The Marble times and Crystal silver lance., 1901-02-08
LEAD, s4.00
SILVER, 81
Here and There Through Colorado.

Here and There Through Colorado.
From the N. Y. Tribune 1897, and published BY
request of several of our readers.
From Aspen to Ashcroft the road
presents a rapid and laborious ascent
along the sinous windings of Castle
creek, hemmed in by the precipituous
ranges of Castle mountain on the one
side, and the Highland hills on the
other. Leaving the narrow, but beau
tiful park at Ashcroft the trail lies up
Pine creek, rapid mountain stream,
where the roaring waterfall jumps and
sparkles over perpendicular walls and
cascades, and climbing over precipices
and zig-zag slopes until you reach tim
ber line, about II, 800 feet high where
the lakes divide the mountains, and
death turks not far away.
Again, up and away, across the
steepest slopes, where Nature seems to
have amused itself by tossing masses of
jagged, tottering rocks in heaps. and
where no ordinary horse's hoof would
find safe footing. But if you only
watch the patient, meek-loolling, brave
and sagacious little bonros E. asinusl
how carefully they consider the slight
est movement and measure the smallest
step, they inspire you with confidence
at once reassuring.
From timber-line we turn northwest,
climbing along the grassy slope of
Copper mountain, and, rising several
hundred feet, we pause for breath, and
look where Nature surrounds US in al
most impossible magnifcience. The
roar of Pine creek, far below, and the
signing requiem of the wind, as it
passes through the deep crevices, and
amidst the mighty towers of Smuggler
peak, are the only sounds that break
the solemn, awesome silence; and as
we mount still higher and higher, even
the cadence of the stream becomes
fainter and fainter, leaving nothing to
greet our ears save the signing and
whistling of the wind far overhead.
Onward and upward we climb, the
mountain top becoming more visible
through the riffs in the clouds. Now
a depression upon the crest of Copper
mountain is reached, and again we rest
and breathe.
Oh! what a magnificent panorama
A sublime spectacle that will never
fade from memory! To the east stand
out prominent points bristling among
the clouds. The bright rays of the sun
playing upon the mountain sides bur-
nishing them with silver-gray tints
that
So cast glare
From far, and seemed to thaw the freezing air.
anon a cloud passes over, changing
fhe color into hundreds of hues-pre-
senting to the view an ever changing
Kaleidoscope of grandeur that is incon-
.ceivable by the human mind. Far to
tke east lie the Red mountains, whose
.carmine glory shines and dazzles in
splendid contrast to the steel-gray and
dark brown surroundings. Far to the
.south-hundreds of miles away-are
seen the San Juan range of mountains,
flashing like a riricTe of the choicest
diamonds; now in green and blue like
a mass of emeralds and sapphires; the
rapid transformation Of tint upon I'm
scompahgre and Ouray peaks. Mount
.Sneffies and other lofty sentinels of the
Silver San Juan, ten times multiplied
by the play and chasing of sunshine
and SD adowy clouds across 'i Heaven S
azure" and to the Borth one can see
q billowy sea of massive mountain
peaks, here and there bearing amidst
their mighty basins and canons the
ever present beds OF snow and incipient
glacier,
From here we start along the crest
OF Copper mountain, over a sea OF
loose rock, which the erosive influence
,of Nature has thrown from the heights
.of Castle range, far, far above us.
Nov we descend slightly around a
rocky basin, and then ascend two
thousand feet to the summit OF the
range. Carefully picking our way
along this Great whose surface at some
PLACES 10 not over a foot in width, and
ON either side Of MS, far below to the
depth Of over four thousand feet lie
desp md rugged canons. One false
Afep sqd Ne would be dashed down the
ete{ eifous sides % : horrible DEATH
otag e1qng NE come to mining
~ where . miner in walking