JAN. 27, 1906.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 



matic of violent deaths which have overtaken the 
unwary traveler in his ascent on this side of the 
mountain. Several Indians also have met their 
death here through carelessness in riding down 
on their mats and, unable to avoid the rocks, 
being dashed to pieces. 
Dismounting from our jaded horses we began 
the ascent on foot. In about ten minutes we dis- 
carded our overcoats, and, alpenstock in hand, 
slowly and carefully placed our feet in the toe 
steps made by the alpenstock of the preceding 
guides. 
Our upward course was zig-zag, as a perpen- 
dicular of 60 degrees was frequently overcome. 
As our ascent was on the northwestern side, a 
misstep here and the loss of foothold would pre- 
cipitate the climber to the pines in the valley be- 
low, a distance of seven miles. 
Some time after leaving our horses I noticed 
vegetation partly covered with snow and ashes. 
Owen, in his map of Mexico, has cited authori- 
ties who place the limit of pines at 3,830 metres, 
and vegetation at 3,870 metres; but I am very 
sure I saw quantities of grass one hour after 
leaving the pines 500 metres below. The authori- 
ties cited by Owen must have made the ascent in 
April and May, for then the snow comes down 
to the rancho and would cover up even part of 
the pines. 
When about an hour on the foot ascent one of 
our party collapsed, and no amount of persua- 
sion would induce him to continue; so we left 
him in charge of one of the guides and he re- 
turned below as best he could. 
The side we chose for our ascent gives the 
shortest route, and also the most perilous. We 
only got the guides to take us that way by extra’ 
persuading. I have made the ascent of Mont 
Blane in Switzerland, and the great Chimborazo 
in Ecuador, the latter taking five days; but I 
have found none so dangerous as this. No one 
realized the danger, as none fell; had anyone 
fallen his remains perhaps would have been re- 
covered seven miles below. In the summer, 
when the snow is soft, this is comparatively an 
easy ascent, as has been proven by the number 
of people who have made it. Then a fall would 
be difficult and one would only slide two or 
three yards before stopping. 
POPOCATEPETL. 
The X X indicate horse limit. The lines show routes of ascent to crater and summit. 
The day was beautifully clear—one great ad- 
vantage at this season—and in our pauses to re- 
cover breath we could look upon the valleys of 
Mexico and Puebla spread at our feet like a 
panorama, giving us almost a birdseye view. 
I was getting very tired, and had I not made 
a boast of seeing the tipmost top in all prob- 
ability I should have deferred my visit to an- 
other time. The view upward gave us a constant 
horizon, so we could not tell how far we were 
from the crater. Our guides said we would soon 
be there. At this time two more of our party 
were about to give it up. I shouted to them the 
cheering news and they made another effort. A 
few more stops to breathe and I was startled by 
a shout above, and glancing upward saw Mr. 
Kelley disappear ahead of his guide, then the 
guide was lost to view. I then put on a spurt 
and joined them on the verge of the crater. It 
was then 11:30; we had been on the ice from 
the time of leaving the horses just three hours; 
and there we stood, 17,830 feet above the sea. 
The view that spread before us can be seen 
but once in a lifetime, and the feeling of exhilar- 
ation almost made one feel immortal. We could 
distinctly see the City of Mexico and the subur- 
ban villages of Tacubaya, Mixcoac, Santa Anita, 
Halpam and Guadalupe, and the lakes of Chalco 
and Texcoco; in the valley of Puebla we could 
plainly see the city of Puebla. and the pyramid 
of Cholula, and toward the northeast Apizaco 
on the Mexico & Vera Cruz Railway, was plainly 
visible. 
In my former mountain ascents we had never 
obtained such views of the surrounding country, 
for the peaks were always enveloped in mists, 
and the same can be said of Papocatepetl nine 
months in the year. 
Havine with us a photographic apparatus we 
proceeded to obtain a view. For this purpose 
set out for the tipmost top with my guide and 
there remained while a view looking up from 
the crater was taken. This view, as well as oth- 
ers taken from beyond the rancho, and a group 
taken at it are the first photographs ever made 
of this historical voleano. I accompany the view 
taken from an eminence looking down at the 
rancho and showing the volcano, The red lines 
show where we ascended and the black where we 
descended. Another view from the crater to the 
top of the volcano. 
On our arrival at the summit we had a 
“spread.” I think it a great mistake to eat any- 
thing whatever, as I, for one, paid the penalty 
in about half an hour. I had all the experience 
of seasickness, with vomiting; and a persistent 
sick headache remained with me until the de- 
scent. ; 
After two hours passed on the summit we be- 
gan the descent. This is pleasant when the snow 
is soft, for you simply sit behind a guide who 
has brought a mat for the purpose, and you go 
down as if you were coasting. This is not on 
the side where the ascent is made, for that 1s 
tco steep. but down the side where you see the 
tracery in black ink on the photograph. Now, 
however, we were compelled to descend as we 
had ascended, very cautiously, and step by step. 
In about twenty minutes we came to the lava or 
sand beds, when our descent was more rapid, as 
each step carried us about eight feet. 
The horses were on the way to meet us as we 
came to the Cruces, and I joyfully hailed my old 
dun who had carried me up in the morning. Mr. 
Kelley preferred to foot it, and did so, beating 
us to the rancho by at least twenty minutes. The 
whole descent was accomplished in two hours 
and a half. 
We now had another night at the rancho, and 
our troubles being over, we could feast a little; 
so Kelley brought forth his double-action grid- 
iron and the tenderloin steak that we had laid 
in, with other substantials and delicacies. We 
found that we were not so much fatigued as we 
had been on many tramps after hare and grouse. 
Our New York friends, though new to “rough- 
ing it,’ made a short apprenticeship, and when 
they returned to Ameca would readily have been 
taken for old prospectors. 
Once more the relief guard was arranged, and 
we repaired to our couches. After a much more 
pleasant night than the first, we rose about 7 
o’clock and set out on our return to the City of 
Mexico. 
Popocatepetl has erroneously been supposed 
the highest but one of the American volcanos. 
It is in fact the fourth, as the peak of Orizaba, 
though not officially recorded, has taken third 
