The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-03-01
In cloud Land.

Mount Hood stands about sixSy
miles from the great Pacific, as the
crow hies. and about two hundred miles
up the Columbia RIVER, as it is navfga-
ted. Mount Hood stands utterly alone,
And yet he Is only q brother, q bigger
ana taller brother, Of well ll-raised
family OF seven snow-peaks. y2.f ~,
AT any season Of the year you can
stand on almost any little eminence
within two hundred miles of Mount
Hood and count seven snow.cones.
clai in eternal winter, piercing 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 Washington Territory, vet
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
AEs. they seem to be about twice as
pyramids or cones, they are much more
either Asia or Europe.
But that which adds most of oil to
the beauty and sublimity of the noun
tain scenery Of Mount Hood and his
environs is the marvellous cloud effect
that encompass him.
In the first place, you must under
stand 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,
tamarack, yew, and juniper. Some of
the pines are heavy with great cones as
long as your arms; some of the yew
trees ore scarlet with berries; and now
and then you see n burly juniper bend
ing under q load of blue aud bitter
fruit. And nearly all Of these trees are
mantled in garments OF moss. This
moss trails and swings lazily in the
wind, and sometimes drops to the
length Of hundred feet.
III these great dark forests is dense
undergrowth of vine-maple. hazel,
mountain ash, marsh ash, willow, and
brler bushes, Tangled In with all this
IS the rank and ever-present and i'm
perishable fern.
Up and through ond all over this
darkness Of forests, DRIFT and drag and
lazily creep the most weird and won
derful clouds III this world. They
move in great caravans. They seem
literally to be alive. They rise with
the morning sun, like the countless
millions Of snow-white geese, swans,
and other waterfowl that frequent the
rivers of Oregon, and slowly 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 white rs snow, these clouds
OF Oregon, heecy, and rarely, if ever,
still; constantly moving in contrast
with the black forests, these clouds are
strangely hympatbet,c to one who wor-
ships nature.
Or course, in the rainy season, Which
Is nearly half tile yoar here, these cloud
objects are abscut. At such times the
whole land is one vast rain cloud, dark
mud dreary and full OF thunder.
10 SEQ snow peak in ali its sub
Unity, you must see it above the
clouds. 1t is not necessary that you
should climb the penlk to do this, but
ascend some nelghborlng ill and have
the white clouds creep up or down the
valley, through and over the black for
est, between you and the SNOWY sum-
NIT that pricks the blue home OF stars.
What color! Movement miraculous
life!