Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-07-14
ON CHARMING
LOCH LOMOND
This Beautiful Body Of Water 10 the
Queen Of All the Mountain Lakes
Of Scottish Mountains.
BOLD PEAK OF BEN LoMoNp
Description Of a Little Journey to This
Famed Spot in the Scottish
Highlands.

ANo"oA uSLhiol4, EAotluAb, uLle To-
The duke of Montrose owns one shore
of Loeb LOmond; the other shore is
the property of Sir James Colquhoun,
Gath baronet of that line and 18th
of Luss. Its too much for one more
said the waiter at this pleasant little
hotel. Discovering that we were
Americans. he was not reluctant in
making known his democratic lack of
reverence for title Beng somewhat
of mimic. he hunched his back, as
sumed high and quavering voice, and
gave an imitation of the aged baro
nets oral delivery But his no a bad
fellow, though he Gamma say himself
how rich he is From the same au-
thority it was learned that the bar
onet but recently acquired young
wife; that the duke of Montrose. with
all his great landed estate is not
lower rich" and that the dukes son.
who has parliamentary aspirations. is
not likely to land. as he suffers from
the infirmity of deafness.
Loeb Lomond.
Loeb LomOnd which corresponds
in size to our Lake Occur d'Alene is
confessedly the queen of Scottish
mountain waters. The scenery is rath-
er disappointing at the lower end.
where the railway from Glasgow con-
meets with delightfully."- natty steam
er, but grows wilder and more charm
ing as the lake penetrates the high
lands. With few exceptions. the
shores and the numerous wooded is
lands retain their primitive beauty
and the scenes differ but slightly from
the prospects which pleased the eyes
OF the Stuarts and their cutthrOat cour-
tiers. Hard wood forests of oak ma
pie, elm, birch, alder and mountain
ash cover the islands aud fringe the
shores. Back of these are groves Of
black pine, larch, cedar and fir, and
beyond these rise the lonely heather
and grass covered mountains, with
here and there a quilted water course,
fringed with birches, poplars and low
trees.
Climb of Ben Lomond.
Viewed from the steamer decks.
these heathery mountains appear
parched and dry and bear striking
resemblance to the high hills of the
Snake and Columbia rivers, but they
are, in fact, saturated with water. as
we learned little later when we
climbed the bold peak of Ben Lomond.
The cuckOos We're calling from the
mountain side as the steamer touched
at the Rowardennan pier, and from
the neigboring groves and coppice
came the melody of many hidden
warblers. 1t was. they said at the
hotel. the finest day they had seen
this year-"a Draw day TO climb the
ben" said the pleasant hammered
young woman who conducts the place.
and who later admitted that she had
been up the mountain but once. al
though she had been living there for
eight years.
Ben Lomond which rises boldly g.
600 feet above the lake. would be con-
sidered only an appetizer" by Will
Steel and other Mazamas. 1t is five
miles from the hotel to the summit.
and there is fair trail over most Of
the course. though a, times the path
is quite lost in the water soaked grass
and heather. Further up the noun
tain the way is marked by little cairns
and there is a pleasant surprise near
the summit, as the climber discovers
that the zig gag trail alongside the
rocky peak is really the easiest of all
the climbing
Gandest View in Scotland.
After climbing Ben LOmond one
ceases 10 wonder az the deep hold
these heather clad highlands have on
the Scottish heart. When the sun is
shining brightly and the wind is blow.
ing free there is a delightful exhilara
ton on the lonely slopes. We had
the mountain 70 ourselves. Not a hui
man being or habitation did we see
along the trail. Save in the valleys
the vast region was naught but a
sheep range. where the long fieeceL
wool is grown that passes into the
far famed Scotch woolens.
SCOTS Country"
From the summit of Ben Lomonf
the view is said TO be the finest in tho
British isles. On a clear day it GOV
ers a good part OF Scotland-lowlant
as well as highland. The eye range.
freely over SCOTS country" the reg
ion around which the great wizard o
the romantic school cast an imperish
and braes and lochs immortalized il
The Lady of the Lake" "Marmion.
THE Lay of the Lost Minstrer' ant
Rob Roy We counted Ii lakes. am
with the aid of field glasses coul,
trace the windnss of the Forth an,
Clyde down their fertile valleys t,
Marlborough and Glasgow.
These Scotch highlands have NOR
of an Alpine character than might b.
expected from their comparatively 10y
elevation. tThe highest mountain il
Scotland, Ben Nevis, is only 44O0 fee
above the sea-. This arises from thei
rugged character and their abrupt ris
from the waters edge-in many place
forming sheer and frishtful precipice.
Plant Life is Rich.
The heather now is brown. but i
another month will be purple wit
bloom. AS We came down the mouI
tain the sinking sun impaired TO il
bronze tone, and there was enoug
of bloom family to scent the evenin
air. The heather, with intervenin
eXpanses of nutritious grass, spots {
bracken and a few wild flowers. col
stitutes the plant life of a great pan
of the mountainsde and there are a
so broad expanses of bare rock. She
here and there with quartz and Stat,
OF animated life we saw only til
sheep, few pover piping in tn
sedge, a couple of startled pheasant
and a few winged insects