New-York tribune., 1873-07-26
IN THE ADIRONDACKS.
MORNING IN THE WOODS.

MORNING IN THE WOODS.
PEACEFUL AND UNBRoKEN soLHUDE-Two VISITS Al
AN INTERVAL OF NEARLY THIRTY YEARs-LTTTLE
CHANGE WROUGHT IN THE WILDERNESS.
TFRoM OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBUNt'I
LOWER SARANAC LAKE, AdirOndacks, July
IA steady drive all day yesterday brought me TO the
end OF the road and now must take 10 the boat III
was delicious this morning to stop out on the shore ana
drink in the pure mountain afr Of this elevated region as
IL comes down the lake loaded with the 0dOrs OF the Tor
est Morning I'm the woods how tranquil 1t s In New
York the stages and and marketwagons have com
menced running, and men are hurrylng 10
and fro and great city ia waking mp from its short
sluber till the island trembles under the rush ana roar
Of wheels aud engnery and tread Of But here not
sound dlsturbs the stiffness Wooded points push out
into water far as the eye can reach green ISLANDS
dot the sufaco on which not living thing is floating
save ono red squirrel, which is swimming
across the lake for better forage. leaving
delicate wake behind him. Right opposite me-
on tho farther shore sits heron on a tall
dry stub and baldheaded eagle close beneath him on
broken limb, both SILENT still. and grave, as though
medltatng on the mutations Of time Everywhere Is ma
ture as God has made It. Over lake and mountain bend
the blue heavens which the white fragmeDtary
clouds 20 azy troopng disappearing one by one over
the green SUBMITS like early visions, into the
realms OF the unknown
It now more than quarter of a century-nearly 30
yearsnoe first penetrated this wilderness, aud wrote
letters from 1t TO TIE TRIBUNE, by which public aten
ton was frst drawn TO this then terra Incognita'
The same i'll health that drove me abroad sent Inc into
the country and TO outdoor life. had no intention OF
going TO the Adirondack regOn-in fact knew nothing
about it, nor did the general public designed to keep
among the streams the outskirts but meeting
man who was going into the wilderness in search OF
tracts Of pine timber for the purpose OF speculation
determined TO accompany him. In this purely incidental
way did first become acquainted with this almost un-
trodden wid and THE TRIBUNE laid open TO the public
From that time the stream Of tourists has been ncreas
ing every year. till thousands 20 over the ground theh
| trayersed with Indian well remember how inter-
esed Mr. Greeley was in the description Of that wilder
moss comprising territory nearly large as the state
lying in the very heart oil the En-
pre state. lie wanted TO know ITS capacity for agrlcu
tura purposes its probable mineral resources, accesS
bity, and everything about it, This Is the history oil
tho beginning OF that Interest In the great NOrtner
wilderness which is now so general.
More than a quarter OF century ago! II startes me
as sit here on this beautiful morning. and look OH on
this enchanting scene. What dead hopes and buried
friends and shattered idols lie aongits track How the
past comes thronging back like dimly remembered
| dreams. Thought crowds on thought, and sad memo
ries minge in the solemn gathering, till could weep
over the long ago, gone to return no more forever
| Then BIr Greeley and were young men together TO-
day stand on the borders OF this vast VIII
! erness while he has gone But this long period ol
nearly 80 years has wrought little change IN the
Wilderness the great change is in the ways and means
of getting into it, and the number Of people that visit IT,
When went in then there no roads to that great
central line OF water communication, composed OF the
Rlquette River and Ihs lakes that are strung along 1t
long Lake, IN the very heart of this region, was 5O
miles distant from the last settlement and the only acces
sble point, except foot took horses and followed
the highway till it ended in lumber road ana Kept OIL
lii this dwinded TO "a bride-path, which IN turn
became a blind trail, indicated by bazed trees. From
early morn TIL night OF long July day we passed on II
single file through the great silent forest ana at las
found ourselves before knew It, on tho lake shore
Nothing could be in direction but woods, ex
cent directly opposite, single clearing and log hui
greeted our vision. After hal00ing while BOY put Oh
| in boat and rowed across We were compelled 10 cut
grass in the mems single meadow and row 1t over FOR
the horses which had TO stable there overnight IL
the woods The next morning swan them across the
lake. where they could be cared for while we made ouE
| explorations IN boats. Now, there are more than
| half dozen ways Of getting into this region anl
scarcely day passes that you do not see saratog'
trunks passing into encampments euyened By the pres
| ence Of ladies.