Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-09-12
THAT PEDESTRIAN TRIP.
A Summer Tour AfOOt Through His
tOrie Virginia valleys-TraeinS thu
March Of Great Armies.

TO the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:
confess that the extent of your circulation
was never brought home to me in its full force
until got back from little walking trip in
Virginia, upon which THE STAR had
announced that had started with my daugh-
ter and my elder son. 1t seemed to me that
every one met had read your item, SO many
were the inquiries made of me as to it.
The trip was q very pleasant and memorable
one to us-although not long one. For the
the route of the operations that eventuated in
the two Bull Run battles; we followed the roads
travelled by Blue and the Gray, In pursuit,
afeat; we viewed the salient points Of the fight
ing In both battles: ate dinner in the cold stone
house that formed so important point in the
from the hole that shell had made in its massiVe e
wall; we got bullets of all sorts of caibre and
shape, some Of which bore the marks OF having
animate stones, Of course we could not
tell; and we were .s entertained rahI with
Elephants in and sufferers by them. More than
that, we saw the country as no one not on foot
can 1t, with all its inequalities Of level, Of
fertility. and OF cultivation, and We made pleas
ant acquaintance with the jewellers by the
way, VI no gave food, or water, or shelter. We
had some ''local showers" TO encounter, but
they ended in q rainbow Of the most magnifi-
cent proportions, arched, perfect In its superb
curve, and vivid To a degree while, almost in
its apparent center, in the foreground was Mr.
Broadwaters pet holly tree. with trunk as
big u flour barrel.
On our second day out thewind blew strong and
full OF life from OF the mountains, elastic and
springy itself that We partook of its quality and
"merrily trudged along.'' without a thought of
getting tired; and on that day we made over %
miles and on "A discarded - pike" at that or
course We were sunburnt. and there were some
abrasions of the cutiele; but who cared for that
Had we not accomplished our trip, and shown
that the High school girl and the seventh
grade boy could cover in one day an amount
OF road that would have been no mean march
for the veterans who twenty years ago had gone
over the same ground? There were no ill-con-
sequences from 1t; The next day my daughter
rode four miles before breakfast and walked
i've miles after dinner, and my boy played ball
and walked four miles to do it.
Last week / went again to kenmore" where
the family were, and we had more walks
Among them the choice and most noteworthy
was a trip to High Point, the highest point
above the sea4evel, and Is approached by
ThOroughfare gap. The view toward the west
from this mountain is one of the finest know.
have been up nearly or quite all the noun
tains within easy range OF Washington, and
though IL Is hard 10 make comparisons between
the views they afford flor there Is to each its
own Individuality, IL is safe To say that none
surpass this view. taken as a whole. Beautiful
farms. rolling hills. and meandering "runs'
are spread out in a pattern of charming irregu.
1arity In the foreground and middle distance
while the background Is that most fascinating
OF our eastern mountain ranges. the Blue Ridge.
Toward the east the trees veil the landscape.
1t Is thousand pities that some one has not
cut . few "vistas" through them! Ii is said that
in the fall, when the foliage is gone one can see
Washington from this point with glass.
Captain Mitchell, of the Pension Office, whose
F0on and himself and Alfred Glascock and my
family made the party, is familiar with the
Catskills; and he said he thought this western
view from High-Point as fine one could gel
drom OF the famous New York mountains II
soOne one would build a hotel there and make a
good carriage road up this mountain 1t ought to
he, and i believe would be, filed for several
months during the year. On this trip my
younger son, boy in his 11th year, was one OF
IN, and he made the seventeen miles We walked
without fatigue. On our way To our Summer
home from the mountain we went TO Haymar
tket, and saw the vineyard of Mr.. Peters, who Il
introducing and developing the culture of grapes
and the manufacture of wine in that pretty Int
tie town. The grapes were good and wine too, He
told US that last year on one acre he raised
5000 pounds of grapesi OF course this was ar
exceptional yield, but there is no crop the
farmer can raise in that region that yields &c
much or, II properly handled, is Sd remunera
tive as this grape crop; and every one who i
leading the Virginia farmer OF the Piedmont
region to give up the tradition of "hog anS
hominy" as crops, deserves high commenda
ton.
I have written more than should, fear
But wanted TO give a personal illustration o
The advantages one city family have had from
pcdestrianism close by Washington, I'm tn,
hope that others may learn that there Ii n
much to see close at our doors-if only we vii
look-and that health and vigor and comfor
and rare enjoyment await not only the maj
who walks, but the girl end the boy.
II. u. MUssEY.