Connecticut western news., 1879-08-06
SaEc'S Rnvine.

fields to the ambitious and gives health to the sick. One ot the most charming sections of our country is that of the Berkshire hills within radius of 10 or l5 miles around the quiet, old-fashioned town of Canaan, Conn. For persons who prefer healtk peace, cool ness magnificent scenery and low prices to the unhealthy excitement and exhorbi. tant charges of fashionable watering places, the Berkshires have few equals and no supe. riors. There are scores of places within Q few miles of Canaan any one of which wonld amply repay even special journey to them alone from New York or Boston. One of the number is Sages Ravine, deep gorge in the mountains on the west side of the Housatonic Valley. On the 1st of August, a day when the mercury was in the nineties in New York, the writer found himself one of jolly party of twenty, collected from States all the way from Name to Kansas, ready to take an early start from Canaan for drive to the Ravine, 10 miles away. Although the sun flooded hill and valley with a flood of liz ht, there was e cool, refreshing breeze blowing that filled our lungs and made the party rather hilarious. Everything at last settled, the signal was giv. en and we rolled off through the broad, shady main street into the beautiful valley. First we rode through great fields of oats and corn glowing in the sun, then we plunged into dense woods which seemed almost like night in contrast with the road running through c tunnel formed by the archng trees and sqlir. rels and ght-plumaged birds jumping and flying from branch to branch next we come out high on hillside, with an orchard of gnarled apple trees nearly an hundred years old above us; below us the fields of ripened grain in the valley, while the whir of reapers
 is borne to us on the breeze like the lazy hum of some insect; now we wind down by de- grees and glide along the grassy road and stop for cold drink at the moss-c6vered we'll of an old New England homestead, with it's door in the centre open and great wide hall running through the house, with winding stair running up to cobwebbed garrett above filled with relics and curiosities of @ bygone age, and doors leading into rooms with great fire-places and huge beams running across the low ceilings; windows with small panes shad ed outside by morning glories aud honey suckles; in the corner of the hall we can see the old-fashioned clock standing solemnly in the corner under the porch outside are an old gray-haired couple who smile pleasantly on the young folks in the wagons. This ia the spot towards which the thoughts of the young man bending over desk in the great feverish city arc ever turning; out in some hot, gravely canon of the West weary gold. seeker is longing for a drink out of this moss. covered bucket we, now hold. We are of
 
 dozen generations of the family in the old house lie side by side. We roll lower down into the valley, and after passing around the side of a wooded hill we come suddenly upon one of the lovliest sheets of water in the coun- try, Lake Washinee, some miles in circum- ference with great hills on all sides, a long, densely wooded island dividing it nearly in two and the great round-topped Mount Ever cit rising grandly up few miles, north. Now we rise once more on the hills and have @ magnificent view of Washinee and catch a glimpse of it's sister lake, Washining, over the ridge to the south; and now down for the last time into the valley we make directly for the Ravine in the mountains which loom high above us in the west. We pass over rustic bridges and see near by cows standing under dropping willows knee deep in the cool brook. After a short climb up the road on the west ern slope, we leave the road and dive through bars into field and strike the Bavine at the timber line. We drive through the trail in the thick woods, brushing aside the bushes as we pass up the mountain si1e, following the course of the torrent, till finally the gorge narrows till there is only room for the bed of the torrent, where we alight, and d1eaving some of the older people to take care of the baskets, etc., the young folks begin the climb. From this point up the brook is a succession of rap ids and falls, the mountain rising hundreds of feet upon both sides, mostly at, a very steep angle, sometimes for a hundred feet or moro vertical and in some places oyerhanging sew eral feet. The trees overarch cQmpletely sel- dom permitting glimpse of, thes and mak- ing sort of half twilight in the ravine be- meath. The path up the gorge is of the rough est description climbing over. fallen trees and stumps, sliding down rocks, holding on to roots and bushes and clefts in the rock as we nroo o loJ n foxy s,,,,k xvt1 the brook foaming far belowyns, now down to the bed of the stream again and then up 60 or 60 feet at an angle of sixty degrees, hold ing on tooth and nail to the trees growing in the crevices. Although the wayis very rough,
 if visitors will only wear old clothes that they are not afraid of soling, its difficulties are on. ly pleasure. Finally, after one. more severe climb, we are on spur of rock at bend in the torrent and have Q magnificent view of the main falls in two parts, together about 76 or 80 feet The cliffs here rise perpendicu- larly or nearly so for a hundred feet or more. The water has worn dark caves tn the sides and sullen holes in its bed in which it eddies, and the scene is one of the widest and most beautiful in the country. The, trees still unite overhead and strong cold breeze sweeps down the canon making the enjoyment com plete. Most of the party remain here, but two or three of tho more adventurous, includ- mg young lady, essay the difficult task of reaching the top of the. falls. Although the way below was rough, this climb was far more difficult and dangerous l can compare 1t to nothing except tree toad climbing the side of tree the parties hanging in some places by strength of arm and in others crawling on hands and knees on shelves of rock with the pools far below, but when the point between the falls was reached they were amply repaid. I box Io.x, VI 1,. the extreme, while the upper falls plunged over the cliff above into deep; dark pool with overhanging rocks, and after eddying, took one more leap onto the rocks beneath. The spray from tho falls enveloped us and we could sec the segment of rainbow on the opposite side of the falls. From here another , climb, the hardest of all, took us to the top, where we could see brooks coming down the ravine in a leafy tunnel, cascade after cascade, from right on the mountain side where 1t rises in lake. The journey had made all hands hungry, so after hard scrambling we all sat around flat rocks lower down in the ravine andenjoyed Q bountifullunchswth voracious appetite, and the wind rustAng the boughs overhead and making the air fresh and de- lightful.
 The afternoon was pleasantly passed in va- rious ways-reading, playing games, jumping from rock to rock in the stream, strolling thro' the wild woodland paths, while some preferred the luxury of doing nothing2and it wos avery pleasant occupation-listening to the music of tho waters, and drinking in the cool, moist, sweet air. At o'clock we started pp the fe- turn trip, and emerging from the shades into the warm glow of the afternoon sun, we took road running along the hills on the west, looking north, up the beautiful valley of the Housatonic, with it's farms and factories, and here and there white church Rpire rising above the green trees, showing where soln6 quiet villace lay. We drove between the Twin Lakes, and through the Camp Meeting ground With it's pretty cottages arranged in . circle in the dense Pine Grove with the Taber- nacle in the centre then on. the home drive in tha rrln1u nf