inability to make any continued exertion.
The accounts frequently given by travellers of
| II