The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-20
Gh QntstEigemer.
Omsal A0.. as and y FourIsanlh stEssI.
A MouNTAIN TRIP.
on the Summit OF The AIisEhsuisS-Bsauu.
tul scenery.

yesterday on horse back up the Dry For
Of Cheat river and up Red Greek, brough
ms to the base Of the Allegheny Aoun
tains. had come alone, and thus far tn
road, although badly washed by the re
cent high waters, was considered passibl
for wagons. This morning, before tn
white fog had risen from the deep vale,
Of the river below me, l was on my wa,
to the summit Of the mountains, following
q path that might nee have been safe Blu
now was p~erllous Tor man or horse, Re,
Creek, swollen by the melting snow, wa
a rushing torrent, The water was as Yet
as wine, and as ii went plunging and foam
ing over Cateract and bowlder, it present
ed a scene at once peculiar and beautiful
In crossing the creek the last time, be
fore commencing the ascent OF the noun
tain, the strong current carried my hors,
down below the ford among the bowlderl
as large a barrels, and It was with dii
tiCulty that | made the shore. l had nov
passed the last house that | would see il
six or eight miles. The mountain ia /,
wilderness OF rocks, pines and laurel.
The path assembled by a general grade
but very often it was necessary to clint
and search to get around fallen treesan
rocks that had rolled into the path, By
eight o'clock / had reached the snow
line and the rocks began to be covered by
snow, This added no material difficulty
to my proceeding, and l reached the toll
OF the mountain before nine O'Clock, This
was the sixth place where | haye been on
the top ofthe Allegheny mountains.
Before me far away toward the south
and west extended the bare, gloomy
domain Of the Red Creek Plains, To the
east there was nothing but dark forests
anda tangled wilderness o. fallen trees and
gnarled underground and huge angular
rocks and deep drifts OF snow. The open
plains were alao covered with snow, but
It was not 80 deep and looked white and
dazzling, and not soiled aud gloomy like
the snow In the woods.
These plains are well worth a ride OF
fifty miles to see. They extend perhaps
thirty miles along the summit OF the AL
leghanies, interrupted at times by belts Of
timber a mile or two wide, beyond which
the open plains again commence. The
top OF the mountain Is flat, except here
and there rugged ridges and huge promon-
tories Of rocks rising above the level Of
the plains, and giving to tho scene an ap-
pearance OF dlstonCe and mystery that
must be witnessed before 1t can be under
stood. These mounds and pyramids OF
rocks often look to be miles away, when
they really are not many rods. 1t Is Just
the reverse OF the phenomenon Of the far
west, where o mountain looks to be q ten
minutes walk away, and in reality ia two
or three days journeys of.
A few generations ago, as l have been
told, what ls now open plain, was then as
denBely wooded as part OF the mountain
top still Is. but, tremendous forest
fires swept over the SUBMITS and the tim
Dor and the iungles were burnt, and the
dead trunks OF trees we're broken down by
the storms OF winter, until nothing but a
dreary wreck, splintered by storms and
blaCkened by the Co%n1agrations that roll
over them, remained to show that forests
had once been there. At this time, even
trunks Of the trees have disappeared, ex-
Cept here and there alOg wedged in among
the rocks, as though 1t had lodged there
by the flood Of some river. l saw In the
distance also a few ancient trees yet stand
Ing, dead and silent, but unConQuered.
There was something approaching TO the
sublime In the picture. The great, black
trunks Of trees, their branches burnt by
fires and torn away by the t~ornadoos, still
stood grand and defiant, looking over the
surrounding desolatlon where years be.
fore had perishod all verdure, and where
nov was nothing but death. AS | stood
leaning against my horse from which |
had dismounted, and contemplated the
solemn scene before me, and saw the
dark dead trees looming against the blue
sky which seemed almost 10 touch them,
| could not but repeat from Byron:
.TThe Nlobe Of nattoasl There sls stands,
Chlldless and CrOwnlesi IN hUr VOlceleN woe,
An empty urn within her wlthered hands
Hhoae holy dust was scattered long ago."
The rocks are white, nearly like snow,
unless covered with gray moss. Almost
the whole formation Of the ground Is OIL
rock piled on rock, heaped and flung To.
gether In tumultuous confusion. No soil
at all was visible, except in rare places,
and | was at a loss TO account for the trees
that formerly stood there, until l recol.
leCted that the soil that then furnished
%sustenanCe for the vegetation had been
burnt up in the summer fires.
1 was tempted to ride across the rocky
waste and examine some OF its featured
more closely, but | knew not whether Il
would be safe to venture with my horse,
and l was afraid to leave him lest he
should get away from me. The path
which l had followed and which l ex.
peCted still to follow .aCross'the summit oil
the mountain and down its eastern side
came into the corner Of the plain where
was, and after passing a short distance ID
II, entered the wilderness OF timber on the
east and was lost from sight.
lhad seen all that was visible from that
point, and was preparing 10 proceed along
the path toward the woods, when my at
tention was attracted by q roaring sound
that seemed to be far OF. At frat ]
thought II was the wind moaning among
the distant pines, but / soon learned bet
ter. II was water deep under ground
Among the rocks, where l stood. Beyont
me was higher ground, and the melting
snow formed o stream which had It's sub.
terranean channel beneath my feet.
There arc other plains TO right and lef
OF this one, as large as It. Notably anon
these are tile Roaring Plains and the lake
Plains. l visited the latter in 1882 ant
there witnessed q splendid thunder storm
My companion and l, on that occasion
also had an adventure with q vol. Band
Of wolves now roam oyer these plains
and the past winter have played havoc
With sheep among the farms lower down
The Baker Plains lie south Of Davis City
some twenty miles distant. The vol
which we scared out Of a thicket and q
which we emptied our reyolyers, proYet
10 be d sheep.
But, 10 return. mounted my horsC
and turned into the path which led M
into the woods, and In a few minutes thl
open plain was lost from sight. The snoy
grew deeper the further l went, Until
became almost impossible 10 get througl
II. The groundih places Is low, and datl
BWaleB OF water stand, and In CtosslnI
these my horse would well nigh mir
down. Then would come drifts Of snoy
two OF three feet deep. 1nsome places !
would bear my horse to walk on top Of II
but Ii. others he would break through