The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-12-10
STRUGGLING
On ICY SLOPES
A CHICAGO MAN OVERTAKEN BY
SNOWSTORM ON SUMMIT
. OF LONGS PEAK.

Estes Park, Colo, Dec.--The fol-
lowing letter addressed to Mr.. John
Dickinson Sherman, at this village,
by Mr.. ID. w. Roper, OF Chicago, gives
the interesting details OF an unusual
ly dangerous ascent OF Longs Peak,
the giant OF the new Rocky Mountain
National Park, in the early part of
september.
Longs Peak, which is 1926 feet
high, was considered unclimable for
many years. Its summit is reached
by passing from Boulder Field. which
lies 1000 feet up, through an open
ing in the rocky wall known as Key
hole out OF the side of q sharp-angled
slope covered with perpetual ice and
snow, which slants from near the
summit far down the mountain side
to end In nearly precipitous drop of
a good deal more than a thousand
feet into Glacier Gorge.
This is called the Trough, and II
Is assembled by steps cut In the ice
and snow which are frequently OBJ
liberated by fresh snowfalls and must
be renewed continually. SO far, none
of the hardy scalers Of the summit.
which include. by the way, an in
creasing number OF women, has lost
control on this dangerous slope,
though stories are whispered OF &C
} casional slips caught just in time.
In the Face OF a Gale.
Last summer the writer, while as
cending the lower levels. met four
young men. two of them with frozen
feet. who had been held overnight
on the summit by n snow squall OBJ
literating the steps too late in the
day to enable them to cut new ones
on their descent.
"As there was heavy snow on
the summite of Longs Peak the night
after l arrived at the Inn." writes
Mr.. Roper, II was advised not TO at
tempt the ascent for several days on
account of the danger. l therefore
waited until the fourth day after the
snow and made my ascent on Satur-
day, September Z, 1915. Starting
about seven in the morning, l rode
alone and without guide to Boulder
Field, where the horse was left.
had some description of the appear
ance of the Keyhole. and 1t had been
suggested that perhaps | would have
the Trough. and might do better to
climb the powders along the side.
The geological survey map constitut-
ed the rest of my information about
the ascent.
walking across Boulder Field |
was somewhat sheltered from the
wind which was blowing a gale from
the southwest. On reaching the
Keyhole | found the wind blowing
kagainst me SO strong that | could
hardly stand. therefore retraced
a few steps and sat down in the lee
OF a projecting rock, and ate a por-
ton of my lunch. II was so cold
that there appeared to be no prospect
of rain at higher attitudes, and l
therefore left at this point my KNAPP
sack, containing my raincoat. the re-
mainder of my lunch and few other
incidentals.
Cutting Steps I'm the Ice.
"After leaving the Keyhole the
general direction of the trail was in
dicated by a few cairns, but they
were very scarce. The footprints in
the snow OF a party that had made
the ascent the previous day were OF
considerable assistance and particu-
larry so In the Trough, where found
their steps cut In the ice and crusty
snow. / did not have to cut more
than six or eight steps, and as |
had nothing that could be used for
the purpose except my hunting knife
this was very fortunate.
The ascent from the Keyhole to
the summit required an honr and
thirty minutes. In the Trough i