Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-05-02
On Pixies PeaEG'S Top.

air OF ColOraio, was haunte1 hy dc sire
70 stand on its summit The opportunity
came when l reached Manitou, which may
be briefly described as Saratoga distributed
along the sides ofaa extremely picturesque
ravine.
Colorado Springs is tho westerumost
verge of the vast pains that stretch
from appoint in Kansas, fve hundred
miles TO The Rockies. MSnitou, s., miles
further west is whore tbs slope
of this great chain notios ably be-
gins. ChIs charming watering place is
easy Of access, being OF branch of the
Denver and Rio Grandc railroad, which
seems TO be ubiquito is III Colorado, travers-
in the mountains in every direction and
penetrating tho romantic heart of the
Rockies. Every foot of ground here is
miracle of beauty and grand sur. The whole
region has been thu scena of mighty
primeval convulsiOR, and THE long period
OF quiesence is i'm strict proportion to the
visible magnitude or the activities OF which
this region was once the theatre Rocks
whose massTeness would require all our
modern engimery TO stir were sporte1 with
as mere toys, and fleeing like loan heclls
thousands OF fect into air and there loft
balanced as slentwitBesses of apowor that
awes the observer. One might we'd fancy
had been made
AT Manitou we are all ready as far above
the sea level as is Mt. Washing ton, but
Pixies Peak towers 1000 feet higher still,
and migbt;aS well say right here that next
summersinh 500 the tourist will be able TO as
cend TO the summit by means of railroad
similar TO 1hat up Mt Washington. The
road is new under construction and will be
"a model of its kind. We are really too rear
10 realize its true height Not far from
Manitou, mot from the Garden Of the
Gods" mt even from Colorado Springs,
does one gain just conception OF the 4Ofti-
ness of THIS regal mountain. II is IOnly
when yOIl.are fifty miles to the south beyond
Pueblo. following the curves Of the ArlIan-
Sas, as you iiftyour eyes 10 the north and see
the great peak shouldering Its way into the
clouds, as far above the general level Of the
Rockies as they are above that of the plains,
that It's real supereminencc dawRs upon
your mind.
For a rough outline plan, begin at the At
lGntic and slope two Thousand miles sof con-
tinent at,such an angle that the end of the
last ntle shall be six thousand feet above
sea leYelVCr on line with the tor scf Mt.
Washington THIS is our pedestal Now
take twelve miles and elevate it until the
end of tho last mile is eiglt thousand feet,
or one and "A half miles auOVe the top of our
pedestal or two and half miles abeVe sea
level. This gives you Pike Peak.
T0Nbtain the general appearance Of the
range, fancy some giant TO have picked up
from his cyclopcan workshop mountains, the
first handful like the familiar Storm King
at the opening OF the Highlands of the Hud-
son, each later handful of successfully larg
er size, and TO have dropped them in tiers
who's e,summits reCede each 800 feet above
the one Immediately in front of it. Remem-
Der he begins at the top OF platform al
ready 5000 feet high When he drops the
fourteenth handful, and your eye has glanced
upward, first more than a mile TO the top c.
the platform, then more than quarter of a
mileto the first line of SUBMITS, then half a
thousand feet at glance, till the thirteenth
Is reached, your sight Will at that moment
rest upon the snow cap that sits on the
bald head of the Monarch of the Rockies.
This towering height is reached byahard,
broad road for two miles and Il mere trail,
just wide enough Tor the feet OF q horse and
at q distance looking like c0bweb line, for
ten miles
'Six clocll!" calls out the watchman at
thedoor OF my chamber The Lights dim,
the air is oh Ii, and the mountain brock I'M
der the window sings dreamily Who would
want 10 rise under such circumstances! But
breakfast waits. the ponies wait, and the
guides wait, and the members of the party
wait, and perfOrce we must stir.
Seon we are in the saddle, trorting up the
broad road past the mineral springs. Re
cruits join uS at every fork, and when we
stretch out on the trail there are tifteon of
us, including two guides aud one lady.
Three of the party are mounted on mules,
the rest on ponies-surefoOted ALL they say.
We trust So for the trail mounts steadily
up the steep side of the ravire-so narrow
the path that the trees have had to ybe hol-
lowed out TO make room for the sides of our
beasts. Sometimes wall OF rock cuts of
the track alto gether, enc 6 slender bridge
at dizzy height clings TO TITO face of the
cliff and echoes to the tread Of ourpones.
A thick fog fills the chasm Outof it at
times peer rocks so huge that from sin gle
ones could be built churches or cap tolls.
Could one but have heard the crash OF their
fall when they Numbered down the sleeps
all 80. - inf kaif ,ath
All the while the mountain brook that
wooed us in vain to sleep in the morning
sings on in the mist below us. Through the
whole ascent its music follows us, until we
reach its source in the melting shows. at the
very summit sometimes far below, some
times close upon cur right Sometimes di-
rectly beneath, again at our left again about
the feet of our horses as we ford ut. Its
melody varies with the shape of its channel
and the speed of its movement, at times
swift and narrow and deep, then broad and
shallow and brawling over its stony bed,
then chafing at the attempt OF some monster
rock TO bar its passage, and raging and
fosming and roaring as it dashes to the
right and to tie left and filings its spray
contemptuously back, then leaping singly in
adong, graceful curve down a steep descent,
then parting and leaping again by twDs, by
threes, and joining divisions and rushing ON
ia glee at brief rivalY, and always singing
solos, duets, full chorus in every mood I'M
til the note of the dripping snow becomes
700 RluiSitS lOr INC uull
ears.
Atrthe Halfway house we dismount close
10 trout pond and beautiful sheltered
cascade. In ten minutes we are again in
th0-saddle Soon we reach wide, level
stretch and put oar horses to the galop.
The sun bursts upon US and the heavens
ahead are dense blue.
Now the trail becomes very steep, through
the gnsrle1 trunks OF a defoCmed forest,
where storm after storm has hurled rocks
and trees in the widest fury. The broken
line fahe original signal service telegraph
to the station at the top tells the story OF
the hopeless attempt of just one season Ia
maintain such a connection with the world
below. Row all signalling Is by hello
graph-br flashes of light from the top OF
Pixies PeaS TO the level of the plains at
ColoradOSsprings. eighteen miles di slant
When We emerge from the Scared forest
we are above timber line, in the midst OF
lovely an6S varied wild flowers Far belo "
shine the mirror like surfaces of mountain
lakes The party now seem like flies cling.
ing TO an almost vertical wall and moving
oblqueIy TO its top. The guide calls ~Haltp'
at the last spring, and again little further
on at stone three mites from the top At