The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-07-24

name OF w nllLler. 90 simple yet BLAuu
memorial Of his character and gentub visi
mostftting. Long nnay,it keep hh dear
memory green. Only think, II may have
been a middle aged tree In Chaucer's
time
Before we LEFT the haunted forest, we
were conducted by our peasant guide to
a high, beetllng cliff, q fayorite perch, Of
Biefstadts, from which we had an en-.
chanting view Of the lovely MERGED Val.
ley, with Emerald.green meadows and
waters flashing 10 the sun, and what q
setting were the mountains for the won.
drous pictured IN
Early the next morning ne were mount
cd Midway eager for the Yosemite ~
reluctantly taking leave Of our hosts,
Clark & Moore, both very interesting men,
mountaineers Of the best type, and their
kindly household. Mr.. Moore walked
out with Us some little distance and
blessed Us, with his pleasant blue eyes, a. |,
he said good.by. g
Perhaps It Is well that I feel the impos.
slbilIty Of describing that days journey
the wild and constantly varying scenery,
the strange shrubs and flowers, the rocky
sleeps, the mountain torrents, the snow
banks, the boys, over which led our mar.
row trail, the heaven OF blue deeps and
heecy clouds far above rs, the half way.
heaven Of snowy beakS and shining domeS.
1t was a wondrous day to live and to re.
member. 'EH ~
As we logged along, single file, we
formed an odd but not very picturesque
procession Still, we had our dash Of
color, one bright graceful object in our
moving picture. A lady Of our party, q
fair young girl from Boston, was charm
ingly dressed fur eject Snfones no dim
woods and gray. rocks. ! ! Her lshost 70
semitic suit was black, trimmed with
scarlet, long scarlet sash falling at the
left side; to her straw hat was attached
blue, floating vail; her long, bounteous
golden hair, all her own, Tell in heavy
trails, tied with blue ribbons. Mounted
on white horse, riding with quiet grace,
she was perpetual delight TO the eye,
quite Illuminating our dull cayalcsde.
We found our guide-Peter Gordon, at
your service la remarkably agreeable
young man-modest but not aYerse to i'm.
parting information. l kept near him
most Of the time plying him with ques.
tions. His patience was also severely
tried by our pack.mnle, diminutive ant.
NAL, so built on and about by valises,
and bundles, that OF the orig.
inal structure only four slender piers and
two terreB were visible from the rear, at
least. The poor brute had mild, melan.
choly face, but was Of perverse and cratic
tendencies. He seized upon every oppor.
tunity TO leave the trail and go off pros.
pecting. When brought back, by shouts
and blows, TO the path of rectitude and
the Yosemite, his countensnce always
wore touching look of humility and
penitence that seemed 80 say:
"Pronc to wander, lord feel it."
We dined, and dined sumptuously, at
Paragoy's, the new halfway house, sat
under the pines, in the greenest Of noun
tain meadows, with melting SHOWS and
rushing streams about 1t, and grand white
headed mountains above it. think tour.
lists, for whom the delay is possible,
should spend the night here and 90 into
the valley in the morning.
Only a few miles from Paragoy's, and
We were on Inspiration Point, looking
down on the mighty Mecca ofour pilgrim.
age-on awful depth and vastness,
welded to unimagined brightness and
loveliness-a sight that appalled,, while It
attracted a sublime terror; a beautiful
abyss, the valley OF The shadow Of God
ltseemed to me as I gazed that here
was natures last, most cunning hiding
place for her utmost sublimi6es, her
rarest splendors. Here she kdlWorked
her diyinest miracles, with water and
sun.light-lake, river, cataract, cascade,
spray, mist and rainbows by the thou
sand. TWAS but q little strip of smiling
earth to look down on, after all-but ah
the stupendousness Of its surroundings
There were arched and pillared rocks, 80
massive, so immense, It seemed they
might have formed the foundation.walis
Of CONTINENT domes so vast, they
seemed like young worlds, rounding out
Of chaos.
The trail down from Inspiration Point
Is steep, rough and somewhat perilous for
inexperienced riders, but prefer It, for
its variety and cool, shRdowy places, to
the shorter new trail by Glacier Point,
which Is wide, even, tmonotonously good,
and almost without shade. On our way
doFn our guide pointed out to us q large
hollow tree fitted up with modern con.
yeniences, in which q real hermit had
kept house for some years. Disappointed
in love or politics, he retired from the
world TO this rather public spot, when,
finally, he died by his own hand. He
lelta large trunk, but with little in it..
This trail enters the valley near the
Bridal Vail. Beautiful Pohono had
dressed herself royalty in rainbOws to re.
ceiye US. The sight Of this fall, in the
height Of its summer glory, and the sur.
passing loneliness Of the valley through
all the five miles that remained for us TO
ride, charmed away our fatigue and re-
stored us toyigor and gsyety. We ford.
ed countless streams, cold as snow and
bright as sunshine: we passed through
forests Of blooming azsleas and sweet wild
roses and wondrous ferns, grand natural
parks of oak and cedar, groves and ave.
nues Of locusts and pines-indeed, Of all
sorts Of trees for the variety Of foliage in
the valley Is wonderful. Much OF the
way we rode along the rapid MERGED,
pushed on by catarscts-a passionate,
threatening stream. We readily recog.
nized all the great rocks from Watkins
magnificent photographs-the Sentinel,
the Three Graces, the Cathedral Spires,
the Three Brothers, and Fl Captain, bluff
and lordly, shouldering his way to the
front. At the second hotel-Black's-
dear friends ran out to meet US with a Joy.
Gus greeting, and we felt at home even
before we reached our pleasant quarters
at the Hutchings House and received from
MIR. Hutchings the hearty, happy welcome
he so well knows how to give.