Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-09-15
A Four Hundred Miles Walk by Six
Girls,

Laurenourg, where their walk ends.
They are all well and in good spirits,
and. though much sunbuIned, are as
comedy a set of lady pedestrians as ever
undertook long tramp. They started
In the neighborhood of Hendersonville
nearly month ago upon what was re-
garded Oy their friends as foolish
scheme to walk over North Carolina
ana see the principal points of interest
III the STATE and TO pay special attention
to the mountains. Three of the girls
were at school when the project was
first agreed upon. and the other three
who agreed to join them were friends.
They made all their arrangements for
the proposed journey as quietly as pos
sible. for they knew attempts would be
made to dissuade them from the under
taking. Their friends were taken COM
pieteiy by surprise when they were told
put day or two before the commence
ment OF the walk of the intention to
tramp over the State without any es-
cort. 10 the suggestions that going
alone and with no one to protect them
they would subject themselves to insult.
they replied that they were willing to
make the attempt, and they syerred to-
Gay that from first to last they had
never received one rude word or rough
jest from any one, their only grievances
being shat once or twice some, persons
OF their sex attempted to prevent them
from continuing their walk by charac-
terlzing such an undertaking as immod-
est and Hnladylike. One old lady of
Tered to- be their chaperone if they per-
| sisted iD their purpose. but the would
be chaperOre wanted to go in a. buggy,
and when she learned that they expect
ed to tramp over mountains wherethere
were no roads, she backed QUIT al
though they mischievously gave her
an invitation to join. On the. first
week of their "trip they suffered much
from exhaustion, and the Youngest and
frallest of the. party, Miss Murdockr
had TO stop and rest by reason, OF
severely-blistered feet. 1t was feared
that she would have to abandon the.
trip, but she pushed on nobly, and after
the eighth. day she began to gain
strength, and is now one of the health
lest of the fair tramps. Her weight
when she started was but ninety-two
pounds, and she turned the scales to-
day at 103 pounds. All save two of the
walkers fattened after the first week,
while two who were inclined to obesity
were pulled down twelve and eighteen j
pounds. Their record shows that they
made APO miles,. They started out with
the expectation of making between 500
and 600. Each walker wore a pair of
red-leather walking-shoes, and wore
short walking-dresses and carried
strong stats in their hands and KNAPP
sacks upon their. shoulders, in which
were packed hammocks and other
necessary articles. They also wore
very brOad-brimmed hats, which, how
ever, do not seem to have protected
their compilations, for they are all
burned brown. Two of the parties
carried pistols to protect them from &C
cldental incursiOns of wildcats and
bears. Much of the time they slept in
the open air in their hammocks under
canvas coverlets,. which were used to
shield them from heavy dews and rain.
One night, nrdayS ago, experimenting
severe storm, they camped in grave
yard and slept between the graves. |
Another night, ini the mountains, they
were thrown into CONSERVATION by the |
appearance of a'bear, but the beast be-
ing as frightened as they were, fed
Without offering to modest them. |
In the mountains they were
in great terror of rattle-snakes,
but did not encounter any of |
the reptiles Along their route they
were treated, kindly, many of the hos
pitable farmers entertaining them, bnt |
they Stunned notoriety and avoided all
the towns andNillages, frequently going
some distance out of their way rather |
than meet crowds. A novel feature of |
their undertaking was the keeping of
what they calledl their log book. In
fIo % H.; 4
adventures>wera. kept, each taking herr
turn. The book, contains / ,246 closely /
written pages Although FREQUENTLY
offered vehicles, they always declined,
saying that they started with the deter
mination of walking. They spent three
days in exploring the celebrated Bald
Mountains whose, mysterious rumblingsl
some years ago,cpeated so much excite. /
ment. They not only made the diffics,t
ascent to the top. but went into one. of
the crevices, which they examined mi
nutely, with the aim of discovering
what caused the. strange sounds In the
interior. The novel "Trip of the six
young ladies has been much talked
about, but as, they had avoided the
crowded thoroughfares they were igno-
rant of the interest taken in them, and
were much astonishcd and slightly in
suited when, they learned that bets. had
been made by certain sporting, men
that they would not make four hundred
miles in the month. The parties are
modest and shun notoriety. They aver
they end the trip now because. three of
their number will begin their school
days early in September, but they assert
their determination to walk; over the
unexplored portion of the State next
summer. They leave to morrow by rail
for their homes, near Hendersonvilie.
Monroe en-. c. Cor. Chicago, Tynses.