Morning journal and courier., 1889-08-06

To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
There were three of us-an Englishman,
who was also an artist, German count, who
had been cavalry officer, and myself, Con-
nectiout attorney. We first met In a palace
car going west from Denver, en- route for
San Francisco, and friendship such as
travellers of like tastes contract when thrown
together had Immediately grown up between
us. Together we had seen Denver and Col
orado Springs, and now our plan was to
make the ascent of Pixies Peak.
The evening of our arrival at Nanitou was
one of those delicious introductions to nature
we often read abont but seldom enjoy. The
village, nesting in a charming valley at the
base of the giant mountain, and almost with
in the shadow, reminds one of Zermatte and
the Matterhorn, while the bray Of the festive
Brencho resounds among the rocky caaons as
distinct in its reverberations and as continu-
GUS as the shepherds horn in the Alps, If not
as musical.
1t was too early in the season for many
travellers to be at the hotels, and We had the
evening undisturbed in which to perfect our
plans for the next days ascent.
So We selected for guide a young man, born
at Manitou, reared upon the mountain, and
well known as fearless climber. He shook
his head when we told him our plans. The
summit of the Peak was still covered with it's
winter mantle of snow, and no one had at
tempted the ascent this season. The drifts
in Ute Pass, up which the carriage road leads
were fully fifty feet in depth, and from the
timber line the trail was also buried in drifts
seemingly impossible. The probability of
our reaching the summit did not look en-
oouraging, but we decided to make the at
tempt.
The morning was gloomy. Clouds hung
low upon the mountains, shutting out the
peaks and filing the valleys with an unpleas-
ant dampness suggestive of rain. But we
persisted, and at 6 O'Clock we were eantering
up the road with hope in our hearts and
lunch strapped with our overcoats to our
saddles.
After leaving the road the trail winds
around the sides of the mountain, now Cross.
that it sags and swings under the weight of
single horse moving at the slowest pace,
and now clinging to the side of the noun
tain, path 80 narrow that the feet of the
horse covers the entire width. On and up,
single file, the stiffness 80 intense that the
siss of the eagles wing could be heard as he
dropped from crag across the canon into
the shadows OF the gorge below.
Twelve miles by rail from the Clif House
to the signal station on the summit, and
fourteen thousand four hundred and forty
six feet in perpendicular height. At nine
o'clock We were at the halfway station, a
level on which company have erected q
neat log hostelry in the shadow of giant
pines, and almost overhung by the towering
mountain peaks. A torrent Of water, cold
as ice, for it is melted snow, rushes from
under ragged granite boulders rod or two
from the rustic porch, spreads itself out into
shallow pool and then leaps into the dark
ness Of the ehasm.
Crossing this stream on bridge of logs we
began the last and most difficult part of the
| ascent. The clouds had rolled away before
the rising sun, and as we came out Of the
| feet above the sea panorama of such rare
beauty burst upon our sight as BROUGHT an
| exclamation of delight to our lips. Above
| and around US snow crowned peaks glistened
| in the sun and pillowed themselves In the
| purple atmosphere, while below rocky gorges
| black canons and purple grey masses tire the
| eye in the effort to measure their depths and
| distance.
Our horses were soft, the climb was hard
and our progress necessarily slow. Before
reaching timber line drifts of snow blocked
! our way and obliged US to make detours owe
broken rocks and fallen trees and across
stretches of decomposed granite.
Beneath the rocks We could hear the rust
and swirl of running water from the melting
| snow above us, and often thee 'eams came
to the surface in fc-=:-- -.aracts loaded
with pieces of broke. rockE and the shinin,
fragments of mica and feldspar, the result
of the disintegrating influences Of frost ant
snow, with which nature fills the valleys.
| At half-past ten we had reached an alti.
tude Of twelve thousand feet. Foany cloud
were settling over the valleys and filling tn
canons, and stealing like flmy threads O
silver into the wrinkles of the mountains
an ocean of pearl grey mist spread on ever,
side swelling and undulating in rhythmi
motion.
A hundred miles to the north dark olou
began to lift its ominous face against the SIX
and hung like black banner over Ours
! The guide shook his head and said somethin
which sounded like ''nasty," while sound
half whisper, half moan, came down to Z
from the snow peaks above. Two miles MOI
carried us up FIVE hundred feet to where
snow bank blocked our way and obliged {
| to halt. The horse on which the guide We
leading the way had sunk In to his body
the attempt to cross this drift; had then role
over, and was barely saved from rolling dow
the mountain. Dlsmounting, we car efull
| covered crevass, and held council upon th
| rocks on the other side. The result was, W
picketed our horses to a telegraph pole an
l pushed on on foot. It was tedious climl
, | The broken granite blocks piled In wild cor
fusion were not more difficult to clambe
over than was the steep slope of 6ne disin
5 tegratsd granite which slipped as We steI
ped upon 1t, and more than suggested
! broad and easy path to sure destruction.
The cloud over Oura grew darker an
:, looked more ominous, but still we puskt
q on and up, stopping every few moments
rest upon some rock whose surface was abo'
the snow, and to let our palpitating hear
Q quiet down for the next pull. The sno
which had lain in patches and short drift
= further down the mountain had now becon
n carpet of varying thickness, which in sor
+ places would support our weight, and thu
l. when we least expected it, would give vi
- and half subnerge us. Saturated to our hi
with snow, dripping with perspiration, par
10 ing for breath, slipping, falling, we slow
70 made our way toward the summit.
Ia Darker grew the cloud over Oura
blaekness was spreading over the emit
:, northern sky, and puffs Of wind came moa
l. ing around the sides of the peak we VIZ
So facing. Should we go ona
ID | Standing upon the surface OF an OF
cropping rock We held another conaultatte
The guide simply said 81 am here to go
ar the top if you want to CO." l was the o
:. est of the three by twenty years, but v
'h having all could do to keep my heart in
es place, and SO the Englishman spoke ne
lis He said "We've got SO far don't let us 81
90 now" The German said ''It vas better
go on" I said nothing but we again start
10 The summit was still a thousand feet abe
n, us and our way was directly upon its sn
.. covered sides.
=, There was no time to loose now In vii
ings and in selecting easier ways. The rags
g edges of the cloud mass was already drift
an about u.s. the wind was fast increasing tt
or gale end driving occasional fakes of snow
.l our faces as. painting and laboring in
sn rare atmosphere we still encouraged o.
III other on.
,at Another rest. Only two hundred
bo | more. Once upon ths summit and we co
find shelter and rest within the friendly vi
Oh of the government signal station. Should
AZ go ona
M Rumblings of thunder beneath Us indica
that a storm was raging in the valley; {
occasional flashes of lightning intensified
or, darkness which was settling over US.
80 Only two hundred feet more. We m
- reach the signal station.
is It seemed as If the blood would force lit
mis- through the face and the heart burst fr
,is the bosom as we make the final effort.
At last we are on the summit; and the
not twenty rods away, is the longed
ar signal station, but, to our horror, 1t
at abandoned
"a The doors were open and the rooms til
80 with drifted snow.
led What nowa Over the summit Of the p
bic the storm was sweeping in such fury
N could not face it-could hardly stand agsi