Arizona republican., 1902-07-24
SCALING THE ANDIS
Perilous Journey of an American
 Woman in Central Peru.

Mrs. Jesse Macdonald. whose hus- band is a nephew Of Mrs. NJ. Sanders of this city, has achieved the distinction Cf being the second American woman to cross the Andes mountains from Tirapata, Peru. to a point $50 miles in land, where her husband is employed as assistant general manager of the Inca Mining compaony. The trip was a hazardous one, but for many reasons well worth the effort, and is described as follows in the New York Journal Macdonald and wife left San Fran cisco February 10 and arrived at Tira- pata March 30. From that point a trip of 300 miles in length into the interior of the country was made by rail. and then the party went 150 miles across the highest ranges of the Andes. They used pack mules. It took six days of the hardest travelling.
 The fourth day of the journey across the mountains is described by Mrs Macdonald in a letter as follows:
 We left at 6:45 in the morning. and the first five or six miles was across pampas, and then started up hill over ! rough and rocky roads. But as soon
 
 mountains the scenery became the grandest one can imagine. About II o'clock we came in sight Of a beautiful | lake. It is nine miles long, but not | very wide, and looks very much like | upper Twin lake, Leadville. It is sit uated between and near the summit of two high ranges of mountains. It's altitude is 17,5C0 feet. Many water l falls come into it. One came down with thOusand-foot dash, and when the sun shone on it made a scene far beyond description.
 | At noon the pass was reached the ] highest point of the first large range. ! It is said to be over 1S.000 feet, nearly 1 4,000 feet higher than Pike's peak l had been advised by a physician to take a bottle of peach brandy in my 1 pocket, and every ten minutes or so | take about telspOonful. I did SC. and do not believe I could have crossed the | path without it.
 Tt was thought best to get down 2 little as soon as We could. So We | crossed over and began the descent The read was awful all afternoon. II was nearly like going down stairs, only the boulders were rough and large Coming to a fiat stretch of land we thught we would ride over it, as the road was so rough. We had gone bu a short distance when the horse I wa: riding went into a mire hole with botf fore feet, and his head went under too, before he could regain his footing It was rather an unpleasant surprise fer although I was not hurt I got soa k ing wet from my knees down and hat to ride on in that condition througl sleet and wind the rest of the after ncon. About o'clock we reached tn, line where vegetation started, and i
 was as beautiful as on the other sid of the range.
 The trees, though rather small, haC very large leaves, with such odC shapes, and flowers and ferns of ever,
 description in abundance all over tn
 landscape. We arrived at Aqualan
 about 6, and were then at an altitud
 of II GOO feet
 In describing the remainder of tn
 journey to the mine Mrs. MacDonal : writes
 The rivers are more like the contin ? ration of Niagara Falls than anythin 7 else I can think of. They are so swif ] and have many falls. We crosse X eight swinging or suspension bridge: They are three feet wide. Some C l them are made oi straw twisted int { ropes-straw-rope bridges. And the s give or move with every step, and b
 the time the middle is reached they al swaying like Q drunken man. Think (
 riding horse over such place. Ye
 I felt safer on my horse, trusting hi
 feet with their experience, than I di . to trust my own feet. So I rode owe all but enc of them. One of them
 very long and I do not know how man