The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-04-03
In Cloud land.

Mount Hood stands about sixty milesT
from the great Pacific, as the crow flies,
and about TWO hundred miles up the Co.
lumbia River, as 1t is navlgated. Mount
Hood stands utterly alone. And yet he is
only brother, a bigger and smaller broth.
er, of well-raised family of seven suow-
peaks. 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, clad IN etcr-
nal winter, piercing the clouds. There IL
no scene SO sublime as this IN all the world.
The mountains of Europe arc 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 30 set on tue top of otbar hills that they
lose much of their majesty. Those OF
Oregon start up sudden aud solitary, and
almost out of the sea, as 1t were. So that
while they are really not much higher then
the mountain peaks of the Alps, they seem
TO- be about twice as high. Aud being all Iii
the form of pyramids or cones, they are
much more imposing and beautiful then
those of either Asia or Europe. But that
which adds most of all to the beauty and
sublmity Of the mountain scenery Of Mount
HOOD and his eDvlrOnS IL the marvellous
cloud effects that encompass mm.
In the hrst place, you must understand
that all this religion here Is one dense black
mass OF matchless and magnificent forests.
From the waters edge up to the snow-llnc
Chamber and cling the dark green fir, pine,
cedar, tamarack, yew, and jumper. Some
OF tho 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 u
load OF blue and bitter fruit. and nearly
all of these trees are mautled IN garments
Of moss. This moss trails and swlrps
lazily in the wind, and sometimes d,oops
TO the length Of hundred feet. In these
great dark forests Is dense uudergroth of
vine-maple, hazel, mountain ash, marsh
ash, willow, and brier bushes. Tangled
in with all this Is the rank and evcr-pres-
ent and impcrlshable fern. Up ard through
and over all this darkness of forests, drift
and drag and lazty 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 sun, like the countless millions
OF sacW-Whlto geese, swals, and other
waterfowl that frequent the rivers OF Ore.
gon, and slowly ascend the mountain sides.
dragging themselves through aid over the
tops OF trees, heading straight for the scu
or lowering about the mountain peaks. like
mighty white-wlnged birds, weary OF flight
and wanting to rest. they are white as
snow, these clouds Of Oregon. tleeoy, and
rarely, If ever, still; CONSTANT moving IN
contrast with the black forests, these
clouds are strangely sympathetic TO one
who worships nature. or course in the
ralby season, which Is nearly half the wear
here, these cloud effects are absent. At
such times the whole land is one vast
raln-cloud, dark and dreary and full of
thunder.
10 see show-peat IN all its sublimlty
you must see 1t above the clouds. 1t is
not necessary That you should climb the
peak TO 40 this, but ascend some neighbor.
ing 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 home of stars,
what colol! Movement miraculous hfel