Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-11-19

| It's course--but | hsd almost forgotten the
| half way house" in this depression. II 10
| not an IMPOSING structure Butt of rough
| boards il looks lize ty picAl hunters cabla
| Opposite its doorway stand 8 row Of log
horse novels where Mr.. Liberty entersains
the horses Of visitors in 4 royal manner
He and his good wife spend their summers
upon the mountain side, ard their winters
\ In a cosy little farm house which they own
near It's base.
The two miles from the clearing TO the
| brow Of the mountain were made by easy
| stages The party frequently stopped
to rest beneath the cool trees on the mossy
| banks along the way. The foot path was
an excellent one. The marshy places and
the mountsin streams h I'd sill been carefully
| briiged ard some Of the sharp accents had
| been provided with ratings which were of
| great assistance in climbing them. By five
o'clock the party had emerged from tn
woods snd STOOD on the ''ledges' that sur
round the peak. From here 8 magnificent
| view is obtained Of the surr0u ndin2 coun-
try. From the mi st Of the hedges" the
MI ghty crest Of the mountain rears itself
into .h air-sn almost sheer ascent Of $50
feet. The climb to the table on top OF thus
is amost fficuit one. Formerly it vas
attended with considerable danger; but Mr..
| Liberty has now eliminated this feature.
Suspends upon the rocky side OF the
mountsn by 4 rope 10 places where
mis-tep would otherwise have hurled hin to
Instant ard terrible death this daring ma
! most Of the time entirely slone-drilied
deep holes in the rocks and securely set il
hem the iron rods supporting the ratings
and the plank walks that nov render cate
| the climb to the tip top Next year MI
Liberty will have al iron stairway 10 place
| by which the ascent will be mace up the
! sheer face Of what is no. an almost
PERI endiculsr precip!cs.
Before undertaking to reach the crest OF
the mountain our party rtsted fer q while
st the "lodg which Mr. Liberty hsserected
for The ben. Fl Of Tourists on the brow Of
the lodges. Ii is four sided enclosure
with heavy walls Of rough rock very much
resembling the old fashion, cattle pounds
| Of our fathers. 1t is entered by rough
wooden door-or gate, ST one end. Within
The enclosure two teDts srs pitched. These
are sacred to lady visitors. While along
ore side runs rough log bunk where
the gentlemen may sleep In the open
air or, hat is perhaps most frequently the
experience Of novices IN tnis high altitude
lie awake and study the ssronC mical phe-
nomens of the besveDs. Both tents Ard
the Junk are li6erslv supplied with warm
blankets. On one side of the enclosure is
a cook stove beside of which is large
locker literally provided with dishes and
cooking ute nsils. Not far from the lodge"
sp,iug Of clear cool water flds its way
| from fissure In the solid rock and falls iato
= natural stone basia few feet below. A
| visit 10 this is always the frat lumber on
camping programme. Soon god d e
is rosrlr z in the cook stove-for MIR. Lib
ersy keeps the Lodge well supplied with
gotd dry wood, and the rich fumes of
tea and coffee promise needed
refreshment after .he wesrs3meness Of the
long climb. As we sit upon the rough
stools Of the Lodge and take a mental IN
ventory Of its contents our respect for
Mr. Liberty constantly incressss. Every
article there was brought up over the lorg,
steep climb up the mountain side on the
good msn's back. Ii mus. have required
on his part large number Of fa,leuiog
trips Indeed he made our bones act in
sympathy by ioformiog us that he frequent
ly went back and forth no less than six
times in single day!
| Supper over and the rough board tables
Of the Lodge cleared away the ascent Of the
| rocky crest is begun. The narrow path
winds toituous course around the noun
tain. AT times we look over the slender
railing OWN sheer sleeps which make our
heads grow dizzy; but soon jacobs lad
der is reached and we forget all about alt
tudes in the xertions that are necessary 10
the climb. The ladder Is 8 natural stair
way formed by the erosive wear OF meul-
tain torrents coming down the mountain
sides from the melting SHOWS o springs and
the storms Of sun msr. IL is tbickly studded
with bou dsrs which serve As steps ard
irinsed on either side with growth
Of scrub sprucas which are Of great assis-
lance in the sluost perpendiculsr Climb OF
shout seventy We feet. At the top Of
the ladder We emerge upon little
plateau thickly upgrown with blus berry
and huckieberry bushes, IS is indeed every
portion Of the monnisil top where hit Of
soil can cling From this little Il,tesu
comes ,hs last steep and TEDIOUS climb
which lanes U, upon the rocky table OF the
''tip top" Ores there we feel SIMPLY re-
paid for all our c e rrts. Indeed We would
not have this delightful experience left out
OF cur lives for slncss snythiug. The
hosts of Irael saw from the heights of
Pisgsh. ss they looked down upon the
promised land. no such delightful vision as
hsre upfolds itself to the enrspiussd gsza
Of the observer. To the lsft the msj sic
peaks of the White Mountain range
| line up like soldier. on dress
| p.rsde. So pelucii is the sIme
phere at this sress height that they
res NJ less thsn mile away. We see clearly |
( fta ,bav hal he
t'p.top houss upon Washington seems al
most within bail. Below The msgnif |
cent scenery Of thrs section Of New Hsmp- |
shire is spread ou' before Us like psuo- |
rama. Here IL impressed upon us sne~ |
| toe fact that in rature pr portions are |
all rslstire sad il depends largely upon our |
point n view whether we cali them great /
or small. From our present outlook the
country thai seemed so rough sud billy |
% our eav to The mounisIn nor lSys
beneath Us like great plain si.h here 8 4 /
| ,here gentle undulstiou. The farm |
| h usss lcok like bird cages set amid dlm'na-
i've thickets---sS great he heittiiBg fl CT
wsoug9g upon the noble elus and naples
has ltned CUR morning. drive, BY our dzzT
| pest OF observsroa. Around u the vorss
u "a urs sre ppon q msj site scale snd thu
REGION see n. m re s1i sole sbade Tor q race
Of TitAns tnsn the members of the hum 50
race Who appear so Lliiiputlsn amid such
surroundings Below as tbe gr' At Il.ia IL
dettd vim beautiful isser, forty three OF
whlcb-iacludinR portion of WinBipi-
stoeee-N-~ Rsrpshire's inia1d ses--srs
psioly sen vita the naked eye With
. good slsss thu ses Is 30 plainly visible that
the s,tis - vessels NAV BE- dis i1sui-hed
upon ii Is 10 $ post of obsesvsi IN ths me
is lossh ~ i-sv-, the visw from il ia sal d 60
be tie fassg in New England snd one Of
the hness IN TIE world claim that We
hsv. not the slightest disposition tcguestion.
We vsiE upon me Zip top TO SeAin view
OF the sun ss Is dips behind the
western mountain tops All. the
grandeur of that setting, Words
are owerlsss TO picture . 'cene taat viii
not .noa fade from The mem5rses Of those
who beheld IS; .hen the SKY was aaane
VITA bssanfui tints; when the silent and
stately m~ uatain tops were bathed ID splsn-
de-s, and IN TIE solemn hush Of the sost
teiiishE the shsdevs Of night we're rspitly
n,snslEx aoEa upon a scene If inf .Iisi