Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-07-20
Trip to Old
Mount Pitt

/
door man and seems to call him to
come and lift himself out of the
humdrum of every day and find
breadth of vision from the mountain
top. Responding to the call of the
mountain, three of us went forth to
conquer, and upon the glorious
Fourth" we ate our dinner upon the
summit of the mountain, says F. e.
Bacon in his Central Point Herald
Leaving Central Point upon the af-
ternoon of the second, we drove to
Brownsboro that night. The next
day saw us climbing the grades up
ward to the mountain, passing Nc
Allister's Springs at noon, and travel
ing over a wagon trail from there on
to the head of Fish Lake. The road
has been but partly cleared since the
SHOWS of winter brought the trees
and snags across it and in many
places is still difficult for a team.
Fish Lake proved an ideal camping
ground in many ways, plenty of grass
| for the horses and clear cold water
with camp in the heavy timber go
ing far to make it ideal. The one
great drawback is the flies and mos
| quitoes which abount at this time of
the year. Camping there on the
night of the third, we prepared for
an early start up the mountain.
Saturday dawned foggy with the
mountain hid in a veil of cloud.
Leaving camp, We travelled the trail
toward Fourmile Lake for perhaps
two miles, when we found a ridge
which looked promising and we lett
the trail and began the climb. Be-
fore we had proceeded a great way
we entered tn ebrush. 1t was the
writer's first experience with buck
BRUSH" and he now has better con-
ception of the hardships of travel in
the brush than he ever had before.
After passing the brush the timber
was open with an easy assent, max
ing fine going. In fact, with the eX-
ception of the brush, the travel was
good all the way to the timber line.
After several miles of comparatively
easy climbing we began to find more
rock. Ledges and outcroppings on
either side illustrated what lay be-
fore us. The grade increased so that
it became necessary to zigzag along
the face of the bluff. The first snow
no wappeared in the hollows, at first
but trace, but soon apparently in
substantial drifts. AS we approached
the timber line the mountain became
more rough in appearance and the
going increased in difficulty. One
feature of mountain climbing is that
as you become more tired the way
grows more difficult, as though the
monarch of the hills resented your
presence upon his summit. We were
| now upon the east side of the noun
tain, having gone around from the
south end of 1t in our climbing
e Looking to the south, the mighty
Shasta lifted it's head in splendor
Y the only peak in sight which wal
S above us. To the east the lakes o.
klamath county began to appear. Al
n we assembled, at every rest we coult
| Of fhaun 1oInu until fhi
r whole country appeared to be dotted
with the blue of distant water. Fac
d ing the hardest part of our climb, WI
gave all of our attention to the noun
: tain. Working still more to the east
we came out upon the main ridg,
h leading up to the rim which is tn,
summit of the mountain. To tn
X north OF us lay the snow fields glis
tening in the light air. Lookinl
q across, we could see the crags whicl
h mark the north side of the mountain
As we ascended, at one point, mark
ing the eastern limit of the rim, ther,
# burst upon us a view that is un
equaled anywhere else upon tn
X mountain. At our feet the roc
falls away in precipice to the snoy
d field. Across the snow rise the crags
great outstanding pinnacles of rock
l. High up to the left or west is tn
1. peak which marks the summit prop
l. er, its outlines indistinct in the cloud
Take a picture of the Materhor
h in the European Alps and you ca
ic form some idea of the beauty an
grandeur of the view across tn
y snow. Far below US the snow fiel
famed out and ended upon the rocks
d. far above us the summit showed In
TO distinct in the clouds which the win
t. was whipping across the mountain, !
Of front OF us were crags and pinnacle
OF rock, their dark surface in bri
b. liant contrast to the white snov
This one view we'll repays anyone fo
RS the entire climb of the mountain an
It can be secured in no other way.
From this point the final climb
g one which taxes the breath an