Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-21

or Brown. up the course of a dashing
mountain stream, Holzinger trail leads
along the flank of Mt. Edwards to a
nest or mountains tempting to Appa-
lachian "clubites," scientists and even
common tourists like ourselves.
On the western side of the ]colonnada
OF mountains first mentioned is the
North fork country. Out 0 fthis flows
one of the three large streams forming
the broad F1athead river, which Mon
tanans claim to be the real Columbia.
The region between this secondary
range of the Rockies and the Kootenay
mountains is full of game, fish and
scenery. Bears, black. brown and griz-
ely. inhabit here, together with blacl
and White-tailed deer. moose, mountain
goats, sheep and lions, ~porcupines, coy
otes, wolves, foxes and other fur-bearing
ANIMALS, ducks, geese, cranes, grouse,
lool-nens, pheaSantS and smaller game.
The North fork has been called the
most picturesque stream in Montana,
Whch is saying a great deal.
LAKE M'DONALD.
Back now to the charming yestibule
to all this beauty and grandeur. Lake
Macdonald is sixteen miles long and
averages three in width. The steamer
ride from the outlet to inlet unrolls a
mountain panorama scarcely surpassed
in switzerland or northern Italy. The
reflections on its surface reproduce ev-
cry tWig and rock of forest or mountain
slope with such vivid accuracy that a
modern Peter might supposedly be
tempted to step from the BOAT out upon
the water, in the belief that he could
climb the reversed peak much more
easily than the real one. A half-dozen
neat log cabins at either end of the
lake invite summer occupants, and a
plain hotel near 1.-The head furnishes
tolerable accommodation. Supplies are
readily procured at kalispell. and trout
of several kinds, with game in it's sea-
son, vary the cuisine.
A single trail through primeval forest
leads to Granite park, the finest picnic
ground in America. Up and up the
sure-footed cayuses plod their careful,
way till rest is reached among the ultl-
mate stunted trees, verdant openings
and flower beds blOSSomed 'thjck
enough to NOV" Sixty varieties of
flowers were gathered in that lofty par
terre. besides a dozen more on the re-
turn. An hours climb beyond the
reach of horses took our party to the
notched ridge of the Garden wall. To
the left front. looking east, Grinncll
glacier and Ahern pass drew the eye
toward Canada with it's rugged scenery
of kindred sort. Northwestward a few
miles away CLANCY glacier was sighted
resting on the broad pack of a noun
tam which fell off on the other side in
a sheer precipice half a mile straight
down to the oblique talus Over his a
goat, shot on the very edge
of the cliff above. may have rolled a
good half-mile more, for it disappeared
bottom. A jewelled string of five tiny
k fed by glaciers and mountain
mists decorates a ~neighboring valley.
AVALANCHE BASIN.
The pack train headed southwark, and
turned at right angles eight miles be-
fore reaching Lake Macdonald, into a
trail leading east. A mile of easy going
brought us to the Gorge" where Ava
lanche creek tears it's tortuous way
through thick strata of tough rock in a
fascinating tumult of noise add foam.
Three miles more of uphill work. under
the massive tanks of Goat and Shep-
herd mountains and the trail broke
suddenly into the wonderful Avalanche
basin, so called because of the resound-
ing snoWslideS often seen or heard to
fall into this mountain pocket when the
spring sun loosens the grip of winter.
Picture a horseshoe-shaped valley,
two miles long by one wide. open at the
western end, but a perfect cul-de-sac
elsewhere. \ curving wall of ta'us
and precipices rises ON three sides