Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-11-10

- WOULD be superfuous to say
AZ we slept that night. Wouldn't
anybody feel like sleeping after a
good, manly walk of twelve or
fifteen miles up a hill that well
deserves the name, mountain? We
had started about mid-afternoon to
scale the heights preparatory to our
annual two weeks off Twas dark
when we reached our chosen spot in
the San Antonio canyon, and 1t was 3
O'Clock before we had completed all
arrangements for our good nights"
writes Alfred A. Berger in the Los
Angeles Times.
BY the way. did you ever sleep out
under the trees with Gods vast blue
canopy for your roof, and the myriads
of stars twinkling and blinking at you
through the leaves, for your watch
lights? Did you ever experience a
night in the forest with sweet-scented
pines pertaining the air, and with a
gushing, gurglipg laughing brook to
sing you away to dreamland? It ia
wonderful beyond mere description.
All night long we dreamed sweet
dreams of mountains and forests and
things that are grand We pictured in
our sleep the natural beauties which
surrounded us. Rut when morning
came with its darting beams of sun
light casting mysterious shadows
among the towering trees. disclosing
nature in that cool, dewy freshness
we took our first look upon our camp
ing ground
The rivulet was more beautiful
even. than we had pictured 1t in our
slumbers. 1t rushed and dubbed over
its rocky bed. winding and twisting
down the mOuntainside, eager to do
its share toward making the mighty
ocean. Just above our camp was
charming cataract noisy and pictur
esque. Still further above was a rus
tic foot bridge, and in the background
of timber and underbrush. the whole
blending together to make sylvan
picture that would enthuse the most
International
The Big Event.
All the days and nights of our so
Journ were not greatly unlike the first.
We all felt happy up there in that
altitude, above the petty rounds OF
Irritating concerns and duties" And
We learned new lessons of brotherly
Owe from the birds and the gray
equirrels that froIicked in the tree
tops.
But the one big event of our expe-
dition was trip to "Old Baldy'-that
ancient monument of the sunny south
vest, and loftiest peak of the San
aabriel range. Eleven and half
thousand feet above the sea he rears
has barren head high above the line
o. vegetation rendering himself rich
~ deserving OF the descriptive name
be bears
Taking provisions and blankets for
might in the wilderness we loaded
Fhem onto pack mule. We also ap.
pFopriated a pair of donkeys-burros
- the California pronunciation-to
spell us in our unusual climb Thus
nkted out, tho procession started early
in3 the morning, carrying two can.
Reens OF water and sufficient weapons
70 protect us from such beasts as
erossed out path. Parenthetically. ]
WQuld state that the weapons we used
most however. were our walking
SUCKS, and the beasts we used them
Pm most were the poor beasts of bur.
den Speaking OF burros-they were
~ rlght to climb, so long as the trail
vas not too steep. But when ii was
steer, then-did We ride? We did we'll
toAget our little. long-eared brothers
@iong even when we walked.
~ the limit of the timber we stop
pea to rest-and incidentally to
numor our inner man" with a few
munches Of bread and beans-and wa.
YER All, did beans ever touch the
Sp0t so exactly? Did bread ever sat.
lsfy so completely? Was water ever
sweeter? We had left the stream far
Dshind now. and Il e canteens held
our only hope of preservation until
wa reached the snow line For Old
nalhy Is one Of those peaks with eter.
nSh snow However, that is only in
kRF canyons facing the north The
souEhern slopes are bare excepting in
winter
NniIe our inner man" was enjoy.
Ing bis beans we ourselves were
greAolly deyouring the scenery From
our resting place we commanded
view OF the entire valley below us,
extending from mountain to ocean
anout nifty miles long and some thirty
mites wide, There before our eyes
pfeelsely as map-lay the towns
ana cities that hold the bulk of the
Faiieys population. There in the far
corner was Redlands. with San Der
haralno nesting in the lap of its par
ent Fange. Newport marked the west.
e1n llne OF our map In the midst
Wefe Riverside Cotton, Pomona, Co
Ionas and the several other enterpris-
}nG pNns-a wonderful display and