The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-09-01
European Letter.
From The Press.
INNERrKIRcHEN, SWITZERLAND,

Innertkirchen, who ever heard of this
place before? Pm sure we never had I'M
til this morning when we decided to walk
| twenty miles from the Grimsel Hospice
down the Haslethal to this little hamlet,
spend the night here and then walk, or
rather walk and climb, about twenty
| five more over into the valley of the
Lauterbrunnen.
Tuesday night we were at Airola,
nearly 1000 feet above the sea; Wednes-
day night at Realp, 5000 feet; Thursday
night at the Grimsel Hospice, over 5000
feet. Tonight we are down on earth
again at an elevation of only $500 feet
and for the first time in three days see
fruit trees and gardens and evidences of
civilization. 1t has been awfully hard
work for us (tenderfoot is the western
expression, and it fits us, literally who
walk so little at home, but we have en-
dured it bravely and crave more of it
| tomorrow.
There are four of us nova Cornell
man, Mr.. Lyon, and Zurich student,
Mr.. Sch0en. Mr.. Schoen and myself are
unfortunate in being the possessors of
thin skinned compilations. You can
imagine what three days of bright sun
shine, part of it on great glaciers, part of
| y
it climbing up and down steep
mountain sides where the sun is
mercilessly hot, and more of it on
these wonderful Swiss roads, where
the white dust is as bad as freshly fallen
SNOWFLAKE done for us. Lyon insists
that we pay no more bills for lights to
retire by, and wants to hire us out to the
government for signal stations in the
| higher passes for use in foggy weather.
He's going to patent the idea, and when
we look into the 6x8 mirrors of these
mountain hotels we are inclined to think
| there is something in it. But then, that's
nothing-that is not what bothers us. 1t
| is the getting started mornings or after
noontime rest that worries us.
It is as good as a show to see the party
prepare to move. We start in sections,
| limbering up joint at time. and amble
and wabble along till the machine &c s
oiled UP again. Then we 60 along quite
| gaily till we make another halt. o, this
walking over mountains in Switzerland
| is chuck full IF fun for tenderfoot-
burned faces, stiffened joints, sore mus
Giles, bruised feet, chilled by winds on
the glaciers, and baked alive in the
valleys-what asses men are in search Of
pleasure (?). That is one side of the ex-
perience; that is the prosaic, common
place side. Yet in spite of that it is the
rarest sport in the world.
To get up early in the morning and
start off while the dew is yet sparkling
on the mountain grass; to catch the per-
fume of the freshly cut, sweet mountain
hay; to play peek-a-boo with the sun
around mountain tops; to hear the mel
ody of innumerable rills as. they rush
down the mountain sides, splashing over
rocks, tumbling over precipices, gurging
through the tangled grass of the mead
ows-that is the treble staff of this
mountain music. The base is the roar
| of the river that runs through the steep
valley, a raging, ever increasing torrent
that iashes itself into fury at every OBJ
stacle, that shouts and bowls and foams
and furies and then covers itself in the
mist of its own passion and passes out of
sight; to watch the sunshine creep into
deep ravines and bring out hidden
beauties; to Chamber up and up till the
green valley below is carpeted with vel
vet and streaked with silver; to look
down on little clusters of Swiss houses,
huddled together like sheep; to see men
and women, mere specks, working in the
meadows; to be above all and overlook
ing all, breathing the pure air of heaven
far from the strifes and petty jealousies
| of men, way up among the clouds where
distance is annihilated and nature reigns
supreme; to look beyond at still higher
| Alps that seem on tip-toe, one behind an
other, to get peep at you, and finally
to feel ones self part of this great land
scape; to shout for Joy and then sit
| down and contemplate it all and try to
think of it all. That is one phase of the
other side of the experience the only
side that counts. 1t becomes a passion
in man that grows by what it feeds up
on and laughs at aches and pains. Then
comes the sound and perfect slumber that
tired body and mind give, the appetite
that laughs at rules and defies all the pep
sins in the world.
| O, it is delightful, more delightful than
can be described. If it were not so,
Switzerland would not be filed with
thousands of tourists every summer who
defy all the terrors and hardships of .un-
accustomed tramps, the discomforts OF
mountain inns. the exasperations that
come with extortionsan and the humiliations
that follow constant defeats in monetary
arguments, the never ending strugg e
cover both extremitiss with feather bed
that was evidently made for cradle.
All these experiences we have enjoyed
and mentally cussed in the last
twenty-four hours, and we will have
them all again tomorrow if the storm
lifts and we can get a glimpse of the
mountain tops.
Tonight it rains and even here at this
low altitude the clouds seem t. brush
the tree tops. 1t is as disagreeable to-
night as it is pleasant when the sun
shines, just in harmony with a table
d. hote dished up in Dutch and destined
to end in struggle with diminutive
feather bed as ones only covering.
STANLEY +. PARKILL