The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-06-06
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Excelis the Adiron dacks.

gentlemen from New York. who
like all people of gentle natures low
ed fishing, and he remarked: "You
people of Wisconsin have a great
advantage. You have for a resort
real wilderness, while we have in
the Adirondacks make believe for
est"
Northern Wisconsin is, in the re
spot mentioned, unique There are
forests with fine fishing and hunting
in Minnesota and in the upper pen
insula of Michigan, But nowhere
are virgin forests and bona fde
wilderness so readily accessible as
in Wisconsin.
In the northern portion Of this state
are so many lakes that their number
is not definitely known. There are,
however, more than 900 located
ond appearing on the plats of the
government survey. These lakes
are connected by streams which are
navigabe by small boats: and are SO
spread out and intertwined, like the
capillary blood vessels, that the
whole region may be traversed by
water. One may. for ms stance, leave
the Mississippi on the Chippewa
river, ascend to the head waters
of the latter, and by portage of one
.nalf mile, reach tributary of the
St Lawrence, and SO descend to
Lake Superior. So he may ascend
one river of the Mississippi system,
and by short carries, reach the
headwater of another river of the
same system, and travel over large
portion of the region without re-
tracing his course.
These lakes are all of glacial form
alton; many of them are strung upon
the rivers like beads upon a thread,
and are. of course, traversed, in as
cending the stream. Others are
connected by the chain of shallow
creeks choked with alders, and are
reached only by the enterprising
sportsmen, with the aid of compass
and birch canoe. The sportsmen
usually carries the compass, and the
guide carries the canoe, and thus
the labor is divided. In these port
ages the beauties of the forest are
seen and appreciated. The least
impressionable man feels that he
is with nature, and that the human
race, with it's destructive tenden-
cles, is far away, both in point of
time and space. The deer inspect
you, and if satisfied, as in my case,
that no danger is to be apprehended,
snort protest and deliberately de-
part.
The silence of the woods is op-
pressive, and is broken only by the
unearthly noise made by branches
rubbing on each other when moved
by the wind, suggesting the means
of a damned soul held in cleft
stick. :" This is an infallible hair
raiser when heard for the first
time.
This silence must not be taken to
imply desolation, for the woods are
full of life; but song birds are alb
sent, and the denizens of the country
are wary and light footed and inspect
the traveller from hiding places diff
ficult to discern. Once in while
a bear cub will take refuge in a tree,
and then wish to reconsider his
action: and ''let dare not wait upon
[ would''; and in the meantime to
objurgate profanely in bear Ian
guage.
On the borders of the lakes, song
birds are numerous, meier appear I'M
terrified, cranes pose as Japanese
lamps standards, porcupines prowl
On overhanging logs, look as intelli-
gent as the average voter, wonder
what the passing boat means, give
1t up, ard, shocked by the mental
effort, fall off the log into the water.
In the Wisconsin waters are
bass, pickerel, pike and the mas
kenozea Or muscallonge Men with
taste perverted and rendered NOR
bid by trout fishing which have
reached such marvellous size that
they may be actually weighed on
scales But probably the weakened
and impoverished nerves OF these
gentlemen could not endure the
shock of a leap of q twenty or thirty
pound s'muskie" for the bait. 1t