Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-09-22
Mrs. Palmerlee Tells
Of Mountain Climb

Tuesday, September ninth, the Old
Maid, the Old Bachelor, the Music
Teacher, the Farmer, the Merry
Widow and the Anti-Suffragette de-
cided that the psychological moment
for adventure had arrived. They
started that afternoon for the Lake
of the Woods, planning to scale
Mount Pitt the following day. They
pitched camp on the north shore of
the lake, ate supper by a roaring
campfire and retired early that they
might rise with the lark. The Merry
Widow found sleep impossible, be-
cause of the moonlight shimmering
across the lake and because a pam
ther, three coyotes and hoot-owl
insisted on having their practice not
far away. All of this tended to in
spire a reminiscent mood and put
Morpheus to flight.
The party hit the trail soon after
seven in the morning, with supplies
for the day and two saddle horses.
The chief objection to this trail was
that it did not lead to Mount Pitt,
so it had to be abandoned. The
travellers turned into the woods, to-
ward the mountain that challenged
them from the distance. They STUN
bled over logs and struggled with
buck brush for several miles before
reaching the foot of the mountain.
The ascent was made on the south
side of the ridge that slopes toward
the east 1t proved to be steep and
rocky. In fact, the whole mountain
seemed made up of ridges and can
yons filled with volcanic rock and
cinders. What an upheaval was
there in ages past! One could say
with Carlyle, How thou fermentest
and elaboratest in thy great ferment-
ing watts and laboratory, o Nature!"
AS the ascent became sleeper it
was considered wise to leave the
horses and wraps and lunch on a
grassy ledge and proceed unencum-
bered, save for a telescope, some
fruit and bottle of water. Choice
bits of scenery soon appeared. Four
Mile Lake, Lake of the Woods and
Fish Lake flashed into view, like
lambent jewels set in field of en-
erald, and the snow-crowned peak of
Shasta seemed floating in mist.
The elusive peak was reached at
three-thirty. The patch of snow, that
looked from below like My Lady's
pocket handkerchief, proved to be a
field of ice. The north side of the
mountain gave every indication of
the fact that when the eruption oc-
Cured the side blew out, leaving the
peak. Down this side rocks roll now
and then and, in winter, it becomes
the path of avalanches. A glacier
lies at the base through whose crew
asses the water flows with sullen
roar.
From the summit one can see
miles in all Klamath
Lakes and klamath Falls to the east,
Crater Lake peaks to the north,
Rogue river and valley to the north
west, Mounts Ashland and Wagner to
the southwest, and Shasta to the
south, with green-clad ranges be-
tween. The splendor of the pano-
rama awed the wanderers into
silence. For who would speak when
all about him lies 1.-The silent i'm
mensity and Palace of the Eternal,
whereof our sun is but a porch
lamp?
The descent was made rapidly,
with an utter disregard for shoe
leather, through canyon filled with
shifting cinders. In the haste and
confusion the carefully marked trail
was lost and only the most diligent
search with the telescope revealed it.
The uncertain rays of full moon
made progress extremely difficult
and not until half past nine did the
welcome sound of the whinny of a
horse greet their ears. They first
devoted their attention to the De-
partment of the Interior. Never did
sandwiches and coffee and water
seem so soul-satisfying.
To attempt to go farther that
night seemed useless, so between two
blazing camp-fires they talked the
night away.
The following day they found no
difficulty in travelling toward the ris-
ing sun until they reached their camp
at Lake of the Woods.
Now, aside from bruises and
scratches, each and all have the mem
ory of wonderful vision to remind
them of the days they've left behind.
MRS. H. S. PALMERLEB.