The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-07-03
OUR MOUNTAIN TRIP.
Up Little r yer. Down the State line
to the Bald.
Ueonard s. Goddard
CONTINUED from last week.

Head, 6, 200 #. high and the vision
of beauty that greets our eyes, as we
stand on the highest peak OF this
grand old mountain, repays us Tor
our long and tiresome climb and after
a few inmates of feasting our souls on
the magnificent cyclorama spread
round about us by the perfect hand
of nature, and after drinking the cool
pure bracing air which always sweeps
the top, we felt as though we had
rested an hour.
Truly the mountain is one of Ma
lure's ideal works. In them, one
may, if he choose, withdraw from the
world of business and professional
activity and, for time, become OBJ
livious to its cares and responsibilities.
Here are sights we can see no where
else. The view in the evening when
the brilliant colorTng Of the sunset
sky is reflected from peak to peak is
one of indiscrbsble beauty. There
are shelving rocks, rugged cliffs, ro-
mantle paths, secluded hooks and a
profusion of wild flowers in great va
riety. All these delights. the eye, in
vites the pencil Of the artist and in,
spires the pen Of the poet.
What does one do in this paradise@
Principally forgets, fergets the cares
that have harrassed his sleeping and
waking hours forgets the life "a
which he must again return; forgets
the meaning and existence OF respon-
sibility; forgets all but present ease
and enjoyment, Sweet idleness is
mingled with the oders Of fragrant
flowers and the balmy woods with
~9,c breezes come laden.
Ihulader Head was given its aame
on account of the fact that so many
of the big black, white capped thun
der head clouds seems to make this
a rendezvous. Here most arg day
you can see clouds, both above anC
below you. Sometimes there is &
shower of rain below you, whGte you
stand OLA the top bathed in glorious
sunlight. Itis on this mountaGN tha
they tell the story of man who wa
in terrible rain storm and got soak
ing wet from his waist down, while
the rest of his body was thorough.
dry. However, | do not vouoh 70
the thrnth of this last story as [ haC
no opportunity Of trying the expert
ment. This mountain has three top
the highest OF which is Laurel Top
which is we'll named as it is covered
with dense growth of Laurel thu
next highest is called Eagle Top, w
suppose named this on account of it
rocky appearance, which is suggest
i've of Eagles nests as these might,
BIRDS are said to select such places a
their eyries; the third is called cth
West Top from the fact that it is far
therest west.
Now after taking general lool
around let US see If we can locat
some of the principal features of til
landscape about us. Looking eaf
the highest mountain we can see
Clingman's Dome, named after a
ExCongressman and Elk Senator c
North Carolina This dome is, W
believe, the third highest peak east {
the Rockies, it being over 400 fee
higher than the mountain on whic
we stand, or 5000 feet high.
like Thunder Head is or the Stat
line and as we gazed at it, lifting it
domed head in the dim distance, W
had an ambition to stand on its topmos
higth and look still farther across tn
tops of the range after range of noun
tains which lay to the South and East
We turn now and look little Mort
of East and we see the Blanket noun
tain spoken of before in these arti
cles. This is supposed to be what
called by Miss MurIree, in her move
"Among the Clouds" the "Piamin
60 Bald" which she describes a
being five miles Northeast of Thur
der Head. Miss Murfree erred i
giving the mountain this name a
Piamingo was, we believe, Chicka
saw Indian Chief instead of a Chero
kee and the Smoky mountains wer
the homes of the latter named tribe
There is a legend as to how this cam
10 be called "Blanket Mountain,