Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1876-08-02
Huckleberrying in Oregon.

We expect that a great many of the
bright-eyed girls and boys who read this
have gone huckleberrying more than once ;
yet it may be that some do not know
much about the berries and the woods on
the mountains of ftr-away Oregon, and
we shall tell what a party of us saw and
did. If you will look on the northeastern
portion of the map of Oregon you will
find the Blue Mountains, and there is where
we went to get berries and to enjoy our
selves We were staying with some
friends in the valley, near the foot of the
mountains, and rs we wished to have Il
pleasant time and not tcel hurried, we took
provisions with Us SO that we might camp
in the mountains, under the trees, unless
we found the hut of some woodsman. OF
course it does not take Il great variety of
food to supply campers for Il few days.
One thing not to be forgotten was Il coffee
pot and Il good allowance Of ground cof-
fee. Next was bread; but rs We preferred
real camp-life we took the flour and some
self-rising powders and two frying pans,
or, is Wood>men and soldiers say. "spi-
ders' We meant to make and bake our
own bread, and time will show that we
did. Then we shoudcr,d our blankets,
took our buckets. gun, ti>hny-linrs. hatch
ct and nat ches. and started out in the cool
of the morning, four lively, healthy bows.
for Il long tramp up the mountains Four
or 1--we miles does not seem far, vet going
up was hard work Many times we rest
rd on the grass where lovely flowers
bloomcd, and looked down into the valley
below ut waving fields of grain, or far be-
yohd us to the snowy peaks of some dis
tant ranges of mountains. Again. us we
assembled, we looked down into some deep
canyon. ana saw the glittering stream, or
We admired the groves of evergreen, on
| The scopes Of the mountains. beautiful
trees. that are rarely seen in the East, ex-
rcpt rs ornamental trees. grow here bv
thousands. At last we were on the sum
NIT, and where the Lerrics grew in album
dance. Here hy the side Of Il spring Of
pure cold water, we ate It neon lunch
which We brought with Us. for we knew
We should be too tired to cook any dinner.
1t seemed to Us that the very air of the
! mounttin> and the perfume Of evergreen,
made Us hungry. After dinner We drew
lots to see who should be cook first All
were to take turns, Yet no one wished the
inst trl'l. Tom drew the longest stick.
and had the longest face, too. for three of
Us were To 20 tur berries, while he WAS toI
make Il camp, get supper, and gather wood
Tor line evening fire, when We were to tell
our adventures
re WI 4 good hearted boy of seventeen.
ana hr soon went to work to make Il rood
ca'np. First Ii" cleared the ground near
/ large fallen tirtrrr; then wi h his ht.ch- I
ct cut two forks and drove them into the
ground. about ten feet from the lo,: mex,
he laii pol,. from each fork 70 the lor:
then some pole, the other way. 50 that thu,
frame Of the camp was about ten feet lone
ana eight feet wide. With the hltchct he
soon had limbs enough To cover it an to
set against the two sides. The log pro
teclcd one end. and the utlIr~ end WAS left
open. that the campers might r,~t on the
bed OF rVrrgrtrn~ ana look ont ana enjoy
II" r.'np ilrr winch WIS To- be near hv
Tom had everything about The ctinp ready
"ri"r" II WAS TIME 10 begin upper. ana he
snoIIra of toward The sound of IN AK.
II" i"u1! tW" men At work. making rails
Tor the farmers in the valley They had a
I"g-Aui. and lived FIR weeks in the IN ,un-
t tin~. Tom saw that the best rails were
Of rcl ilr and tnmori X, or lrr-h He
lo"hI many trees were stripped of their
Ian X. especially red iir. ana thtt tn : btlh
W. Used in tt'- tann"ry below. In, other
r"''~ that he ~lW were Whit, fir. spruce.
or't'r. leW> pine an m.pr and tir beau
II .i m"2nt1u-a~h- lie soon Wont buck
t" 'Ir camp ana gan supper. He put l
on thr ratlra-pnt. fl Of cool >pny-wl
ter. Then be- N 10 mix The bread aud soon
h'i 1t re- tIN t,'r the : ~niler> He made.
I into round lit cahc~. and put one in
each " spider. th.n * one end IF III,
pms "n the ground before the fire. and
pr"r9rd ihrm up by plttiny sticks through
the h'nd''~. one end Of The ti.ll resting