Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-11-30


Funsteu tells of a terrible~day's expe
rience in fighting storm above thu
clouds in the Front Range of mount
aims in Northern Colorado. 1t wa!
ten years ago, and he had but ont
companion in his adventure, Mr.. Yer
non H. kellogg, now professor IL
Stanford University.
! Despite the difficulties of the way
and the surrounding storm, we made
good progress upward, and in half an
hour turned to the left and began
working along the side Of the mount
ain.
Here our trials began in earnest
The storm was upon us in all it's fury
The wind blew almost hurricane
and the air was so filled with sleet and
! fine snow that it was impossible to
see more than twenty yards in any d.
rection. There would be an occasion.
nj lull in the tumult when we could
take in our surroundings for q mo-
ment, but another cloud would en-
velop us and fill the air with driving
torrents Of frozen mist.
Hour after hour we struggled on
with the nervous, frantic energy born
~ of desperation.
The rocks and snow were covered
with ice thin as tissue paper, which
caused many q hard fall, and made
every step a source of peril. The
force of the wind, too threw us down
continually, and we were bruised from
head to foot. If we had carried steel
would have been of great service; the
latter were now as much hindrance
as help, though we were soon to find
them useful.
Our hands and faces suffered terri
bly, from the bitter cold, and the for
mer were so numb that we dropped
our gums repeatedly. Hair and cloth
ing were matted with ice like coat of
mail. We realized that our progress
was very slow, as we had not yet
reached the great snow-feld extending
from timber-line to the summit, the
base Of which we had crossed in as
cending the gorge. On and on we
staggered, feeling our way over the
slippery surface, and becoming weak
er every moment from the hard strug
gle in the rarefied air of the mountain
tops.
While stumbling over q mass Of ice
covered bOulderS, | heard an excited
exclamation and, looking up, saw Kel
lOgg sink down behind rock which
afforded slight shelter from the Icy
blast.
When l reached him he looked up
and said, "Old boy, this is the worst
box we were ever in. l guess we're
at the end Of our rorep' Both realized
that the situation was desperate, al
most hop. less. There was no sign of
abatement of the storm, and weak
ened and enfeebled as we were by the
long struggle, if we should not be able
TO cross the steep snOw-feld when we
reached it, death from exhaustion and
exposure would be matter of only a
few hours.
we dreaded to think of that snow
hcldt remembering how steep 1t had
"a as we gazed upward from the
III mat morning. and knowing
condition it must be in now with
(ewly formed ice on the surface.
fNer' It was thought best to rest
III tine, and lay down beside
g.
rest of about fifteen minutes
,nled the struggle, weak as be-
much colder, but we had re-
"ouf VIVID, Bhrd thing to keep
bis altitude.
was now 4 o'clock-ten hours
{ we ieft camp and four since the
ssie with the storm began. The
ie 1or life could not last much
Ter.
pwiy and painfully we pushed for
crawling on all-fours most of
ime' chewed savagely on a
or tough grouse, the only re-
of cur dinner.
ia we ever reach the snow-field?
rlole thought crossed my mind.
if wa had lost the direction and
going(the wrong way? 1 did not
on my fears to kellogg. What |
be us82
" few moments we sank down
faces to recover our breath. At
lies found my mind wander
d could not think clearly. Kel- |
bade several remarks without |
rticular meaning, and his face |
vacant, sullen look. Almost the |
OF hope was gone. There was |
lplaining, no whining, only
mad desperation which made |
I've to keep moving to the last.
v, through q rift in the clouds |
" yards ahead. we saw the
white of the -looked-for-
I'D.
feeble shout we pushed for
pit when we reached the edge |
Ft fears Igvere realized. 1t was
;issp' a,as at an angle Of J