Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 186, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1910 — IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

AFTER sitting over a desk eleven months without a moment’s respite, I- knew , that I must have some diversion from my unremitting toil; in fact a vacation was imperative, and I determined to get out at once. • My mecca was and ever will be the White mountains, and to their peaceful, rest-' ful solitude I fled, taking with me only a short skirt, sweater and heavy boots for mountain climbing. My funds would not permit me to locate at even the smaller hotels, and hearing of a quiet farmhouse in the town of Kearsarge, I secured board and settled down for the time of my life. Although very tired and weary from my long Journey, I awoke next morning bright and early, refreshed and ready for mountain climbing, for it must be remembered that the invigorating air of old New Hampshire hills has a sudden as well as permanent effect. I did. Kearsarge easily, a steady climb of three miles, hard miles, too, but well worth the effort when one considers the delightful view awaiting the climber —Portland harbor, Poland springs, Songo river, Sebago lake and many other smaller lakes in Maine. The day was intensely clear, and we had no difficulty in discerning people moving about on Mount Washington—could even distinguish men from women. A house on top of the mountain affords shelter if one cares to stop over night to see the sun rise, and food is also obtainable at the same shack.

After a day and night on Kearsarge, we (I say we, for I met most delightful people imaginable at the farmhouse), planned to have a quiet day with only a short walk, and after a late breakfast went to Mount Surprise, less than a mile, which, in climbing, seems little more than a hilL But on reaching the summit behold the splendor of it all! The magnificent view is one long to be remembered; the Presidential range, with old Mount Washington the banner peak, plainly in the distance presents a picture not easily described. The awful grandeur of those gigantic monuments that have stood for centuries. In sharp contrast to the peaceful valley below, dotted with its little hamlets, forms a spectacle that any words of mine would be utterly inadequate to portray. Loth to leave 'this glorious scene, we descended the mountain and made for the Cathedral woods near by, and there in the heat of the day we were in the most beautiful pine woods in New England, the tall and stately monarchs standing in row resembling the pillars of a cathedral, hence the name. Surely this was a haven of rest for a weary body, and a tired brain; rustic seats, the most luxurious carpet of pine needles, the gentle yet constant murmur of the swaying pines and the never-ending notes of the songbirds. It seemed like a spot enchanted, where we should speak and move reverently. Reluctantly we left this seemingly hallowed wood, resolving to spend as many hourß there as our limited time would permit. Then a day was reserved for a visit to Bretton woods, over the Maine Central railroad, through the famous Crawford Notch, a trip cannot be excelled in grandeur east of the Rockies. This stony pass was discovered in 1772 by a hunter named Nash, and in 1803 a road was made through the Notoh as far as Bartlett at a cost of $40,000, one of the most daring ventures ever conceived by man. Upon entering the lower gateway of the Notch, <?n the right is to be seen Mount Webster with its slide-torn sides, on the left Mount Willey ascending abruptly from the forest, and In front Mount Willard with its tinted cliffs. I shall not attempt to describe the solemn majesty of those mountains. each grander than the ntiww because of some particular charm of its own. As the train, climbing upward, winds around Mount Willey, clinging to the stupendous cliffs, an excellent view is afforded of the old Willey house site, a long yellow barn being the only landmark left to tell the tale of long ago. In 1793 the old Willey house was built, and in 1826 Samuel Willey, Jr., resided there with his family, and at this hospitable board .traders passing through the Notch were housed and also fed. in the middle of August the same year there | w«* 9 terrific rainfall, and owing to

the intense heat and dry weather which had prevailed, the ground was baked to a powder, and when the: awful avalanche of earth and rock became loosened, it came down with terrific force, sweeping everything in its course. The slide started from Mount Willey in a fearful mountain storm during the night, at just 'what hour no one will ever know. It is evident that the terrified family foresaw the appalling danger that menaced them, for they fled for their lives to the open and were never again seen alive. - The finding of the bodies revealed but too plainly the fact that they had been swallowed up by the avalanche. Three miles farther on is the Crawford house, charmingly situated and homelike, with broad verandas, delightful walks and drives, and affording an excellent view of the Notch. As the train moves on, now on a downward grade, we are accorded a fine view of the new Mount Washington house, one-quarter mile to the right, on Hie Maine Central. This collossal structure, a veritable palace, is thtf most magnificent inland hotel in New England, a little city in Itself, unique in its appointments, being equipped with millinery, gents’ furnishing goods departments, etc. There is alsd a stock exchange connected with Wall street, and not a little anxiety was apparent on the faces of some of the men who watched the man with the chalk. The hotel has a capacity for accommodating 1,200 guests, and though built but three yeare, the managers have found it necessary to build greater. As we walked down “Millionaire- Row” with its exquisite furnishings, listening to the sweet strains of the orchestra, we realized fully the power of mammon. ' A few more puffs of the fron horse, and we are in close proximity to the Mount Pleasant house, one of the most popular hotels in the mountains. Here we have a superb view of the Mount Washington railway, the trains being distinctly visible. The train is now moving on a downward grade of 80 feet to the mile, and before we realize it we are at the picturesque Fabyan house, from which point we boarded the observation car for the base of Mount Washington, where we were transferred to a .coach, with the engine in the rear, and step by step we climbed Jacob's Ladder, a distance of three miles, with an average grade of 1,300 feet to the mile, requiring one and one-half hours to reach the summit. On Its most for* mldable grade, 1,980 feet to the mile, the ascent is slow and the engine breathes hard. The change in the atmosphere was very perceptible—lt was cold as November.

After a few days’ sightseeing around Kearsarge, interspersed with five and ten-mile walks, for everybody walks in the mountains, we took advantage of the celebrated drives known as the Dundee drive. White Horse ledge, Diana’s Bath, Bartlett bowlder, etc. The time was nearing when I must retrace my way homeward, and I had not seen the cardinal wonder of the New Hampshire highlands—the “Old Man of the Mountain.” Getting the party together again at the farmhouse, we again went to Fabyans, where we connected with the Boston ft Maine for Littleton, one of the cleanest, most beautiful towns in the Granite state, and from here drove to Franconia Notch where is to be seen the most sublime and imposing spectacle that greets the eye in any part of the White mountain system. No words can describe, no language can depict the awful grandeur,, the Ineffable beauty of that scene. The autumn sun was slowly setting and Its last rays lent a softness to that old stone face that will ever Huger to my memory. The sunlight and shadows of a closing day lay softly and peacefully on Lafayette and Cannon mountains, reflecting their gorgeous splendor in the silvery lake beneath, while that face, almost human in expression, 1,200 feet above tbe base of Mount Caanon, as though guarding the little summer cob city below, appeared to Invite oneandl all to tarry and rest. - The last few days had revealed n-uch of beauty, but nothing comparable with this. It was wonderful, entrancing, awful, In its Imposing magnificence, and that glorious picture will ever appeal to mt as being one of the grandest and best of God’s handiwork* Helen b. trash ■ ■ >