St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-02-25


Sierra Blanca We went up this can
on for fifteen miles and pitched our
permanent camp about seven miles
from the top of White Mountain
Peak.
The Indians had shot four wild
turkeys, two deer, one mountain
sheep and several quail, so we feast
ed like princes on venison and quail
on toast" Our Mexican cook pre-
pared the meal in excellent fashion,
and if ever there was hearty, hap
py set OF people, we were the ones.
Juan and the Indians prepared our
camp, making tents of tree branches
and canvas. Our breakfast, in addi-
ton to the bill of fare of the previous
day, had plenty of mountain trout,
each one over ten inches long and
some sixteen. These the Indians had
shot with bow and arrow, and they
were much more successful than is
many a professional angler with
bamboo rod and fancy fly hooks.
The Apaches do not use pole tor
fshing-they shoot fish with an ar
row.
After breakfast our horses were
saddled and we started on our hard
trip up the mountain. We had the
Indians take plenty of luncheon and
six canteens of water. for we planned
to pass the day on the summit, and
up there there is neither water nor
game. The Indians also packed two
mules with wood, as the mountain
peak is far above the timber line.
We made the ascent slowly; the
air was getting so rare and thin
that our horses had to stop often to
get their breath, and even we, the
riders, began to. breathe too rapidly
for comfort when we talked; SO we
were from necessity, a rather silent
company. Our pulses, too, began to
beat and hammer away in manner
that made us realize we were up high.
1t was very interesting to notice the
the farther up we went, and at last,
about three miles from the summit,
tree growth ceased entirely, and the
only signs of vegeta ton were the fine
rock MOSES with their delicate small,
white flower. This is said to be
almost identical with the famous
| Alpine Edelweiss:
There's a tender flower that grows
Mid Alpine SHOWS:
The stars that throng round dams car
Its lovers are;
The foot of man may seldom trace
It's hiding place
The Edelweiss.'
It's beautiful bell shaped blossom
is found in great profusion on all the
highest peaks of the Rocky Noun
tains. Our path was over the toughest
and most jagged rocks; on every side
could be seen deep chasms and pre-
cipitous walls of granite in many
| places the way was dangerous, steep,
and full of rolling stones, SO that the
| horses had hard work to keep on
their feet For the last mile, the
course was so difficult that we had
! to go on foot. We left our horses on
a sort of landing formed by the rocks,
while the Indians took the provisions
on their backs and drove the pack
mules OH before them Or we went,
putting like an engine, and SO slowly
did we walk that it took over an
hour to go the last mile 1t was
noon, and the sun, burning through
the clear air, had partially melted
the films of ice and the remnants of
snow that lay all along our path, in
this way making the rocks slippery
and treacherous. The MOSES, stiff
fened by the frost, sparkled in the
sunlight like crystals, and our eyes
were dazzled by the brilliant specta-
Gle all around. The Sierra Blanca
Peak is often covered with snow the
year through. During the present
season, however, owing to COM
paratively light snow fall from last
October to May, the mountain is al
most entirely bare of the winters
snow and ice, so we had a very fav-
orable opportunity in making our
| visit this summer
| After a tedious climb we reached
the summit, where spread out in
every direction for hundreds ofmiles,
a most amazing scene opened itself
to the eye. Parts of Texas, Indian
Territory, Colorado, Utah, Arizona
and Old Mexico made up a picture
never to be forgotten. All the land
from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf
of California was visibleto the south
of us: to the east was the famous