The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-12-26
THAT DECEPTIVE DISTANCE.
How a Redwood Party Found Out
His Great Mistake.

account of mountain climbing IN
Southern California might be OF
interest to some of The GA
zErrE's readers, / give below q
sketch of our ascent of the Sierra
Madre Mountains on Dec. LIST:
The day was all that could be de-
sired; the sun shone brightly from q
clear sky; the air was fresh and brac-
ing, while in the gardens bloomed
roses and geraniums, and ripening
oranges hung from the trees.
We decided to travel without the
aid Of saddle animals or electric cars,
'sindependent of the trust" so to
speak. Those who so desire can ride
to the foot of the mountain in the
electric car whence they are conveyed
by cable car to the Grand Hotel on
the summit. From the hotel an cleo
trio road some five or six miles in
length winds along the mountain side
passing through panorama OF ever
shifting scenes from yawning canyons
and dizzy precipices to the twilight
shade of lofty pines. So tortuous is
the course that in making the ascent
one travels toward all points OF the
compass as the track winds about and
turns back upon itself, appearing in
places like number of different
tracks, one above another. +,
But now to resume our journey.
We took. trail leading into the can
yon almost directly beneath the great
hotel which like a proud sentinel
stands on its lofty promontory DER
looking with unwearied eye the fruit
full plain dotted with orchards. while
nestled among the trees and hills lies
the lovely Pasadena, and farther in
the distance stretches the white out
line of the Pacific with shadowy
islands resting on its bosom. Every
one who wishes to visit the hotel or
grounds must pay his cash and ride
up in the car, for he that "climbeth up
any other way is thief and robber,"
at least he is so considered. By our
route up the canyon we avoided the
hotel and struck the railroad about
a mile farther on. Our hardest climb
ing lay just below the railroad where
a long steep slope had been covered
with pieces of broken rock blasted
out in the construction of the road.
AS the inclination here was about 9Oo
it took but slight impetus to start a
small avalanche of rock which caused
anything but pleasure to those below.
Through this sliding mass we strug-
gled, doubling if the pathway of
Christian or Pilgrim was ever more
rugged. At last we reached the rail-
road and from there the ascent was
quite easy, the grade being only about
7 feet to 100.
I feel that it is necessary right here
to call attention to one who figured
prominently in our party. He had
but lately arrived here, having previ-
ously resided in your city. Previous
to the trip his speech was exceedingly
voluminous and words rushed from
his lips like water from an overaowing
fountain; in imagination he scared to
the most lofty peaks and back again
on the wings of the wind, but when
the avalanche of rock was reached he
became reserved and silent. Even
the generous footing afforded by the
railroad did not satisfy him. He
wished that it was much wider and
endeavored to keep the whole of it
between himself and the edge of the
precipice. He had given it out before
starting that he would make the trip
in three hours, but now he betrayed a
disposition to halt by the way, declar-
ing t at he had been deceived for, as
he stoutly affirmed, he had already
travelled the stated distance yet the
end was apparently as far away as
before. We halted in sunny nook
to eat our lunch, as at this altitude il
was too cool for comfort in the shade
AS we proceeded farther we found, or
the northern slopes which the sur
could not reach, the ties glistenine
with frost and frozen crust on thu
surface of the ground.
At the terminus of the electric roao
is building called the "Club House.
It was built for pleasure resort b,