Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-22
CAMPING IN THE ADIRoNDACKs.

CAMPING IN THE ADIRONDACKs.
Party of Warrington People Who
Are Enjoying Mountain Scenery.
Correspondence of The Evening Star.
AUSABLE LAKES,
ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS,
August 1S 1894.
Sitting by the lakeside this lovely summer
Gay, looking upward thousands Of feet to
where the rugged peaks Of Haystack and
Resagonia and the Gothics pierce the
clouds. I find myself wishing that all the
tired mothers and the sick children Of our
loved capital city could come to this restful
spot and breathe the pure air Of this noun
tain wilderness.
1t is a beautiful place. We are camped
on the banks Of the upper Ausable lake,
thirty miles from a railroad and four miles
from any human habitation. The lake is
the most picturesque in the Adirondacks.
1t Is two miles in length and half a mile
Vide. 1t reflects In Its clear waters a score
OF mountain peaks-a grand circle Of giants,
marked and scanned by mountain rivulets
ana Slides Here and there we see the
white, glistening path Of the avalanche.
How SILENT how restful. how beautiful! The
rude laugh is hushed, every bitter and I'M
Kind thought has vanished from our lives;
we are face to face with nature and ma
lures God. Evil finds nothing congenial
in the bright skies and pure atmosphere of
this mountain retreat
Our party consists of five Washingto-
mans. three New Workers and one lady
from New Orleans, namely: Mr.. and Mrs.
r. NJ. Bradley, Mrs. H. d. Barr, Miss II.
w. Barr and Miss Florence NJ Hazard of
washington; Mr.: A. L. Halliday. Miss Kate
New York. and Miss Natalie H. Hamilton
Of New Orleans We have three profess
s.oral guides, who take entire charge of
the camp and the boats, cook our meals
and attend to all our wants. Leaving the
beautiful Keene valley at 0 o'clock in the
morning, We drove past st. Hubert's Inn
and entered the grounds of the Adirondack
mountain reserve. This Is an extensive
New York and Philadelphia capitalists. and
Incorporated under the laws Of New York.
The Ausable lakes and the mountains sur
rounding them are included in this reserve.
The company issues permits to fish in the
lakes under specific restrictions Hunting
is prohibited, and the ak of the lumberman
Is unheard in this wide domain.
The drive through miles of primeval forest
cannot be described in words. We felt that
1t was indeed luxury to live! Reaching
lower Ausable lake we were at once trans
ferred by our guides to the light Adiron-
dack boats that awaited our coming. Soon
we were gliding swiftly over the water of
the lake, which is Swiss-like in its beauty.
For two miles, almost in silence our three
caEoes sailed southwardly side by side, with
Mt. Colvin to the east and ReSagonia o.
Saw-teeth" to the west. Indian Face looks
at us from the clouds, and is only equaled
in strength and majesty by the great stone
face that looks down on Profile lake in the
Franccnias of New Hampshire.
Leaving the lower lake We have a charm
ing walk of one mile through the forest to
the upper lake. No part of the journey was
Inx yGslr hon hi In
fortably seated in the boats, and all too
soon for those who love the water we are
landed at Echo camp. In just ninety min
utes our three guides announced dinner
What scamperingi We could have eaten
bear If there had been nothing else avail
able. Our rustic dining room-how 1 wish
the readers of The Star could see 1t! Cover
ed at the top and closed at one end and
open at both sides and the OTTER end Rus
tic settees were comfortably placed about
rustic table. There were only two courses
served. but ample justice was done. An
ether ride on the lake, then supper, and
then the guides made the rousing camp
fires that burned and sparkled all night,
sending CHEEKY radiance through the
camp and out over the lake. Around the
blazing fire the guides and tourists mar
rated improbable bear and fish stories. 1T
III o'clock the camp closed for the night
with a service of song, the echoes of which
went through and through the mountains,
for this is Echo camp.
And now you ask, "how do You sleep?'
Imagine a loghouse or shed, covered on
top and on three sides. with one side entire
ly open toward the campfire. On the floor
the guides have skillfully piled the newly
cut ''balsam fir" at least foot deep. Pill
lows of the fir have been made by the la
dies of our party, who brought pillow
cases for the purpose. Removing wraps
and shoes, each tourist is furnished with
two large blankets. and side by side, on the
fragrant fir, we sleep the sleep of the just
through the long hours of the silent night
harvest oil
stars keep guari above our hustle couch.
We have three camps, one for the ladies of
the party, one for the men, and the third
for the guides. The letter are awake at
intervals. and keep the campfires brightly
burning.
Mountain Climbing.
After breakfast, which Is ready at
o'clock. We equip ourselves for a mountain
climb. Shortly after o'clock the boats are
ready. For four miles we sail along the
lake, and through the beautiful winding
Ausable river, and an hour later we are
Ia D6ed at point in the woods eight miles
distant from the summit Of Mt. Marcy
This is the Mt. Washington of the Adiron-
dacks. The climb is quite difficult in many
places, and altogether requires more cour-
age. more energy, and more genuine stick
to-a-tive-ness, than any eastern mountain,
except the ascent of Mt. Washington
We stopped at Camp Marcy Owned by our
guidesJ for light lunch, and returning two
hours later our guide cooked us a dinner
which was heartily enjoyed. Eighteen hun
dred feet below the summit we reached a
spot that was full of interest to our party.
On a level plateau Is a small pond, which
is the source of the Ausable river. The
water flows eastwardly down the mountain,
passes through the Ausable lakes, and
thence northwardIy fifty miles to the ia
nous Ausable chasm, then into Lake Cham
plain AMI the ST. Lawrence river. hun
dred yards from the little pond or the
mountain is another little piece of water
called Lake "Tear-of-the- Clouds" from
which the water flows westwarjiy; streams
and brooks empty into it it glides rlusi-
oally down the mountain side, and we may
follow it mile after mile until it broadens
out into the beautiful Hudson river and
finally loses itself in the Atlantic.
The upper thousand feet of Mt. Marcy is
solid rock, over which we scramble to the
summit reaching which we are amply re-
paid for the tollsome journey, for spread
out before us are pillows Of mountains,
piled up almost to the sky. Mts. Mcintyre,
Dix, Whiteface, the Giants and Haystack
rear their hinge SJunmtS near fnot n