Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-08-13

1 ne Othcr part OF tnc ascent, from tne nun
Way House to the Summit House, is easily
traversed by horses with riders. Only few
rods Of even this part of the road is so rough
as TO require more than ordinary care on the
part Of the rider. We left our horse at the
barn Of the last inhabitant, and performed the
entire journey on foot, but had there been la
dies in our company, VIC should have driven
to the Halfway House, and then procured
sde-saddles for them to ride to the summit.
We reached the Halfway House about olev-
en- o'clock, and called for dinner. In about
thirty minutes we sat down to the table, and
partook Of as good dinner as can be pro-
cured at any public house. We had brolod
beef-steak, potatoes, corn bread, wheat bread.
raspberry and apple pie, cake and cookies,
with tea and coffee, preserves and sauces to
match. Judge Putnam remarked that this
was certainly high living in every sense Of the
word. The Halfway and Summit Houses
are both kept, the present season. by d. S.
Lathrop, who was formerly in the Mansfield
House in the village. The two Hotels in the
village, the Mansfield House and Union Hall,
are kept by the two gentlemanly and expert
enced landlords, George and \. r. Raymond,
who are brothers
After dinner VIC proceeded in the ascent,
and about one o'clock reached the Summit
House. Here we found ten or a dozen Jolly
young men engaged in removing the Summit
House 90 a more desirable location than it
has hitherto occupied. 1t was erected at
first to the south Of the "Noso,' at the place
where it joins with the Forehead about in
the "Old Mans" right eye. This point is
about eighty rods from the tip Of the "Noso, 30
and people, to reach the tip from the Summit
House had to proceed up along the ridge
towards the north. Those who remained over
night for the purpose Of seeing the sun rise
from the mountains. and enabling them to
take the tour TO the Chin with less fatigue,
complained that it was rather too hard iaunt
to 60 eighty or a hundred rods and back be-
fore breakfast. And for this reason the house
has beeen taken down and carried round to
the north end of the Nose" and erected
very near to it, on the Upper Lip" SO that
the walk before breakfast now to the tip will
be only about two hundred feet This ascent
is made by passing round 20 the west side
and going up pretty steep activity, which,
however is sufficiently jagged to furnish
convenient steps and stairs. The Summit
House is framed building, 20 feet by 40, and
it is a matter Of no little surprise to strangers
how so much lumber has been carried to this
prodigously high point The clapboards
were carried up on horseback, by suspending
large bundles on each side. The larger
boards are carried in rather a novel way
Two long poles are attached to the horse like
thills at one end. while the others are allowed
to drag upon the ground. A cross-bar is
bound on to them few feet from the end,
and to this the boards are fastened at one end
and allowed to drag at the other. The larger
timbors are saaked One Of the young mon
boosted that his horse had "snaked" eight
sticks. 26 feet long and inches square, over
the eighty rods from the old site to the now
in one day. The house is now ready again,
and provided with beds and provisions in
abundance.
From this point we proceeded next to the
"Chin," about two miles, over a not difficult
and most of the way level path. From the
Chin we could see nearly the entire length
Of Lake Champain, the White Mountains in
New Hampshire and the Adirondac in New
York, while the broad oxpanse of hill and
valley that lay expanded out before us in our
own State was most lovely and delightful 60
behold. After we had devoted as much time
as was consistent to this beautiful scene we
returned TO the Nose and thence by the
road TO the Halfway House, where we took
tea and then proceeded down the mountain,
and reached the quiet village of Stowe, six
miles from the base, about sun-set.
Jude Putnam expressed the fullest salts
faction with the days journey, and remarked
that his auticipatons of the pleasure of tour
TO the mountains had been much more than
realized. r. l.. p.