The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-10-27
Remote Lakes; Woods, and Mountains OF
"a Maine.
10 the Editor Of the Press:


extended no farther. --s--..------s...---
At this place the swift and noisy Lacawana
stream, (the outletof 0quassnc,) receives the
equally noisy Kenebago, tthe outlet of Lake
Kenebago) andboth journey oni in deep tram
quill river to Cupsuptic Lake, a mile Or so fur
ther down.. fe ovfs ware 30sS 5aS
Indian Rock is but ledge (of mica-sehist)
cropping out some four or five feet above the
surrounding surface, with nothing very notice
able in its appearance. But being at the head
of navigable waters on the river, and at the
termination of the portage, it is q place where
the wanderer would naturally come to a halt
to rest A genuine son of the wild, good
hearted and untiring, G. T. Richardson. by
name, has taken advantage of this fact; and
built him spacious log cabin in the neighbor-
hood, capable OF affording shelter to all who
come and here the sportsman may have his
wild fowl or trout, cooked in the most approx
ed style, the hunter or trapper obtain the SUBJ
stantial yiands which his strong appetite de-
mands-and every conner find thick blanket
and bed Of fragrant henlock beughs to re-
ceiye bis weary limbs, when the adventures OF
and fatigues of The day are over. 49,
Here I saw for the first time the beautiful
spruce partridge in his native haunts; and not
outstanding that the season for the sing
ing Of birds was long past--heard up. the hill
side in the quetude Of departing day, the
clear, low whistle of the white-throated finch
sounding the more plaintive from the alb
sence of all other bird notes. ~ '9e
We hae but an hours time to try our skill
at fishing before the night fell; and on our re-
turn to the log cabin an excellent supper await
ed us and half score Of other sojourners, IN
which the tender meat Of couple Of wild shell
brakes and the juicy flesh Of a noble trout were
scarcely more than "side Dishes" While cup
of delicious tea was not wanting to complete
the arrangements. This attended to, all gath
cred around the fire, which thus early in the
season, was blazing onthes hearth. sHeresthe
successes of the day were discussed; and not
few wonderful stories of former experiences
in fishing fowling, and the capture Of larger
game even, were recounted; while your hum
BILE servant sat back and contemplated the
strange contrasts of figure and face which the
group presented combining asIit did, rapres
sentatives of many conditions ofsoeiety, from.
the smooth-faced, moustaehedlipped young
ster, wandered away from the, haunts of fash
ion, and the sharply -chiseled intellectual line
aments of the student, for the time being alb
juring his books, to the devil-may-care sun
Drowned boatman and river-driver, and the
grizzly bearded trabpef, who had spent his lie
in the wilderness-it was scene such as a
Rembrandt would have delighted to paint.
The morning that followed was as delight
full as earthly mornings can be-the sky blue,
the air soft and balmy, the sunshine shooting
over the hill-teps with golden radiance; while
the waters down the river were so tranquil
thatevety tree, limb, rock and Wild flower
was duplicated therein with marvellous exact
ness. Our chief arrangement tor the day was
the ascent of the lofty mountain called BaGd
Face, which with its lateral ridges elbows
apart the lakes Oquassuc and Moos-le-sne-
gun-tic, and seems the center of the great lake
basin.' Our host had volunteered to 90 with
US, and as soon as,brealdast was over we weref
on board his skiff,-for the most accessible side
of the mountain was from the Moos- le-me4
gun-dc shore, a distance of four or five miles,
and our easiest course to it was by water. A.
pull Of a mile or SO brought us to the mouth
of the river, and.the lone, shadowy Cupsuptic
opened upon our view; and before our eyes
were half satisfied with dwelling on its striking
combination of green islands, unbreken for
ests, rocky bluffs, and hazy mountains, we had
weathered juttiug cape, passed through the
"narrows," and Moos- le-me-gun-tic was rall
before us with its more diversified islands and
promontories, its grander shores, its loftier
groups of mountains, its wider spread of wa
ters-O, how lone, how beautiful No indi-i
cation of the habitation of man, no sign of hui
man industry was within our gaze-llo living
thing but few scattered voiceless water fowl
lowering over the waste in search of their
prey. .kIr SBtAA ali I'll
An hours rowing lit didn't seem to be half
the time1 brought us to asandy. beach at the
foot of the mountain, and securing the boat
toa decaying tree that had been washed on
shore, we at once commenced the ascent.
But will not weary you with uninterest-
Ing details of our experience here. We had
about the same scramble over decaying wind
falls, up slippery sleeps, through brakes and
tangled underground that had experienced
elsewhere in mountain climbing save that the
forest was more open, and the way more d.
rect. And on nearing the summit we were
often brought to a halt, in our admiration of
Enthusiastically shaped, diversified and beautiful
MOSES that clothed the granite lodges. s...4 /.
An hour and halls perseverance brought
us to the mountain top, and to rich reward
for our fatigue in attaining it. have ascend
ed NEST Of the noted mountains in our coun-
try, from Mt. Washington in the North to
Monte Sano in the South, and think that nei-
Their Of them commands panorama Of seen
cry SO grand, varied and beautiful as this
0fall the chain of lakes that feed the sAn-
droscoggin River, Umbagog alone was, hidden
from view. With the sea-.ike Oquassuc at
our back, and Cupsnptic swinging around-the
base of our uplifted standpoint and stretching
away among the hills, on the right,-in front
were the three central links, Moos -le-nie-suntic
Northumberland and 'Winne-kenne-bago
bright with Sunshine, twining away among
the successive mountain buttresses, andforrn-
ing labyrinth of waters that faded in the
purple haze of the mid autumnal morning,
thirty miles distant. On either hand the
mountain battalions, here and there clothed
with the grogeous hues OF autumn, waved
from the lake shores in sublime array, az
Each group seemed to have its central Chief,
towering above the rest Escohosse, bald rat-
ed and hoary, was the monarch of the array
westerly. Bigeloc and Lone Glue DIVIDED
the dominion northward; Saddleback was
satrap ofthe East; and in the South, many
miles away, over five distinct ranges Of eleya-
tons, the White Mountain triunvirate,
Washington Adams and jefferson, towering
and grand. but indistinct asserted their rirl,t