Higher and higher; the great chasm below grew almost a mile deeper. On
one side there were masses of square rock which looked like they were
broken by human hands. Here, far above timber line, a variety of wild
flowers blossomed, while among the rocks lived some of the strangest
little animals, the whistling marmot, a fur animal about the size of an
overgrown cat, and the peka, which has the legs of a rabbit and the head
of a mountain rat; there were also minks, weasels, porcupines and
mountain rats.
At the summit was where the magnificence of the great panorama burst
upon our view. Northward, away down on the bluish haze of the horizon,
rose the Arapahoe peaks--Long and Grey’s Peak, with their white summits
glistening in the setting sun. Northwest, Mt. Massive and Mt. Sheridan
were outlined against the clear blue sky, while the green sward of the
famous South Park, a hundred miles distant, lay between. College Range,
Mt. Yale, Mt. Princeton, Mt. Ouray and Cavenaugh reared their rugged
heads far to the west, while green mountain ranges of lesser note lay
half way between them.
Far to the southwest, far as the eye could reach, faintly outlined
against the sky, rose the snowy peaks of the Sangre de Christo and
Sierra Blanco Mountains on the other side of the grand San Luis Valley.
Looking to the south, were the Spanish Peaks and range of Greenhorn
Mountains, and a little to the southeast rose the snow-capped Gloriettas
on the borders of New Mexico.
To the east, lay the mighty plains, stretching away to where the blue of
the sky blended in coppery tones with the billowy green.
There were dark spots here and there that were dense forests of pine.
The cloud banners hung above, in all the gorgeous colors of sunset in
crimson, purple and gold.
A dark shadow crept out upon the plain toward the east, like the finger
of a mighty giant. It moved rapidly along, covering the yellow sand
lines that mark the course of old river beds, and finally, this shadow
of Pike’s Peak was covered by the shadows of other mountains lower down,
until the plain was shrouded in the sable garb of eventide.
But westward, the gold and crimson of the sky lingered long above the
distant peak of Mt. Ouray. The purple haze grew denser, and the silence
of the hour was made more solemn by the mountains standing out in dark
silhouette as the shadows of the night grew deeper and denser.
At such a time as this, one feels as though he stood upon the boundary
of another world, while all about the wide white waste and hush of
space, eternity and the infinite were calling to other glories, too
great for the understanding of the human mind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account