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The Summit (pg. 3) |
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by Jerry Cates |
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The geological survey medallion shown in the photo below is permanently attached to a boulder at the northeast corner of the summit. This spot is near where the base of a huge, 280 ft. long telescope, with a 16 ft. diameter reflector, once stood. It was, at the time, the most prodigious telescope in the world. At least, that was what Jules Verne's 1866 book, "Earth To The Moon" described as being on the summit of Longs Peak. It was a work of fiction, but the telescope would have fit on the peak, so Verne was right about that...
The eastern edge of the Longs Peak summit is about 150 ft. long, and includes a narrow southward projection at its south end that overlooks the Notch and the Palisades. The fellow from Dallas, in the photo shown two pages back, is sitting in a crotch of this narrow projection. The horizon reaches two-thirds the distance to Kansas. The photo below shows the northeastern corner of the summit. The stack of rocks at left center contains the boulder with the geological survey medallion. The western edge of the summit is about 200 ft. long and overlooks Glacier Gorge and Pagoda Mountain. The western horizon extends about halfway to Utah, but if you look to the northwest, you can see well into Wyoming. I didn't take a photo over the western edge of the summit... Next: The Summit, pg. 4... Longs Peak Menu ... Bugsinthenews ... Books About Longs Peak |
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