New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-08-14
TRAVELS AT HOME.

vi.

week, and a third was almost too much to expect |
At seven, tie mountains 10 front were covered with
heavy layers of cloud, and countenances fell.
went to the back Of the house, and, seeing low, |
Nched gap Of blue sky 10 the west, deooocg WIND
from that quarter, confidently predicted fiue day.
Ladies prepar, for the ascent by taking of hoops,
putting on wooden jackets and old straw hats (hired
Of the porter), and gentlemen by adopting rough,
seryiceabe rig leasing if they did not already pos
sess one.
Eight O'Clock came but the stages had to leave
frst, each accompanied by pathetic farewell from
the band 10 the balcony. For half an hour had
been s,ridpg about in a wooden rdmms, uncomiort-
ably warm, while the other gentlemen luxurlated
in horsemen's boots the ladies kept ther collapsed
skirts out of sight until the last moment. Finally
Nr. Glib, with hst in his hand, took his place,
Eke q mater Of the ring, 10 the midst Of whirl-
pool of rOugh-lOOking horses, and the travellers
Douuted, as their names were calico, the beasts
which he assigned to them. A little confusion cd
sutd SLIGHT shsieks were heard, saddles were ad'
isted, pirths looked after, stirrup-eathers regu-
lated. and then, falling into promseuOus line, we
aefed into the bride-patb, while the band played
"Away to the mountains brow"
We might have been picturesque, but we were
not beautiful company. The ladies resembled
sipsies on the march, wearing the clothes they had
picked up on the way the gentlemen might have
been political refugees just arrived from Europe,
and Lot yet received by the Common COunch OF
Eey.York. The horses were intended by nature
for use rather than orr ament, and our two guides,
In fact were the OILY figures that were ha'd-
anne as well as vastly useful. Accustomed to
walk M and down Mount Washington (nine miles
from Ctayfords to the summit) three or four times
aweek, they had the true ZOuave develoPment7ot
muscle. Tall, strong, tireess, cheerful, hiod
hearted fellows looked on them with pride, and
wished that more Americans were like them 10 the
pos,eaion of such manly qualities One of the Ia
dies my party had never before mounted horse,
and could never have gotten through her first les
son in 60 rough school without their careful tu-
t0rsbp.
Striking into the woods, We began Immediately
to ascend, gently at nnt, until we had scaled the
lower shelf of Mount Clinton, when the ascent be-
came more ste ep and tOilsOme. The road has been
judiciously laid out, and made practicable with
Nons derabe labor The marshy places are cordu
royed with small logs, and the gulleys bridged in
tie tsme manner, so that you pass easily and Sc. |
eurey. deed, nearly half the distance to the |
summit of Mount Clinton-three miles-has been |
paved in this manner. The rains have gradually |
worn the path deeper, and you frequently ride |
between high, mossy banks, bright with flowers |
The oak, BIRCH maple, aud other deciduous trees
become less frequent as you ascend until the forest
consists entirely of fir. The lower boughs have
rotted and dropped off, and the upper ones form
dark roof above your head, while all the ground is
covered with thick growth of immense ferns. A
young tropical wood seems to be spriDgng up I'M |
der the shadow of an Arctic forest Perhaps this |
singular contrast of forms for the fern is Natures
6rst attempt at making palm-tree) explains the
charm of this forest wherein there is no beauty IN
the forms of the trees.
We rode on sseadily-delayed sometimes BY the
guides being obliged to mend his corduroys-fOr
three miles, when the wood, which had been grail
ually becoming more ragged aud stunted, came
rather suddenly to an end, and we found ourselves
on the summit of Mount Clinton, 200 feet above
the sea. Looking to the northward, we saw before |
us the bald, rounded top of Mount Pleasant, about |
five hundred feet higher while beyond gray |
cloud.racb, scuddlDg rapidly from west to east, |
completely bid from view the dome of Mount Wash. |
ingtOn.
To make our position clear must give little |
geography. Mount Washington is the culminatlon |
of connected series of peaks, which have gen. |
eral direction of n. w. and S. L. Mount Web |
ster, which forms one side Of The Notch, Is the |
commencement of this series, as you ascend the |
Ssco Voley. Tten follow Mounts Jackson, Cln- |
ton (Which we have Just surmounted), Pleasant,
Franklin Monroe, and finally Washington, summit |
rising above summit in Titantc steps, from 4,OOO |
until the chieitain attains the browning hight oil |
6,2S5 feet Beyond Mount Washington are the |
peak of Clay, Adams, Jefferson, a.d Madison, all |
Of which exceed 3 900 feet in hight The road from
the Crawford House therefore scales five noun
tains in succession: it is the longest, but by far
the most cOmpensating road to the top OF Mount
Washington. That from the Glen House, at the
eastern base of the mOuntaio, touches no other
peak, which is also the case with the road from
Faby ans, up the valley of the AmmOnOOsuc. Both
the latter, however, are practicable for carriages
about half the way.
The still heat we had felt in the woodland path
suddenly ceased, and a strong wind, chilled by the
elevation of between four and five thousand feet
blew upon us. The ladies were glad to use the
porters rough pea-jackets, and those who were
unaecustomed TO sacdles looked at the blue mouu-
tain CULTS which yawned to the right and left, with
III awful feeling Of apprehension. La the rocky dp