The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-02-09
In CLOUD Land.

Mount Hood stands about sixty miles
from the great Pacific, rs the crow lilies,
and about two hundred miles up the
Columbia River, rs it is navigated.
Mount Hood stands utterly alone. And
yet he is only brother. bigger and
taller brother, of well-raised family Of
seven snOw-peaks.
At any season of the year, you can
stand on almost any little cminence
within two hundred miles of Mount
Hood and count seven snow-cones, clad
in eternal winter, piercing the clouds.
There is no scene SO sublime rs this in
all the world.
The mountains of Europe are only
hills in comparison. Although some of
them are quito rs high as those of Ore
gon and Washington 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 Oregon start
up sudden and solitary, and almost out
of the sea, rs it were. So that while
they are really 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 imposing and
beautiful than those of either Asin or
Europe.
But that which adds mostof all to the
beauty and sublmity of the mountain
scenery of Mount Hood and his environs
is the marvellous cloud effects that en-
compass him.
In the first place, YOU must under
stand that all this region here is one
dense black mass of machlcss and mag
| nilicent forests. From the water's edge
up to the snow-linc Chamber and cling
the dark green fir, pine, cedar, tama-
rack, 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 bend
ing under % load of blue and bitter
fruit. And nearly all of these trees are
mantled in garments OF moss. This
moss trails and swings lazlly in the
wind, and sometimes droops TO the
length of 3 hundred feet. ip r.p
In these great dark forests is . dense
underground ofvine-maple, hazel, noun
tain ash, marsh ash. willow aud brier
bushes. Tangled in with all this Is the
rank and ever-present and imperishable
fern. er1 l9i M
! Up and through and over all this
| darkness Of forests. drift andbdrag and
| lazily creep the most weird and wonder
full clouds In all this world. They move
in great caravans. They seem literally
to be alive. They rise with tho morn
ing sun, like the countless millions of
snow-white geese, swans, and other
waterfowl that frequent the rivers of
Oregon, and slowly ascend the noun
tain sides, dragging themselves 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. tp7S a,FF b
They arc white rs snow, these clouds
of Oregon, Heecy, and rarely, il ever,
still; constantly moving in contrast with
the black forests, these clouds are
strangely sympathetic to one who wor-
ships 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 9. snow-peak in all its sublimity
! You must see it above the clouds. 1t Is
not necessary that you should climb the
peak to do this, but ascend some neigh
boring hill and have the white clouds
creep up or down the valley, through
and over the black forest, between you
and the snowy summit that pricks the
blue nome of stars. What color Move
ment! Miraculous life!--Jooquin Miller,
IN 81. Nicholas for February.