Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-12
ON MOUNTAIN TOP.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW
 FROM LONGS PEAK.

A Landscape No Painter Can Put Upon
 Canvas. No Words Fully Express-Trem-
 bling With Fear at the stupendous
 Scene Anna Dickinson's Card.
 All lovers of mountain scenery hay. ing n few days time at their disposal must make flying trip to Estes park. the most beautiful and inviting of all Colorado parks. but not the largest. It is only six miles wide by ten miles long, through which run several streams, filled with .'speckled beauties, so much sought for by skilled anglers. At the south end of the park rises Long's peak in all its majesty and grandeur, with a sentinel on either side nearly equal its height. The altitude of the park is 7,5o0 feet.
 We leave our wheels at the hotel and drive up to Lambs ranch. where we spend the night at an elevation of IO,- 900 feet.
 At sunrise the next morning, mount ed on horseback, with an experienced guide in the lead. We ride up to timber line, where we picket our horses and commence the climb of the bowlder fields, necessitating much courage and determination, as these powders are angular rocks of solid granite and run in sizo from n chicken coop to n mod ern dwelling. In the center of this bowl. der field W as passed the slabrecording the death of Carrie Welton of Connecticut, who a few years since unwisely insist ed upon the guide accompanying her to the peak too late in the season. When returning. they were caught in n severe gale and blinding storm. After suffer ing as only one can suffer when sur rounded by that intense loneliness, stung by the bangs of cold and cravings of hun. ger, her life was sacrificed. The trusty guide for hours made supernatural ef- forts to carry her over those almost i'm passablo rocks until. at her request, he left her to bring n rescuing party from the ranch, which upon arrival found life extinct.
 Following the guide. we pass through an opening called the "keyhole'' and emerge beside an unwelcome precipice. We carefully pick our way along tho brink, which requires all our nerve and resolution, but yet is not as tiresOme as the loose sand and broken rock, rising at an incline of I5 degrees. just beyond By perseverance and an occasional rest we are enabled to reach that ugly preci- pice on our right, and by using both hands and feet We make the summit, where we stand speeches. with wonder and admiration. Hard as it was, we would make the same heroic effort a hundred times were it necessary to wit ness the grand scene before us.
 Nearly 6, 900 feet below is Estes park, the sportsman's paradise; to the west is Middle park and Hot Sulphur Springs; to the south South park. Beyond these peaks we see the range for a distance of over 200 miles. With the aid of our glasses we discern Gray's peak. Mount Lincoln, Mount Evans, Piko's peak and Old Ouray in Marshall pass. some of which are 200 miles distant What a scene it is! What an ocean of mountain pillows, in constrast to which we turn to the east and see an ocean of plains the one as quiet as the peaceful sea in a calm, the other as tempestuous as the tossing pillows.
 Never was time more valuable than now. So much to be seen. Such n pie ture to paint in our minds So that it may never fade. Think of making this inn pression indelibly upon ones mind, covering this panoramic view of 200 miles in either direction of plains, val leys, parks and mountains, of growing fields of wheat and far distant cities, of snow capped mountains. of magnificent forests and crystal streams.
 Again and again We sweep the hori- zon and study landscape no painter can paint, no speech can express. Before returning we must look at the souvenir deposits of visitors. Here is n shingle by Major Powell, who, with William N. Byres, was the first to make the ascent in 1868. Here is Anna Dickinson s card, the first woman to ascend the peak. also of the party who climbed the peak in 1878 to witness the total eclipse, to- gcthcr with thousands of visitors cards. The top of the peak is level, covering few acres. and We wonder that n house has not been built there for tho accom- modation of those who might wish to remain overnight and see the sun rise. Before returning we must take one look over tine crater wall, which has q per pendicular descent of 5000 feet. How nervously we approach the edge, step by step, until our strength fails us and we can go no farther
 Trembling with fear, we return from this stupendous scene, hewildered with mixed feelings of pleasure and fear. Be- fore making the descent we take q final view, the like of which we shall never again see We rctrace our steps, and having passed the most dangerous places courage is restored, and we reach the park after nightfall so tired and with such n longing for our couch, but with the feeling that We would sacrifice anything reasonable rather than deny ourselves to Long's peak, but having once made 1t nothing would tempt us to climb it again--Edward B. Light in Good Roads