Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-09-22
AVALANCHE LAKE.
A Huge Mountaila Slide In the Adfron-
dack Regions.

FROM the Albany Evening Journal, Sept IL.
Between two of the highest of the Ad
rondack Mountains, at the bottom of q
creyice a thousand feet or more in depth,
precipice walled and gloomy, lies Ava
ianche Lake. Though thus sunken be-
tween Mounts Mcintyre and Golden, Gn-
correctly known as Mount McMartin) this
lake Is the most elevated of any waters III
our state, probably higher than any lake
east of the Pacific ranges 900 feet It's
surface is above tide level. Deep III the
gloom of those mighty mountains, yet Gle
waited to the regions of nightly frost, this
mountain lake little known and seldom
yisited) is famous. Not only for ITS saw
age scenery is il, but for the great trap
dixie, the ingneous smelten rock that
cleayes Mount Golden from summit
TO base, cutting through IL east and
west. Once, perhaps, this dixie projected
like wall from the ashsn gray hypersthene
granite of the mountain; now, worn by wa
ter and ice for countless ages, ii has been
sunk a hundred feet into the mountain, and
the clasm. 10 or 80 feet wide, with angular
blocks Of trap rock, ascending step on step,
seems a giants stairway. The dark cliff
of .Iount Golden, IT'S eastern shore. drops
sheer and perpendicular into the water. As
YOU look northward up the lake, Mount
Golden, on your right, seems bara. ghast-
Nv rock. Upward from the precipice To ITS
summit the steep slope is a series of naked
,.r,uiio hedges. Guides viii tel You those
are slides" and that that bare ana desc
laia rock was once covered by another
mouctain of earth, heavily wooded, over
Swallowing the lake and deepening the
Gloom below; that first here, then there,
loosened hy rains and furious storms, piece
by piece the upper mountain slid down, till
little hut that CHASTITY naked granite re-
manned The storms beat upon that IN
vnin; they only furrowed its checks and
gave IL IA dead grimness, dried, a bleSched
appearance Such is Mount Golden.
Where the Avalanche Lake now is, was
once. perhaps, onlya deep pass, though
some hold that it and Lake Golden, at the
south of IT. were once one sheet. or at least
connected by deep Tayine. ~ slide, a
fearful avalanche. rolled down from Mount
Golden closed tIi3 channel, threw back
Che waters, and the lake, avalanche born,
was formed This WAS an ancient slide,
surmised of BIOLOGISTS. for no man saw 1T,
and the trees thet grew upon it tell of ages
past. A mou' ain fell Ia form it, and fifty
feet above L. lake Golden, the new lake
stretched il sty glory elevated above MI
compeers. Such was black Avalanche Lake
the well-lamed, when geoiogIsts. daring us
echoing s"hirde, first reached IL la the
dark chasm If the mountains was the long
stiffness following the thunders OF the past
DAYS of avalanchcs There Is sketch ol
| the imp dixie on the lakes east shore,
as the biologists then saw 1t, In the
State Natural History. IL shows wooded
mountain crest, in The bed Of the
/ n It,a n
grassy heap of debris 1T tho ,iiko mouth
forest covered. A note says, sit may
change" True prophecy. Abou
the middle of AucUst-last past-l has
the good fortune to 100 among the peaks @
the Adirendacks, geologizing. We were q
partv of three. the state boianist, another
gentleman and myself Our trip. pIospec
tive embraced the climbing Of Whitehead
(loneliest of those summits) first. and az
tarward in succession the visiting Of the
Indian Pass, Adirondack Iron Works, Opa
llesean River and Lake Golden From
Lake Golden we were to ascend Tahrwu'
or Mt Marcy the highest mountain o
our statc-and returning To Lake Golden
find our way northward to Avalanche Lake
through ii, into the deep forest northward
back to the settlement from which we orig
inally started.
On Friday, Aug. 30, as Wa were descend
ing Whiteface, We were caught in terrible
storm. The rain was like a thunder shower
but heavy and continuous our experiences
miserable as they were, have no place her
l--suflice it to say TINT the storm was sucl
as had not occurred for very many years
even there amid the mountains. The An
sable rose above it's banks, and yellow an,
foaming, dashed all opposition before it A
least one party in the woods came to tina
streams bank. and finding it a crazy i'm
passable torrent, were compelled to CAM
there in the storm, without fire, the Ion!
dark 1,ight-before even an attempt coul,
be made TO cross.
The storm delayed us, and it was not I'll
Monday, the 23d. that We set ont for tn
pass. We struck into the woods "a
'.Blinn's, and everywhere saw marks of tn
recent storm. 1t was glorious tramp, fo
the sky was bright and clear. We viewed
the wondrous Adirondack Pass, saw the ic,
cayerns, chopped last years ice, gazed VI
at lofty Wallface-left the Ausable to DIES
eend the Hudson, and labored ON down Il
the deserted village of Adirondack, the Iroi
Works. Three other parties were alread,
there, come in from other quarters. When
after supper, we compared our experiences
constituent when we were told that Ava
lanclle Lake no longer existed!
The thing seemed improbable, impossi
bile. yet we listened breathlessly to wha
the old guide said. '.Wha1 had happened
How was il ? What did he mean y ''Ths,
last furious Storm hal done ii. Mt. Col
denis summit had Sudden down into tn,
lake !" The trap dixie was all cleaned on
an avalanche, q genuine mighty avalanch,
a mountain of trees, rocks and earth, til,
mountain top, had rushed on through anC
over it, and budging the lake, and strik
ing the shanty on the opposite side, ane
had dashed ii twenty feet mp Mt. McIn
tyres slope. The lake was cut III twain
two lakes instead of one. One might eros,
from shore To shore, upon the dtlris. On
| w one party had seen it, and none as vel
had explored it, This and more We learn
eel i'm scarce n minute.
Avalanche Lake as IL once was We could
not see, but IL was no more, and had il
ceased to bo Did il deserve another name
Doubly 'pprepri:lte now the old name.
what rel Iains will be Avalanche lake for.
| ever
The forming Of Aug. % was brilliant,
cloudless Friday, and found as struggling
along II q eastern shore of Lake Golden,
AROUND that beantiiut lake northern end,
into the Avalanche Pass. The path was
no path. and everything wild and savage 10
the last degree. Up and down. up aud
down. over those messy logs, under these
fallen trees holding ON to rock or tree as
you go. Working this wind-slash of tenn
pest-felled trees, held by your torn cloth
ing, and by your heavy knapsack, leaping
eight or ten feet down from betwixt the
rocks, thus you reach Avalanche lake
Though breathless and weary, with Shout
ders aeking from heavy knapsacks. our first
view, Az We cleared the woods, fully repaid
us.
The early sunlight gilled tho cliffs and
slopes of Mt Mcintyre st the west (our
left yet Colden's precipice dropped black
ly toward the water. But what was that
huge mass of Debris. that ragged mass of
ruins that barred our way ncrthward. up