Pueblo chieftain., 1922-03-12
Two EXPLORERS
ON HIGH PEAKS
IN MlDWlVIER
of the Strange
Sights and Silences
AT Tunberline !

There arc thousands Of squar"
miles of the highest mountain ridges
and peaks where there is no presence
of mankind through the long arcno
period from October to May or even
TIL June. After the close Of the
brief deer hunt late in tho fall that
lofty wilderness is utterly deserted.
To reach 1t requires a most arduous
and exhausting climb. there arc no
pecuniary inducements. no accommo-
dations or shelter. only vast success
sion of silent yet sublime novelties
Yet a trip OF that kind was made
last month by two Grand junction
men, animated only by the Joy OF ad-
venture. the lure of exploration. They
are Whipple Y. Chester. good writer
and George P. Murphy. an assis.ane
In the local weather bureau ofiice:
Mr.. Chester weighs 201 pounds ana
Murphy 174. so they were not ideal
figures for snow-shoe travel. They
headed for the solitudes around Lake
Enoch, 90 miles south Of Grand juno
ton They travelled with team A.
far as the Fleming ranch at tho foot
of Jacobs Ladder. Starting up this
mountain they found the snow to
inches deep.
The first sketch Of Mr. Chester's
contributions in the Grand Junction
gle up to 5000 feet. part of the time
buffeted by n 3o-mile gale. part by
n furious blast OF sleety snow. In his
third letter Mr.. Chester says:
The sudden boom which startled
the writer was caused by tho setting
of a tremendous field OF snow. 1t was
almost like the sound OF an earth
quake or distant bombardment. and
the first report OF its kind had ever
heard on any OF my snowshoeing
trips. When I again met George
around tho hill no reported having
We kept doggedly on our way. In q
hurry TO get to Encch's resort and
found the e'scenery growing more beau
;iful every step. The snow was uni
formIy four feet deep nt his place
and only here and there were the tops
Of tho fence posts visible. and tho
wires or fence rails. as tho case hap
pcned to be at various places. were
covered almost entirely save wher"
the wind had whipped out little
hollow to show that tho fencs really
existed.
Tho landscape was 40 different
from the summer view that It was
hard TO recognize the place. sunrise
peak, to tho north of Enoch's, was tho
most familiar object. Bear mountain.
thru the falling snow. We trud9ed on.
getting some handsome snow PIC
lures.
At 1880 we arrived At tho Enoch'"
lake resort We found only five cab
ms left. of nil that used to be there.
and every one was n wreck. windows
stolen. floors uprootcd. and In ono in
stance tho roof cavcd. Vandals he'd
done their work thoroly but tho beau
tiful snow had so covered the ugly
scars that the scene was ono OF calm
ness and rcpose. The whole resor.
was In brenthlcss sleep and not =
twiS seemed to be stirring. The wind
was not felt in tho hollow around tn"
cabins and tho softly falling flakes
filtered thru tho golden light from
the cold clouds above. thru which the
sun was trying to send cheer and
light. His lack of success made trav-
cling less painful to tho vision A. the
light was not nearly so binding As
when the sun shines mcrcilessly on
tho snow.
We visited nil of tbs cabins ana
deep in tho open all around them.
Tho trip from hero to tho lake itself
was brief. on the icy covered pond
the snow was being swirled by
strong wind and on the north side OF
the dam. which holds back tho lake
waters. was n huge drift Tho writer
looked at the great. eSpanss OF snow
buried ice and thought OF talking
once with r. A. Rice. who said years
ago he used to Gu. hay on the mea-
dow that is now tho bottom of tho
lake. This was. of course, long be-
fore the lake was formed
The snow was only four TO SIX inch
cs deep on top OF the ice and was not
driftcd. The wind carried all the sur
behind this carthwork, 10 to - feet
deep.
CONTINUED on Mex. paRAN