Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-08-04
Seventeen Days on the Win0Oski River, Lakes
Champlaln and George.
METHuEN. Mass. July

e Down here in the old Z" Bay State'' We ha
5 conceived the project of navigating tn
e winding course of Winoosk's rapid stream
and then the lakes as far as Caldwell. N
: Y, and return. We arrived at Montpelie
by rail at 43O p. m, and speedily Launched
E our craft upon the sinuous course of the
, beautiful stone" river. Near Montpelier
d splendid champaign country skirts tn,
, foothills of the Green Mountain range
. forest succeeds field, and many fertile farms
lie costly nestled at their base. With cur
rubber aprons tucked around as. each
stroke of our ashen paddle blades cut the
transparent waters into little gurgling ed
dies, that gllnted in our track and we
( sped onward with q novel velocity TO our
camping ground. The river flows on with
nolseless current save where the liquid sur
face breaks over the shingiy reaches the
sound comes family, almost dreamily, upon
the ear at first, like some wild. weird music,
but as the canoes near the rapids the waters
are iretted into a thousand dancing, snowy
waves, and natures song here pours her
wantOn tribute. OF such scenes met at
every bend Of this glistening stream words
are but faint tokens-they must be seen to
be admired-harmonize with the whole
nature to be understood in all their
significance, drank in to be appro-
clated. As We approached Mddlesex the
hills rise suddenly from the burrows OF the
winding river and the rapids are found in
quick succession. Yet all along this spark
ing, viyacious stream are quiet pools, dim
pled rarely by the leap Of some spOrtlve
hsh, that bespeak serenity and grave de-
meanor oddly enough at variance with the
gleotul river. An illustration might be
drawn from this As we lost sight OF the
sun and the shades OF evening came silently
stealing upon Us, we drew up our canoes.
Undine and Stormy Petrel, on the sandy
shore Of an island, mile or two distant
from the village and in close proximity to
beautiful fall of water. Here we pitched
our tent. collected driltwood for fire and
made tea for an evening meal. We were
| very pleasantly situated, with the opening
OF our tent facing down river and the rail-
road on our right, and We could watch the
trains a they went laundering past. No
vampire mosquitoes banished sleep from
our eyehds, Yet the drowsy goddess courted
Us ia vain. There was witchery in the
soft blue sky, pebbly with unnumbered
stars that drove slumber into corner.
Then Reverie her throne could hold
! With undisputed sway;
And Fancy 5 sion penetrate
To Burlinston's .air bay.
At length we yielded to fatigue. and, with
| our campfire brightly burning, We slept
TIL the morning light was streaming in
upon US. After breskfastirg we passed the
fall, sharp descent of about four feet.
formed by the last spring flood. and pad
/ died to the village, where We spent the fore.
noon at the house of a friend and in view
ing MiddleseI Narrows. Just above the
NarroWs there Is picturesque fall over
which the waters plunge into a rock bound
basin below, when the river contracts 10 I
mere but tumultuous thread, and makes a
swift, angry passage between the adaman-
tine walls. 1t was quite surprising that We
heard Of no tragic story Of an Indian maid
en-. connecting her fate with these eternal
cliffs; hut We contented ourselves with the
conclusion that perhaps such despalrlng,
, dusky maid had never discovered what
nice place. for suicide this would be. And
yet there is an indescribsble exhilaration
glowing within one that tempts bin, he
gazas brace of hundred feet beneath TO
leap into the roaring torrent
Middle.ex has 4 small village with a
few country stores and postofice, but Is
evidently thrifty and honest. The water
supply obtained from mountain springs Is
brought across the river in iron uhes, clear,
cold and sparkling. Mddlesex Narrows is
only second TO Bolton Falls in wild AMI
impressive scenery and both would afford
some magnificent stereoscopic views. Ar
tist and explorer need 90 hand in hand
pen and pencil to combine their skill and
still without seli-knOW ledge the whole is
but dream and not a living picture. At
about two p. IN, We had carried by and
were entering some of the most charming
scenery that borders on the stream. Shoot
ing rapid, We came suddenly upon 4 SOL
emn stiffness whore dark. deep green mass
of waters lay enclosed by gigantic walls
that Iutted out in angles and lowered far
above our heads. One huge slab Of slate
rock seemed ready to detach itself and fall
with 9 terrible crash upon our frall barks
beneath. and | verify believe that an iron
bar in the hands of a man of ordinary
strength, with fair leverage. could have
caused the whole mass weighing scores of
tons to come numbering down upon Us.
