The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-09-17
ASCENDING Mr. nIIrCHET.r..

From Wilsons's to the peak Of Mitch
ell it is seven and q half miles: We
made it in five and 3 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 have fallen across it which
these places long detours were neces-
sary, on steep Rillsides and through
gullies, over treacherous sink-holes in
the rocks. through quaggy places,
heaps of brush, and rotten logs Those
who have ever attempted to get horses
over such ground viii not wonder at
the slow progress we made Before
we were halfway up the ascent, we
realized the folly of attempting it on
horseback; but then to GO on seemed
as easy as to go back. The way also
was exceedingly steep in places. and
what with roots, and logs, and slip
perry rocks and stones, il was q deS-
perate climb for the horses.
What q magnificent foresti Oaks,
chestnuts, poplars, hemlocks, the Gu
cumber "a species of magnolia, with
a pinkish, cucum ber-hke GOMEZ, and
all sorts of northern and southern
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 IS 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
1,fk hnhirA
tered a garden of white birches, and
then a plateau of swamp, thick with
raspberry bushes, and finally the
ridges, densely crowded with the fune-
real black balsam.
Halfway up. Big Tom showed us
his favorite, the biggest tree he knew.
1t was a poplar, or tulip. 1t stands
more like q column than tree, rising
high into the air, with scarcely per-
ceptible taper, perhaps sixty, more
likely hundred, feet before it puts
out 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 bird, but we noticed as we rode
along in the otherwise primeval ST.
lince a loud and continuous humming
overhead, almost like the sound of the
wind in pine tops. 1t was the hum
ming of beesi 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
ey 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 wal
still in occasional bloom, and flowers
of brilliant hue cleaned here anC
there.
The struggle was more severe as VI
| neared the summit, and the footing
| worse for the horses. Occasionally j
was safest to dismount and lead then
up slippery ascents; but this was also
| dangerous, for it was difficult to keel
them from treading on our heels, il
their frantic f1ounderings, in the steep
wet, narrow, brier-grOWn path. A
| one uncommonly pokerish place, whert
the wet rock sloped into q bog, the ri
der of Jack thought it prudent to dis
mount, but Big Tom insisted that Jacl
would mako it, all right. only Civ
him his head. The rider gave him hi
head, and the next minute Jacks fou
| heels were in the air, and he cam
down on his side in flash. The ride
fortunately extricated his leg withou
losing it, Jack scrambled out with
| broken shoe, and the two limpeG
along. 1t was a wonder that the hor
ses' legs were not broken a dozsI
| times.
As we approached the top. Big Ton
pointed out the direction, a half mil
away, of small pond, little noun
tain tarn, overlooked by n ledge O
rock, where Professor Mitchell lost hi
life. Big Tom was the guide VIII
found his body. That day as we sa
on the summit he gave in great detai
the story, the general outline of whicl
| is well known. Charles Dudley War
ner in September Atlantic.