Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-02-02
In CInmh Land.

Mount Hood stands about sixty miles from
the great Pacific as the crow flies and about
two hundred miles up the Columbia river, as
it is navigated. Mount Hood stands utterly
alone. And yet be is only brother, bigger
and taller brother, of we'll raised family of
seven snow-peaks.
At any season of the year, you can stand
on almost any little eminence within two
hundred miles of Mount Hood and count sew
en- snow-cones, clad in eternal winter, pierre
ing the clouds. There is no scene so sublime
as this in all the world.
The mountains Of Europe are only hills in
comparison. Although some of them are
quite as high as those of Oregon and Wash
ington Territory, yet they lie far inland, and
are SO set on the top of other hills that they
lose much of their majesty. Those of Ore
gon start up sudden and solitary, and almost
out of the sea, as it were. So that while they
are really not much higher than the mountain
peaks of the Alps, they seem to be about
twice as high And being all in the form of
pyramids or cones, they are much more i'm
posing and beautiful than those of either Asia
or Europe.
But that which adds most of all TO the beau
ty and sublimty of the mountain scenery of
Mount Hood and his environs is the marve-
lous cloud effects that encompass him.
In the first place, you must understand that
all this region here is one dense black mass of
matchless and magnificent forests. From
the waters edge up to the snow line Chamber
and cling the dark green fir, pine, cedar, tam
arack yew and juniper. Some of the pines
are heavy with great cones as long as your
arms some of the yew trees are scarlet with
berries and now and then you see burly
juniper bending under load of blue and Bit
ter fruit. And nearly all of these trees are
mantled in garments of moss. This moss
trails and swings lazily in the wind, and some-
times droops to the length of hundred feet.
In these great dark forests is dense under
growth of vine-maple, hazel mountain ash,
marsh ash, willow, and brier bushes. Tang
led in with all this is the rank and ever-pres-
ent and imperishable fern.
Up and through and over all this darkness
of forests, drift and drag and lazily creep the
most weird and wonderful clouds in all this
world. They move in great caravans. They
seem literally to be alive. They rise with the
morning sum- like the countless millions of
snow-white geese, swans, and other water
| fowl that frequent rivers of Oregon, and slow
ly ascend the mountain sides. dragging them
selves through and over the tops of the trees,
! heading straight for the sea- or lowering
about the mountain peaks, like mighty white
winged birds weary of flight and wanting to
rest.
They are as white as snow, these clouds of
Oregon, fleecy, and rarely, if ever, still con-
stantly moving in contrast with the black
forests, these clouds are strangely sympathet-
| ic to one who worships nature.
OF course, in the rainy season, which is
nearly half the year here, these cloud effects
are absent. At such times the whole land is
one vast rain-cloud, dark and dreary and full
| of thunder.
To see a snow-peak in all its sublimity, you
must see it above the clouds. 1t is not nee
essary that you should climb the peak to do
this, but ascend some neighboring hill and
have the white clouds creep up or down the
valley, through and over the black forest, be-
tween you and the snowy summit that pricks
| the blue home of stars. What color move
ment miraculous life .-Jodquin Miller, in
| 50. Nicholas for February.