The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-09-10
a oALToRNIA ApyENrunE.
Four xoung Women who Took a Long
Walk in BIoomers.

HEHr#a# E 4
Four pioneers In boomers have lust
been tramping through the Hetchy
valley In California, and they are |
proud of having made the expeditionl
without a mar 10 guide or help them
They were the first TO make
the trip alone, and for two months
they had only themselves and q Sierra
burro named Mary to depend on.
Helen Gompertz and her sister Lulu,
Belle Miller and Estelle Miller we re
the courageous young women who |
undertook this Journey, their firm
principle at the outset being that no
man should be responsible for its sue
cess or failure. They all live at Oak
land, Cal. Telling OF their trip they
say that the first real difficulty Of their
trip was met at the entrance to the
valley. 1t was at Croker, and was,
OF course, caused by a lot of men who
happened to be camping there. They
looked at the girls outfit and unanf-
mously suggested that the girls had
better take q guide with them, When
they found that the young women
were averse to a guide they recon-
mended q horse apiece. But this, in
view OF their preparation for the trip,
was as Objectionable as a guide.
Our MOTTO" said Miss Gompertz to
a reporter, was every girl her own
horse"
With only the ch~aperonage of Mary
the girls started out into the valley.
They wore boomers and had knives
and pistols strapped to their belts.
Out of consideration for Mary the
amount of luggage was minimized. A
thrush, comb, towel and one extra
pair OF stockings were all that each
girl was allowed to take. Besides
those things Mary had to carry baking
powder, bacon, flour and other edibles.
There was a little whisky for trying
moments, but it was always taken with
a raw egg. The girls lost their map,
but for two months they wandered
among the heights of the Hetchy
: region, penetl ating to distant points
which might have baffled the hardest
pathfinder of either sex. When thew
reached Oakland again safe and sound
Miss Gompertz told u reporter some OF
their experiences.
one night when we reached camp
we were footsore," she said, "and as
we rested by the river bank we tried a
plan recommended by the physicians.
We laid ourselves down fat on our
backs, raised one foot In the air, prop.
ping on the other Bonded knee, the
theory being that the blood would
run down from the elevated member
and cool it. While thus employed
we were startled by a voice, which
said
Hello, there How do you get over
there ?"
-Four feet came down with a thud {;
four heads came up with O Jerk. We
looked across the river and high on a
bare rock above it stood a a Our
surprise was equaled by his when he
discovered that he had aroused a mes,
OF mountain women. We grabbed our
s~iX-shooters, but he lifted his tattered
hat and we were greatly relieved. He
called out to us that he had lost trail
and had grouped his way until he had
found himself on the dizzy rock and
was unable to find his way down He
had lost his companion and was in q
bad fix.
, The girls helped him out, because
they did not feel that under such cir.
cumstances it was necessary to ignore
!, men so completely as the platform OF
the expedition required. They com.
passionately fed him and started him
on the right trail after his friends.
But they do not consider that this
achievement compares with the forti-
tudc with which they ignored the
snakes that they met on all sides.