Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-06-05
AT THE SUMMIT LAKES
FARMS IN THE wILDs OF THE CAS-
CADE MOUNTAINS.
4 Favorite Resort Described by n
WeiI-Known Pacific Coast
Newspaper Man.

The following admirable sketch is from
the pen of j. M. Baltimore. /. pioneer.
newspaper man and magazine writer Of
the northwest. MIR. Baltimore's work
| adorns many pages of the Oregonian,
Portland Telegram. Overland Monthly
and other leading periodicals. He is now
visiting his sister. Mrs. A. f. Ellis, on
| Moran prairie:
Much has been written about Mount
Hood, one of the kingly peaks of the great
Cascade mountains. The representation
of this vast snowy sentinel has glowed
upon the canvass. has been immortalized
| in poetry. while many of the most gifted
writers of prose have We'd in magnificent
/ descriptions of its grandeur and frowning
glories. Mount Hood certainly deserves
all that 1t has received in the way of no.
toriety for, with the exception of Mount
| Tacoma and Mount Shasta, 1t has no
| equal from Mount st. Elias in the frozen
north to the Mexican border on the south.
| These lakes are situated on the very
summit of the lofty Cascade range, fully
5000 feet above sea level. They are To-
4 Gated just south of Mount Hood, and only
a few miles from the base of the peak.
In number there are probably dozen.
They are of different sizes, and no two
are alike in form. None of them are
large-in fact, they are too small to be dig
nified by the appellation of lake More
properly they should be called 'tarns,"
/ or very large pools. But it is not the size
nor forms of these bodies of water that
render them remarkable. These lakes are
| scattered around, covering in the aggre-
| gate quite large area. They are not far
| apart and are surrounded by a dense
| forest. The space occupied by these lakes
| Is not altogether open. for there are
patches of timber standing here and
| there around the margins.
That these lakes should exist at such
an altitude above sea level is not so
| strange, but the nature of the soil in
which they are located, and the nature of
the surroundings are the remarkable fea-
lures. The whole country around the
1 Summit house appears to be of swampy
| nature, Notwithstanding the height. The
soil is very black, and is what is gener-
| ally known as beaver land" That there
should be an extensive morass at the sum-
nit of the Cascades may appear unusual,
but this fact may be readily accounted
| for. During the long, cold winters vast
quantities of snow fall in the mountain
| soltudes. This is especially true of Mount
4 Hood. When summer comes these great
I masses of snow and ice are converted into
| water, and the many small streams are in
4 adequate to carry away the watery accu-
| mutations. In this manner the earth be-
comes thoroughly saturated. and in the
/ course of centuries the entire country
surrounding the base of the peak has be-
| come sort of quagmire. Ultimately the
4 waters soak through the earth and find an
4 outlet to some of the streams that flow
| from the mountains down into the val
1 leys.
/ According to this theory which is very
4 reasonable one, Summit lakes are only so
many open spaces to the vast morass.
1 The waters of the beautiful and pictur-
esque little mountain tarns are cold as
Ice and as clear as crystal. Some of them
are very deep and others comparatively
| shallow. So far as it is possible to deter
mine none of these lakes have any out
/ let, though they really must have, for they
| do not overflow, and the pellucld waters
4 are at all seasons pure and sweet.
Trout of very excellent favor abound
in these tarnS in great numbers, and 10
all mountain excursionists Summit lakes
1 are favorite resort. The fish, though
1 timid, will snap readily at fly hook, and
\ can be pulled out rapidly. Every season
many persons visit Mount Hood, and as
II it is only few miles from Government
I Camp over to the summit, scores of ang-
/ lers visit the beautiful and romantic lit
1 tie bodies of water to east the fly
In fishing it is necessary to wear high
/ gum boots, for at almost every step the
1 soil yields and the water swells up
| through the turf rising ankle deep. In
1 fact, it appears as If there is one large
4 lake. but it is covered by thin though
1 very flexible layer of soil and that the
lakes are only so many outlets" or "air
holes" All over the open space fiourshes
/ luxuriant growth of wild grass which
I grows in many places waist high. Dur
ing spring and summer months the whole
country about these lovely little sheets
! of water looks like a succession of mead
/ ows. They are, in reality, wild meadows,
and yield many tons of sweet and nu-
t,io. tue ax x.tfII ic
cut during July, and the mowers have to
use gum boots in harvesting the crop.
The proprietor of the Summit house, an
old fellow who has lived there for more
! than a quarter of century, makes good
! profit on his native crop, for he sells it
4 readily to many who cross over the noun
| tains. His place is a sort of half way
house, where food and rest for man and
beast may be secured for a reasonable
sum- A great many mountain climbers,
at that altitude are cone bearers. Very
i hunters and anglers make a rendezvous
! of the Summit lakes during the summer
i months. There Is both large and small
game in the adjacent forests, the romantic
little lakes furnish fish galore; besides,
1 there is abundant wood, pure, delicious
| water and delightful mountain air. What
1 more is required to make summer out
4 ing pleasant and successful?
No more lovely and romantic spot can
be found than Summit lakes at the close
| of a long summer day. Combined with
the pictureSquenesS and tranquility of the
4 scene and surroundings is a certain ele-
1 ment of mountain widness which lends
| charm to the whole view The deep
4 silence which broods over the scene, the
| weird sense of isolation and mys-
| terious loneliness the long sha1-
l ows which gently and gradually
| steal over the face of nature-the deep
forest aisles the meadows, the still lakes,
I all cast fascinating spell over the human
l heart and mind.
| Far above can be seen the dizzy and daz-
cling summit of Mount Hood kissed by
the last rays of the setting sun. Along
the steep and rugged sides the deep, pur-
pie shadows of twilight are creeping slow
ly upward. One seems to stand under the
very frowning shades of the grand old
mountain. All around are the broodiag
forests. There is every shade and tint
of green in the foliage, for all the trees
few If any deciduous growths are to be
found. The lakes look like darkening mir
rors, in whose mysterious depths are re-
! hected the 'impalpable earth and unat-
tainable sky" Not wave frets theil
| unruffied, CLASSY surface. They are 81
| quiet and SO serene as to suggest a slum
|, | bering child and a poets deep reverie
| The air is sweet, and comes laden will
! the breath of forest flowers, mingled will
the balsamlc odor of the fir, pine and ce
dar boughs. Not zephyr stirs a leaf o.
twig; there is no motion in the pulseles
f-1xA l.