Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-17
ABOVE THE CLOUDS.


The Foot of the Ascent and It's Charm
ing rroundings-Carterhia and The
Fountains From The Bowels of The
Notwithstanding About Burros-
Stiel's Camp-A Mountain Baby and
Harvard Observatory-Riva and Re-
calcitrant Bonifaces.
A small but select party composed of
representatives of the HERALD staff Sat-
urday concluded to make the ascent of
Wilson's peak, a majestic eminence in
the Sierra Madre range, which has lately
been made more than usually interest
ing by the location on its summit of an
astronomical observatory of Harvard
University, and the contemplated erec-
ton of the immense lens donated bv
Hon. E. f. Spence to the University of
Southern California, the munifcent gift
being provided for by fund of 1000,
or its real estate equivalent, set apart
by that gentleman.
The Santa Anita station was reached
about II 80 p. m. on the IL 80 train of
the Santa Fe railway. A bus in waiting
conveyed the scribe of the HERALD to
the place where Mr. Patterson has his
corral of burros. This is near Carter
hia, the really novel and exquisite home
place of Mr.. n. G. Carter. Fortunately
for the explorer, that hospitable gentle
man happened to be on hand, with the
result that an excellent lunch fortified
the inner man before the long and tortu-
Gus ascent of the mountains was under
taken.
But there are things about Carterhia
that are far and away above the merely
carnal incidents of this work-a-day
world. For dead square fact, he has
one of the most unique places in Amer
ica, and it is as charming as it is
unique. He has royal domain of four
hundred acres. This is small as COM
pared with the prodigious spread of the
stretch out Immediately below him, but
duction of nearly every lovely thing in
nature. He has orange grove and vine
yard, and about everything that could
make glad the heart of man. His
orange trees were at one time largely in
fected with the white scale. The uedo-
la cardinals has had a magical effect in
causing this parasite to disappear. There
is no longer even reminiscence of it.
The trees disclose a bright and cheerful
hue of green, as deep in color as ever
clothed the merry rangers of Robin
Hood-with all trees an infallible sign
OF health. The vines are robust, and
without so much as suggestion of the
NAL nero, which so lately played such
havoc with our Los Angeles county vine
yards. They are promising to a degree
which would not have been hoped for by
the vlneyardist year ago. His Burger
vines in especial look as if they would
be almost crushed by their rich frutage
the coming autumn. We may remark,
par parenthese, that grapes will this
year command a very high price in com
parison with the figures of recent years,
$25 ton not being an unreasonable
figure.
An interesting thing about Carterhia
is that, some years ago, Mr.. Carter
bored tunnel into the mountains for
water. He ran into the bowels of the
noble spur of the Sierras Madres on
which his elegant home stands; and, at
depth of 270 feet he struck stream of
the precious fluid as crystal-clear and
sparkling as ever flowed from Castalian
fount. 1t is cold and exquisite, and
ripples through irrigating gates with the
spOntaneity and sparkle of champagne.
1t is an instructive object lesson in what
may be expected in the future, when
such experiments shall be without
limit.
Romantic Trail and We Burro.
The trail leading to Wilson's peak
starts little to the southeast from the
Carter residence. According to some
accounts it was built by the late Don
Benito Wilson, some thirty or thirty-fve
years ago, by the aid of cheap Mexican
labor, with the view of making the wood
on the mountain heights available for
fuel, and possibly with view to the de-
velopment of mines. 1t winds in very
tortuous way around and up the noun
tain, affording, as one attains altitude,
views of surprising beauty of the San
Gabriel valley and of the deep gorges
which strike into the heart of the hillv
Businesses. It varies in places from
three feet in width to narrow threads
scarcely foot wide. To one inexperi-
enced in trails, there would often seem
to be actual danger in the slightness of
the thoroughfare, with chasms thou
sands OF feet in depth into which
stumble of a burro would plunge one.
Yet that there is no real danger is
shown by the fact that, almost daily,
! women, doubtless with the usual tim
idity of their sex, make the as
cent without accident and with not
more than that degree of labor which
can afterwards be recorded pleasantly
as detail of most romantic expert
snce. After an elevation of several
thousand feet, pines, cedars and frs
vary the monotony of the chapparal
which has hitherto softened the harsh
face of nature. Then every step of the
way abounds in enhancing vistas of
mountain and valley, enjoyed from
heights which almost make the brain
giddy. The air becomes rarer and more
exhilarating, and the murmurous
rhythm of the foliage and ripple of brooks
which run on forever at greater depths,
all aid in feeling of exaltation which
repays the adventurer for whatever
fatigue he may encounter in the toll
some ascent. A particularly attractive
and romantic feature of the trip is a
lovely cottage, placed between two
giant pines, and embowered in great
banks of sweet elysium and bridal veil.
which stands at the lowest point of a
tremendous caf1on. This is the home
OF the superintendent of the trail. 1t
would enrapture the soul of hermit :;
and its inmates, if of religious turn of
Il l. 3d..