Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1891-05-05


at Crossthwaite.
Copyright 1891, by Edgar L. Wakeman.l
KEswICK, England. April 2J-From the
ridge Of Helvellyn or the peak Of Skiddaw
one can secure on a clear day a cycloramic
view of the entire English lake region.
With the one grand prospect / have en-
jOyed from Helvellyn's summit, and the
several asceLts Of Skiddaw / have made, |
feel safe IN asserting that there is not &C
cessible in the whole world another so
satisfying a feast for visual sense and men
tai delight.
Here are no buried cities, no dreadful
history, no Riviera Malta and brigand-
age, no tyranny Of fear and dread. Church
spires with weather vanes and church
towers with crosses stand triendlily side
by side. Shining towns lie upon mountain
sides or creep TO the edge Of CLASSY meres
in every mood and token Of peace. Gray
old hAmlets aud verriure softened villages
speck the lovely dales with hints of happi-
ness in homes. And every "statesman's"
lichened cottage, high in upland dale OF
perchsd along the braes of fells, tell brave
old tales Of Independence, home building
labor and heaven given content. No won
der the poets sang here in this grand,
broad paradise.
Geographically speaking, the lake dis
trict comprises Cumberland, Westmore-
land and the northern part Of Lancashire.
IL Possesses between 100 and 300 mount
aims The best known Of these are COnistoD
Old Man, Scafell Pike, Crinkle Crags, Sad.
dlehack, Skiddaw and Helvellyn. There
are a hundred other "crags, " pixies" and
''feils" which almost equal these in
height, and, in my Judgment, frequently
har in ~ INN ho
principal and widest known lakes are
Ullswater, Basseuthwaite Water, Derwent-
water, Thlrlmere, Grasmere, Rydal Water,
Windermere, COnistOn Water, Crummock
Water, loves Water, Vast Water Eller-
water and Buttermere. These are exclu-
sive Of very many tiny lakes and countless
tarns. Many Of the latter lie beneath the
shadows Of majestic crags, more than 600
feet above the sea level Aside from these
mountains and lakes are fully fifty noted
dales, a. many ghylls Of great beauty, sew
eral famous waterfalls, and the quaint and
beautiful towns of Conistou, BJwness,
Ambleside, Grasmere, COckermOuth, Ken
dali, the old border town OF Penrith, at the
eastern edge of the region, and beautiful
keswiCk, the metropolis Of the entire dis
trict.
Some knowledge Of local nomenclature
lakes. Every lake in the region has the
terminal water" or "mere." Thirl-
mere, or ThorOlfs mere; Grasmere, from
the old Saxon "grise," swine, the lake Of
the swine, and Derwentwater, from the
Cambro-Celtic "derwent," beautiful, are
sufficient Tor illustration. The word
holme is invariably applied TO the islands
Of the English lakes and is from the
Danish "holmi," little island, while
tarn, from the Morse "tiorn," f." tiny lake,
Is used TO define the silent pool within the
highest mountain swails and crags. These
are countless in the lake region. In the
nomenclature Of mountains are many Gu
rious derivations. Skaw or sea, from the
Danish "skov," means a wood OF forest,
and fell, from the Danish "fjald" a range of
mountains. and provincial English for any
rocky, barren hill or height, gives Scaw
Fell, the mountain Of the forest. The word
fell" is comprised in the name Of nearly
every Cumbrian mountain.
The derivation of pike" as in Langiale
Pixies, Scawfell Pike, etc, is not so clear.
IL is applied here TO peaks of great eleva-
tion and rugged prominence; but there
seems 70 be "A curious link between the
term and the ancient fires kiDdled on these
heights for pagan worship aud sacrifice.
Scars" are broken, craggy and usually
precipitous mountain brOws. "Slacks" are
lofty passes or dips in mountain peaks, be-
tween lOftier heights And riggs" as in
Loughrigg, Latrigg and Castlerigg. are
ridgy submits, the derivation Of the word
being, | suspect, from the Celtic ri, ;"
'ngh," the king OF head. To an Ameri-
can the appsllations Of the beautiful
mountain streams and waterfalls are pecu-
liar and often confusing. A gill, or ghyll.
"a Fgfra fwfr q oh
OF glen with very rapid descent, and where
it breaks into a waterfall it is always
called a force" Thus Stock Ghyll Force
the famous waterfall Of Ambleside, which
has its source among the romantic crags
about kirkstone Pass, is the waterfall Of
the stream which descends the glen OF
Stock
II one enters the lake region from the
north the first impulse is TO ascend Skid.
daw, the second highest mountain Of the
region, which is almost as near keswick to
the north as the slightly loftier Helvellyn
is 70 the south. keswick lies in the noble
vale of Derwentwater, between these two
monarch sentiDels Of the lakes The ascent
OF Skiddaw is no severe task upon the pow.
ers Of one accustomed to mountain climb
ing. and can be easily reached in three
hours time from Keswick. Unlike that OF
risk, but the view IS a vaster and more
varied one In three different ascents ]
have only been able to secure one perfect
view, owing 20 the interference Of fog and
mist, upon which no absolute calculation
can be made.
To attempt any adequate description of
what perfect day will reveal from the
summit Of Skiddaw would require cata-
loguing Of every majestic and beautiful oh
iect among the lakes and a camera-like ex-
position Of every exultant emotion Of the
human heart. The vastness Of the pano-
rama may be family suggested when its cir
cumference is stated. IL Is known 20 eX-
ceed 800 miles. Cumberland and. West
moreland, with their majestic clusters Of
mountains, lakes and rivers. are as il were,
at ones feet.
To the eastward the eye ranges over the
"barkbonen OF England, the Dniowy Pen
nine hills, and through verdureless dips
Northumberland and Yorkshire can be
scanned 70 the German ocean. To the west,