Morning journal and courier., 1885-08-24
CORRESPONDENTS

Going to the Adirondaeks-Journ From Saratoga to North Creek A Mountain Stage Rfde-Farms and
 "Clearings''-At Hollands at Last. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 For many years it has been strong desire in the writer's mind to pay visit to the Ad irondacks. After reading the many accounts of their beauties and hearing the delightful stories told by those who had been there and knowing their historic wildness, the wish grew into the present journey. Our party at the start was not large, consisting only of one of our city's police commission CTS, his son and myself.
 At Saratoga, by accident wholly, we met several more New Haven men going, as we were, to Long Lake (which was to be our headquarters), and among them Dr. w. H. Sage, who has already quiet little village of his own in this locality, and at his kind invitation we agreed to accept of his hospi- tality for a considerable portion of our stay
 In the few words I may say in this and other letters it is not my desire to give any idea of this often described region, except what is seen by our own eyes and compre hended by our own mind; and the details may be minute more than general.
 After leaving Saratoga the railroad fol lows the headwaters of the Hudson river, which now becomes nothing but mountain stream until North Creek is reached. At the various stopping places along the way we have unladen and taken in tourists dressed for the mountains. It is the very height of the season, and everything is crowded, ho- tel, stages and patience. We are behind time; but this is far as steam can take us, and horses can wait. From the railway sta tion, which is well up among the hills, wag- ons are il waiting to take travellers to any point. The most frequented route now is by the Adirondack Stage company to Blue Mountain Lake. By any other direction you must take a private team, except on certain days of the week. As we wished to see all we could of places of interest, we went with the crowd. We had a platform wagon carrying four, besides driver, and outrode the coach, of course.
 For the first five miles the road was good, and we rattled along at brisk trot. Then we stopped for dinner as it was two o'clock p. m. and we were famished. Spring chicken and tender lamb vanished fast, and our party had nearly finished before the crowd following arrived. But we had enough; what they had they may tell. Now the mountain climbing began in earnest. We had followed an up grade all the while, but it was not steep. From a trot we came to walk and from walk to a creep, and from that to a crawl. Sparing the panting and sweating horses, we by turns walked or scrambled up, stopping eve- " few rods to gather few of the thousands of "red caps" and blackberries that lined the roadside. Up, up, up, higher and higher, and yet far ahead toward the mountains, and in an hour we had made but about three miles progress. This was the worst portion of the road. The day before it had rained and slough-holes and great boulders contend ed for possession of our thoroughfare. First on one side, then pitched to the other, some times thrown high in the air by the elastic springs or humping down with a thud upon and still up. This was the "Adirondacks' surely. Nothing but woods, rocks, noun tains and jolts.
 At last we came to little ''clearing," but what poverty of soil. A little patch of oats perfectly green, then little cabin of slabs with stovepipe thrust through the top with an exceedingly plainly dressed woman Brown" mountain farm. Far beyond on the side of the opposite mountain COW bel tinkles, and sure enough there was the COW How she ever got there you can guess as well as I. A goat would be puzzled to get back I should say. Yet as we proceeded we found many of these little ''clearings," often ten to twenty acres in a patch. Sometimes than their heads and thousand stumps to one man. The stumps were numerous, but the men were few. We sometimes saw teams coming and going and almost every man ard woman, too, had a rifle. Once partridge started and ran in the road before us and darted into the woods again. It was not 8 small one. It looked as large in my eyes turkey. We did not shoot it. Our guns were with the other party and fishing tackle was not intended for such game.
 Just before dark we changed horses and by this time we had crossed the ridge and were on a down grade. Then we at times trotted along lively again. As the darkness came on the woods grew more dense and hid the moon, which was struggling through the clouds, We began to grow tired and the journey became lnonotonous. We had been jostled and pounded enough for one day, that is, had. About half-past nine. pretty we'll used up, we arrived at Hollands, several other parties bringing up the rear. No, we could not stop there. They were ali full. So noth- ing to do but to wait an hour for guide and a lantern and We were marched away for an- other hour or less into the darkness and woods for sleeping place. Thus the first day closed w. c. $.