The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1900-08-10

looked at his tally stick'' and found that
durin" the season of 1890 lie killed TWEEN
t!-SlX. dis two Or three employees SAID
they ha, killed as many more. \ watch
ful eye is necessary when a pilgrim gets
out OF a road or trail. The mountuineers
peaccable: SO much so that when h,
thinks a person does not see him ne lies
quiet and does not coil and rattle. The
rangers wear extremely thick leather
leg"in%s over heavy stockings. Deadly
as is the poison Of these snakes, few pco-
bitten. and whisky is instantly taken.
The rattlcsnake in the eastern part Of
North Carolina is far larger and in con-
sequence more deadly, owing to the
grcater size of the fangs and poison bags.
The most dangerous because the most
vicious snake in the eastern part of tn"
state is the black water moccasin, or cot
tonmouth: called by the natives the
swamp lion,' because Of his sayayeness.
These snakes attack mon.
The real objective point Of the Pilgrim
age is Pisgah Peak. The Thompson
trail is taken for it's top, and it is Il long
nine-mile tramp This is the stecpest
The immense trees Of the Pink Beds are
replaced on the long mountain crest by
dWarfcd trees, very quaint in effect. with
blue grass beneath them. 1t is a natural
park in miniature. The trail leads along
the crest to Pisgah Lodge: This is q
masterpiece Of Quaintness, all of logs and
stone. Its front balcony projects over a
chasm almost sheer for 1000 feet: From
this most picturesque standpoint Mr..
Eanderbilt'S guests shoot ut clay pig
cons or glass balls, and experts get three
or fonr shots. The furniture is all of
mountain woods. The dining hall is a
separate building, of the same log con
= nd vi
cred with the dressed skins OF the wild
cat. fox. deer. skunk. etc. There are
more than 200 skins. those Of the wild
cat predOminating. These animals were
All shot or trapped in Pisgah forest.
There are also immense eagles perched
on the beams.
Nob1est View America Affords.
1t is two miles from this lodge to the
summit of Pisgah. All the way there is
a view which embraces scores of miles
There is Il trail to the top, which is very
barely room for four ponies and half il
dozen people on foot. 1t is $500 feet
above sea level, and so vast is the height
that it seems to the pilgrims that they
are on top Of a tower. To the eastward
is Biltmore house hanging iii the middle
distance like Aladdin's palace, snowy
white and vast. and quite near it is tree
empowered Ashevillc, twelve miles away
-Four counties corner on this peak. To
the southwark there is the unbrokcn
mass Of Pisgah forest: to the east the
great and fertile valley Of the French
Broad: Yet further eastward the cloud
touching wall of the Blue Ridge rises
shutting out the world beyond. To the
westward is piled mountain upon noun
tain. and in that direction the view is
finally bounded by the Great Smokes
which tower like yeritable wall of Il
world, Within the sweep of a glance is
the culmlnatlon of the great Appalachian
system. There is no less than 10 peaks,
with an altitude Of more than 5000 feet,
these being in the Smoky, the Baisan
and the Black ranges. Mount Mitchell
III the Black, dominates them ALL with
ITS GIL feet of altitude. In it's entirety
the view is one of the very noblest which,
America affords. 1t is we'll worth the
"pilgrlmage to Pisgah. "-Correspondcncc
IN Forest and Stream.