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Subject: Mearl Hatten climbs Pike's Peak, Colorado, in 1905.
Date: 12 Apr 2004 14:03:08 -0600

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Surnames: Hatten
Classification: Biography

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http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ok.2ADE/3294

Message Board Post:

THE FREMONT COUNTY HERALD. July 4, 1905. "CLIMBS TO TOP OF PIKE'S PEAK".--Colorado Springs, Colo. June 26, 1905:

Editor Herald: "Agreeable to promise I send you a few lines. Last week we decided to climb Pike's Peak, so on Saturday afternoon after donning proper apparel we started. We took a car to Manitou and arrived there at 2:30. At 2:45 we started for the Peak via the cog line tracks.

"Although it was pretty hard walking we made good time and reached the half-way house, which in reality is only about one-third of the way up, at 4:10. We had coffee and milk to wash down our lunch here, and I spilled ten cents of coffee on myself.

"After resting about three-quarters of an hour we resumed our climb and in a short time met the train coming down. I took a picture of it but I haven't had it finished yet so I do not know how it will be. We plodded on and soon met a party coming down; there was woman and two men and they were about "all in". A little further on we met two fellows, one had eaten a sardine sandwich at the summit and that with the exertion and the high altitude had made him deathly sick.

"Here some fellows passed us going down, they had gloves and balanced themselves on a flat rock which they had placed on the rail; it certainly beat walking. On a little further we caught up with a young fellow whose partner had gotten disgusted, turned around and went back. He went on with us and at 6:40 we passed timber line, we had reached snow quite a while before and had had our first June snow fight.

A terrific wind was blowing and it was cold as winter, which in fact it was where we were, the snow being six and eight feet high on both sides of the track, but we kept a "goin' ". About this time my hat blew off and I had a hard chase across the mountain after it. There was stone house close by and some girls clapped their hands when they saw me returning with the rescured hat. They gave us the cheeeful information that the Peak was only two miles further on.

"We plodded on and 7:30 we reached a house filled with sacks of cement. The door was open and we went in, out of the wind. After a ten minute rest, we started on and by frequent rests and hard climbing we reached the summitt house at 8:40. We rested about half an hour and then started back right in the teeth of an ice gale. Coming down we met five different parties and one man all going up for the sunrise. There was one party, Englishmen, one had on a straw hat and among other questions wanted to know if it was jolly cold on the Peak, and said the climb was "jolly 'ard hon me."

" At 1:30 we reached Manitou, too late for a car to the Springs, so there was nothing for it but walk a distance of about eight miles. We reached home at 5 a.m., tired? (Oh, no?) and footsore.

"I only vomited once during the trip but with that exception, I stood the trip fine and beyond a few sore places am feeling fine today."--MEARL HATTEN.

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