Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-30
ASCENDING MT. MITCHELL.

From Wilsons's to the peak of Mitch
ell it is sever and q half miles; we
made it in five and Il half hours. A
bride path was cut years ago, but il
has been entirely neglected. 1t is bad
ly washed, it is stony. muddy, and
great trees nave fallen across it which
wholly block the way for horses. At
shose places long detours were neces-
sary, On steep hillsides and through
gullies, " %trcacherous sink-holes in
the rocks, through qu ggy places.
heaps of brush, and rotten logs. Those
who have ever attempted 10 get horses
over such ground will not wonder at
the slow progress We made, Before
I've were halfway up the ascent, we
realized the folly Of attempting it on
horseback; but then to go on seemed
Us easy as to go back. The way also
was exceedingly steep IN places. and
what with roots, ard logs, and slip
perry rocks and stones. it was a des-
perate climb for the horses.
What Il magnificent ~forest!. Oaks;
chestnuts, poplars, hemlocks, the Gu
cumber "a species of magnolia, with
a pinkish, cucumber-iike cone); and
OA oOAtS VI uOl uOlu uuu SOUU1cku'
growths meeting here in splendid ar
ray. And this gigantic forest, with
little diminution in size of trees, con-
tinued two thirds of the way up. We
marked as we went on;'the maple, the
black walnut, the buckeye, the hick-
Dry, the locust, and the guide pointed
out in one section the largest cherry
trees we had ever Seen; splendid
trunks, each worth. a large sum if it
could be got to the market. After the
great trees were left behind, we en-
tered a garden 81 white birches, and
then a plateau of swamp, thick with
raspberry bushes; and finally the
ridges, denscly crowded with the fune-
real black balsam, 81
Halfway up, Big Tom showed us
his favorite, the biggest tree he knew.
tt was poplar, or tulip. 1t stands
more like a column than a tree, rising
high into the air, with scarcely a per-
aeptible taper, perhaps sixty, more
likely a hundred, feet before it puts
out a limb. Its girth six feet from the.
ground is thirty-two feet! l think it,
might be called Big Tom. 1t stood
here, of course, a giant, when Column
bus sailed from Spain, and perhaps
some sentimental traveller Will attach
the name of Columbus to it.
In the woods there was not much
sign OF animal life, scarcely the note
of a bird, but WI noticed as we rode
along in the otherwise prineval si-
lince a loud and continuous humming
overhead, almost like the sound of the
wind in pine tops. 1t was the hum
ming Of bees! The upper branches
were alive with these Industrious toll.
ers, and Big Tom was always on the
alert to discover. and mark a bee-gum,.
which he could visit afterwards. Hon
cy hunting is one of his occupations.
Collecting spruce gum. is another, and
he was continually hacking off, with
his Ratchet, knobs of the translucent
secretion. How rich and fragrant are
these forests! The rhododendron was
still in. occasional bloom, and flowers
Of brilliant hue cleaned here and
there.
The struggle wys s more severe as. we
neared the summit, and the footing
worse for the horses. Occasionally it
was safest to dismount.and lead them
up slippery ascents; but this was also.
dangerous, for it was difficult to keep;
Them from treading on our heels, in
their frantic tlounderings, in the steep,
wet, narrow, brier-grown path. AT
one uncommonly pokerish place, where.
the wet rock sloped into a bog, the IL,
der of jack thought it prudent to dis
mount, but Big Tom insisted that Jack
would make it" all right, only give
him his head. The rider gave him his
head, and the next minute jacks four
heels were in the air, and he came
down on his side in a flash. Tbs rider
fortunately extricated his leg without
losing it, Jack scrambled out With a
broken shoe, and the two limped
along. 1t was q wonder that the horl
ses' legs were not broken . dozen
times. q A.,
AS we approached the top, Big Tom
pointed out the direction, a half mile
away, of a small pond, o little noun
tain tarn, overlooked by q ledge of
rock, where Professor Mitchell lost his
life. Big Tom was the guide who
found his body. That day as we sat
on the summit he gave in great detail
the story, the general outline of which.
is well known.--N Charles Dudley War
ne1 IN September At!auJic.,