In the crevIces OF the rock grow the dwarf
ed beech and cedar and ! noticed some hare 1
bells nodding their delicate heads over the
brink, and that the very birds were voice /
less here. We fingered awhile IN this Sc
questered spot and then piled the paddle /
Tor distance of twenty-eight miles Our |
route was now for a few miles through q I
more open country the sweet smell Of /
new-mown bay deliciously f0ated about Us
and cows lazllY drank or stood in wonder /
at the quaint craft gliding by Them. As 1
We progressed the character Of the region |
rapidly changed. the place of meadows be- |
ing usurped by rugged hills and noun
taIns; sheep were seen brousing on the |
nearest slope and the bald, majestic peak, |
known as Camel's Hump loomed up like |
some grim sentinel. All along the base of |
this uneven territory, the rapids became |
more frequent, dashing and furious and the |
DO Of n I'll - oh sa4isr
lost in the white-heads of angry torrents. |
About four O'Clock the sky thiekened with
clouds and it rained smartly the remainder
of the day-the usual termination of the |
4" Glorious Fourth However, we were in
for it and never succumbed till the night
was nigh at hand. Darkness found US
snugly slowed around the cheerful fire of
an annual friend and hot supper in pre-
paration for US. That night we slept on q
bed, the only one during our trip except at
Burlington on our return. The driving
rain kept US waketul awhile and then We
dropped off into slumber as sweet as 1t
was refreshing. Daybreak found US stir
ring. We viewed the sun climb the orient
hills and breathed of the robust mountain
air. Ii the ladies desire better oxygen,
let them come up here and inhale an atmOs-
phere born of the mountains. that will fan
roses into pallid cheeks, and let Centennial
go. The morning meal disposed of we
sauntered out TO see the rain-drops tremb-
ling and sparkling on the pendant grasses.
Camel's Hump had been freshly washed,
his lineaments were frightened in the sun
shine, his furrowed head capped by heecy
cloud Ii is astonishing how long it takes
for one little Cloud to pass over the summit
of this mountain. There is magnetic
power about the Hump that rivets the
clouds there for hours and sometimes for
days together. The remainder of the fore
noon We applied in visiting Bolton Falls,
situated just within the edge of Waterbury.
There is nothing along the rivers course to
equal this. A wild, laundering cataract
tears over precipice and along through
narrow gorge, twisting and whirling
against the chasn's solid sides. Circular
holes had been worn BY the action of high
waters in the rock where we were standing;
in one of which | stood imprisoned to my
very chin. while another | sought to probe
with stick eight feet in length and failed.
These would make good coffee pots for the
Titsns. provided a big fire could be made
underneath. On the opposite side there
are three or four quite extensive caverns,
but time denied US an exploration. Before
leaving we hurled log over the crags. a
fierce suction Of the waters caused it to dis
appear and an undercurrent bore it many
yards before it again became visible. Not
one chance in a hundred for man to come
out alive. There must be grandeur here
when the spring floods come, the dense
robes of snow melt down the shaggy cliffs
and the gorge is choked with ice.
Bnt when the summer heats have dried
The rushing, fOaming. seething tide,
There still remains enough Of power
For admiration every hour.
After dinner we made the portage of the
Falls and lett these delightful regions with
regret. There is one peculiar charm about the
WInooski-it is ever changing-no weari-
some monotony, but rich and glowing
contrast at every turn. so we swept on for