The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-10-11
TRIP TO THE MOUNTAINS.

EDITORS INrELL1GENcER: On Au
gust 11th our party of eight bid farewell
to Anderson, its hot days and dusty
roads, and turned our faces toward the
more inviting air, water and scenery OF
the mountains. We went prepared for
camping out, SO ne could stop when ne
pleased, where we pleased, and be depen
dent on nobody for food or shelter. Our
first place of Importance was Toccoa
City, resting among the outlying spurs of
the mountains. Here we paused awhile
to look at the pretty little town and the
scenery around us, then we headed our
way toward the beautiful Toccoa Falls,
two miles from town; here a little stream
takes desperate leap over precipice
one hundred and eighty feet high, max
ing beautiful fall. There is very
pretty Indian legend relating to the falls,
but I will not stop to tell it. After
leaving Toccoa, and at the end of thir.
teen miles, we came to an abrupt halt
before the yawnipg chaBm and troubled
waters of Tallulah. There arc three
large hotels here, and all were full of
boarders.
The fall, or where Tallulah the Terri.
BILE makes d fnal break for liberty, cut.
ting its way through chasms and canons
of incredible depths, rushing furiously
over the rocks, forming series of falls,
cascades and whirlpools, that are said by
many to vie with the sublimity of Mag
ara and the grandeur of the Yosemite of
California. It takes steady nerves and
strong muscles to follow the paths that
lead to the bottom of the canon, for
nearly all the paths are made of ladders
and gang ways, braced to the bare rocks
by iron rods. Following one of these
paths you at last come to the five story
house." at the foot of Tempesta fall,
where you go in at the top story to get to
the bottom one. But, perhaps, the
grandest view of all is from Point Inspi-
ration, one thousand feet high, where
below are Hurricane, Bridal Veil,
Ladore, Oceana and Sweet Sixteen Falls,
and just to the left is the Grand Chasm,
one thousand feet deep, while looking
over this chasm to the opposite side, we
saw the incoming train slowly crawling
around the cliff eight hundred feet above
the river bed. Here / had better leave
the reader and go on with my journey, for
have taken up too much time already
with partial description of the numer-
GUS places of.interest about Tallulah.
After leaving here we next found our.
selves in the little village of Clayton.
We stopped here an hour or two looking
at the peaks around, the most prominent
of which we're "Screauer" and "Black
Rock" We next came to Rabun Valley,
where ne travelled for about ten miles
through one field of corn, and we were
told that it was this way for twenty.three
miles down the valley. We then took
another road leading to Highlands, but
camped that night under the shelter of
the great Rabun Bald, near Mud Creek
falls, a favorite haunt of the mountain
trout II was an idealnight for camping,
aud we found a beautiful grassy knoll
sloping toward the creek. There was
nothing to disturb US, 30 we found our
beds early, but we two boys were hardly
asleep before we were aroused by rock
ing motion of the wagon, (our sleeping
apartment My first impression was of
earthquakes, and waking my partner, ne
cautiously peered over the side of the
body, and saw 3 large "razorback" com.
placently rubbing his back on the wheel,
aud had come very near rolling us down
the hill. II is needless to add that we tied
our wagon the next night. We had
hardly settled ourselves again before q
drove of cattle came around, and in it
we're two bulls who fell out about some
thing and went for each other in earnest.
We were interested spectators till the
fight came to an end, and the vanquished
foe sullenly retired leaving the victor
paving mp the dirt and believing SO
loudly that thought would take part
in it, and arming myself with blanket
I started out to "shoo" him of, but be
wouldn't "shoo," so I let him do as he
pleased, and while looking out on the
beautiful moonlight scene I watched the
mists slowly creeping up the rugged sides
of Bald, and listened to the lovely "hoot'
of the owl, the roar of the falls, and the
musical tinkle of the COW bells in the
distance. Ali this made an impression l
am not likely to forget. We stayed at
this place two days. caught as many trout
as we could, and then continued our way
to Highlands. We passed near the sum.
NIT of Scaly Mountain. This is a bare
rocky peak, commanding q beautiful
view of the mountains around. We
arrived in Highlands late that night and
found, as we thought. a good place to
camp, which it was in clear weather, for
it was little basin, grassy and soft, but
about midnight tie Aoodgates we're
opened, and before the ones in the tent
could be gotten out they we're ankle deep
in water, 60 the eight of US had to make
the best of it in the wagons; but we were
up early the next morning, packed our
wet clothes aud mattresses, and left
without breakfast and with rather wet
impression of Highlands. Our next
halt was at the foot of Whitesides, where
we breakfasted, stretched our wet clothes
in the sun, and then took ourselves to
the summit of the mountain. You can
get nearly to the top with wagons, but
there is part of it that is very steep.
When you stand up there it seems as if
Won certainly have all the world at your