Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-09-22
AVALANCHE LAKE..
Huge Mountain Slide in the Adfron-
Hack Regions.

crevice thousand feet or more in depth.
| precipice walled and gloomy, lies Ava
| Ianche Lake. Though thus sunken be-
| tween Mounts Mcintyre and Golden, Cin-
correctly known rs Mount McMartinl this
lake is the most elevated of any waters in
our state, probably higher than any lake
east of the Pacific ranges-2, 900 feet its
surface is above tide level Deep in the
gloom of those mighty mountains, vet ele-
waited to the regions of nightly frost. this
mountain lake Cittle known and seldom
visited) is famous Not only for its saw
age scenery is it, but for the great trap
dixie, the ingneous Fmelten rock that
cleaves Mount Golden from summit
to base, cutting through il east and
west Once, perhaps, this dixie projected
like wall from the ashen gray hypersthene
granite Of the mountain; now, worn by wa
ter and ice for countless ages, it has beer
sunk hundred feet into the mountain and
the chasn, 40 or 80 feet wide, with angular
blocks Of trap rock, ascending step on step,
seems a giants stairway. The dark cliff
of Mount Golden, its eastern shore, drOps
sheer and perpendicular into the water. As
You look northWard up the lake, Mount
Golden, on your right, seems q bare, ghast-
iy rock. Upward from the precipice to its
summit the steep slope is a. series of naked
granite lodges. Guides viii tell you those
are 'selides, and that that bare and desc
late rock was once covered by another
mountain Of earth, heavily wooded, over
shadowing the lake and deepening the
gloom below; that first here, then there.
loosened by rains and furious storms, piece
by piece the upper mountain slid down, till
little but that CHASTITY naked granite re-
manned. The storms beat upon that in
vain: thew only furowed its cheeks and
gave it dead grimness, dried, q bleached
appearance. Such is Mount Golden.
| Where the Avalanche Lake now is, was
once, perhaps, only 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 ravine. A slide, a
| fearful avalanche, rolled down from Mount
Golden, closed the channel, threw back
the waters, and the lake, avalanche born,
was formed. This was an ancient slide,
surmised of biologists, for no man saw it,
and the trees that grew upon it tell of ages
past. A mountain fell to form it, and fifty
feet above lofty Lake Golden, the new lake
stretched IN frosty glory elevated above all
compeers Such was black Avalanche Lake
the well-named, when geologistl, daring its
Techoing solitude, first reached it, In the
dark chasm Of the mountains was the long
! stiffness following the thunders of the past
DAYS Of avalanches. There is a sketch of
| the trap dixie on the lakes east shore,
as the biologists then saw 1t, in the
State Natu al History. It shows wooded
mountain crest, in the bed of the
dixie itself a growth Of trees or bushes, a
grassy heap of debris at the dixie mouth,
forest covered. A note says, at may
change" True prophecy. About
the middle of August-Iast past [ had
the good fortune to be among the peaks of
the Adirondacks, geologizing. We were
party of three. the state botanist, another
gentleman and myself. Our trip. prospec-
tive, embraced the climbing Of Whiteface
| Qoneliest of those summits) first, and af-
terward in succession the visiting of the
Indian Pass, Adirondack Iron Works, Opa-
lessen River and Lake Golden. from
Lake Golden we were to ascend Tahrwus
or Mt. Marcy-the highest mountain Of
our state-and returning to Lake Golden,
find our way northward to Avalanche Lake;
through if, into the deep forest northward,
back to the settlement from which we orig
inally started.
On Friday, Aug. 20, as We were descend
ing Whiteface, we were caught in a terrible
storm. The rain was like thunder shower
but heavy and continuous-ou experiences,
miserable as they We're, have no place here
EElEU
as had not occurred for very many years,
even there amid the mountains The Au-
/ sable rose above its banks, and yellow and
foaming, dashed all opposition before it At
least one party in the woods came to that
streams bank, and finding it o crazy i'm
passable torrent were compelled to camp
there in the storm, without fire, the long
dark night-before even an attempt could
be made to cross.
The storm delayed us, and it was not till
Monday, the 23d, that we set ont for the
pass. We struck into the woods at
''Blinns, +" and everywhere saw marks of the
recent storm. It was q glorious tramp, for
the sky was bright and clear. We viewed
the WOndrous Adirondack Pass. saw the ice
caVerns, chopped last years ice, gazed up
at lofty Wallface-left the Ausable to des-
| cend the Hudson, and labored on down to
the deserted village Of Adirondack, the Iron
! Works. Three other parties were already
there, come in from other quarters. When,
| after supper, we compared our experiences
and told our destination, what was our as
constituent when we were told that Ava
lanche Lake no longer existed
The thing seemed improbable, impossi-
bic, yet we listened breathlessly to what
the old guide said. 'fWhat had happened?
How was it ? What did he mean !" ''That
last furious storm had done it. Mt. Col
den's summit had Sudden down into the
lake y The trap dixie was all cleaned out
an avalanche, a genuine mighty avalanche
a mountain Of trees, rocks and earth, the
mountain top, had rushed on through and
over it, and budging the lake, and strik-
ing the shanty on the opposite side, and
had dashed it twenty feet up Mt McIn-
tyres slope. The lake was cut in twain.
4ryo LII, 5-,c
from shore to shore, upon the debris. On.
~ one party had seen it, and none as vet
had explored it. This and more we learn
ed in scarce minute.
Avalanche Lake as it once was we couId
not see, but it was no more, and had it
ceased to be =? Did it deserve another name
Doubly appropriate now the old name.
what remains viii be Avalanche Lake for
ever.
The morning Of Aug. q was brilliant,
cloudless Friday, and found us struggling
along the eastern shore of Lake Golden,
around that beautiful lakes northern end. |
into the Avalanche Pass The path was
no path and everything wild and savage to |
the last degree. Up and down, up and |
down, over those messy logs, under these I
fallen trees, holding on to rock or tree as /
you go. Working this wind-slash of tenn
pesI-ieLeu trees, held Dy 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 acking from heavy knapsacls. our first
view, as we cleared the woods, fully repaid
Us.
The early sunlight gildad the cliffs AMI
slopes of Mt. Mcintyre at the west (our
LETT yet Colden's precipice dropped black.
Iy toward the water But what was that
huge mass Of debris, that ragged mass Of
ruins that barred our way northward up
the lake ?The avalanche.
The lake is strewn with floating timber
oarkless, discolored, shiyered; the outlet
where We are is damned with natural
AIT, mesh of fleetwood.
D1sencumbering ourselves OF our packs,
md the Ike W. r,-LsLnl fn1.E-aEl f., a1-n-.n-