, 1922-11-30

cier combined. This park is perched on the Con-
tinental Divide and contains 81 named mountains
over 10000 feet, of which 10 are over 1900 feet.
Fixes Peak Q4155). a hundred miles to the
south or Longs. is probably the best-known noun
tam In the world, inasmuch as more than three
million people have assembled it by cogroad and
automobile highway. On some days more people
stand on Its summit than ascend Longs all sum-
mer. That Is a part of the glory of Longs-to the
emu OF time man Will have to climb with hand and
foot to gain Its summit. And compared with the
King of the Rockies Pixies Peak Is a shapeless
bulk of rock
Professor Alexander Is sure of immortal fame
among out-of-doors people. He Is assistant pro-
lessor of mathematics in Princeton university. He
Is forty years Of age. a six-footer of 1856 pounds.
Professor Alexander started alone from Chasm
Lake In the morning. He surmounted the re-
mains OF the ancient glacier by cutting 20 steps In
the Ice. This brought him to the foot of the preci-
pice at eleven O'Clock. The dotted line shows
approximately his way up. He worked to the
south. making his way up wherever he could find
breaks In the rocks and could utilize chimneys.
His devious course led him under The Notch.
Many times farther progress seemed impossible.
Twice he was In danger from falling rocks. And
a mistake at any stage would have meant death.
He gained The Summit to the right of The Notch
at 2:2O p. m- wrote his nam In the register and
descended by the regular trail.
The difficulty of the ascent may be Judged by
the fact that pretty much everybody thought
Professor Alexander was romancing or had been
overcome by "altltude"-which In the Rockies
covers mere sins than charity.
Professor Alexander made answer the next day
by taking with him Jack Moomaw, the Hewes-
Kirkwood ranch guide. and repeating the feat.
And still the doubling Thomases were many.
In the meantime news of the feat had spread
and seven members OF the Colorado Mountain cIub
were on hand to attempt the ascent the third day:
Carl A. Blaurock. Dudley L. Smith, Frank Scbir-
mer. Herbert Whitman, Hermann Buhl-and Mrs
RuhI They fOund Alaxondartu lfftIn .G.. 49,.
followed his route almost exactly. Blaurock md
Buhl headed and ended the party, which used n
stout rope. The ascent took nine hours and the
party did not reach The Summit till seven o'clock
and dusk. And the skeptics were all converted.
(Nesot-tayah) is what the Arann,oes
called Longs Peak before the coming OF the white
man-from the Plains Longs and Meeker appear
a double peak. Lieut.. z. NJ. pike, u. s. A.. for
whom Pixies Peak is named. put Longs on the
map In 1905 as the Great Peak. Col. s. II. Long
U. s. A, next saw II in 1919 and gave IL his name
William N. Byers. founder of the Rocky Noun.
tain News OF Denver. made the first attempt to
ascend Longs In 1854. lie published n prediction
that no man would ever stand on Its summit.
Four years later he proved himself a better noun.
taineer than prophet by leading a party of seven
TO The Summit. Former Judge L. W. KepIinrer-
one OF Sherman's "Bummers' on the march from
Atlanta TO the sea" and now prncticinQ Inv in
Kansas City, Kan.-was the man who found n
difficult and dangerous way up to The Summit,
from Wild Basin ION the south) through the gorge
that runs up to The Notch. Fifty years later
looking up at Longs from Tahosa Valley, he said:
Il am the last survivor OF the seven that made
the first ascent OF Longs on the morning Of Au-
gust %, 1868. And sometimes I feel as lonesome
MS l did the afternoon before when | clung TO the
wall OF The Notch, looking ~fearfuliy up at The
Summit Just above me and no less ~fenrfully down
over the way I had climbed. A full mile below
me lay Tahosn Valley and Estes Park. Something
like 2,400 feet of precipice ran almost straight
down TO Chnsm Lake. II was late In the after
noon. l couldn't go ahead and Il didn't seem pos
sible to go back. Well. II WINS n long and tough
job. ! was so late In getting down that the boys