The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-26

Those who anticipate a vacation in the Land of the Sky will be interested in news that came yesterday from waynes- vile. N. c.
 Mrs. Richard Fell, prominent Birming- ham club woman, who is at the Piedmont, just below Junaluska, writes that one never so keenly perceives that she has arrived at Eagles Nest-the highest point in that interesting region--as when the artillery of heaven breaks loose. Then 1t is. she says. that you feel you are at the Identical point where thunder and light ening are manufactured and distributed.
 'T am perfectly safe" she declares, "in saying this country reaches the superla- tive degree in three features at least. The mountains rising higher peak after peak. until they disappear among the clouds, are most wonderful. They truly form blue ridge, deepening in color from pure azure into the darkest navy. l saw all these shades in endless variation last summer on the seashore, and thought the sea had monopoly of painting the dis tance In tints of blue.
 Next to the mountains in wonder and admiration come the wild flowers. Cali fornia cannot exceed the profuson of this territory when 1t comes to purple and scarlet mint, queens lace daisies and dahlias, and John Fox. Jr, made no mis- take in selecting the rhododendrom for his favorite flower.
 Now as to apples. They are most tempting and luscious, and you see great stretches of orchard that the eye finally loses at the horizon. If the fruit in Eden was more beautiful than that we have here let us extenuate Ewes irrevocable act of disobedience and curiosity, for 1t is & natural impulse to reach out for these balls of scarlet green and gold and test their promises of grateful flavor.
 "A pilgrim far from the "maddng crowd" finds mother nature most gener- ous, making gratis all these sights and sounds of height and depth.
 'We are in walking distance of Waynes- vile I have not heard how old this town is, but one of the most attractive build ings in the town is the First Baptist church. founded in 1929. Some one said the name was connected with Mad An thony Wayne One sees at a glance thai an ancient warrior might exercise great daring in the security of Old Bald Lick. stone and Junaluska.
 Piedmont Farm is our home at pres ent. You can imagine you are in Switzer- land, within sight of the Alps, for the cabins of country folk are perched at all sorts of angles of seeming impossiblity on the hilsides of chestnut and oak.
 The farm is fortressed by ranges and peaks of the Smokies and Balsams. On al n. look from the veranda on noisy stream hurrying on to its remote destination also on the hills beyond which are under cultivation, and then come the great ter. races, 'rock-ribbed and ancient as ths sun,' piled in endless height by the Al mighty. You may anywhere find 8 Great Stone Face to ennoble every ac and impulse of aspiring humanity"
 MT. Fleece of Louisville. who, with hi charming family is also spending tn, summer below Junelusl5a, braved the long climb to its summit and has written his Impressions, his letter bringing back to all of us who have stood on the veranda at Eagles Nest, or watched the sunrise from the tower of the hotel the some. times terrible beauty of natures demon strations in that portion of the noun tains.
 Early each morning." he writes, "wt had looked out on Mt. Junaluska and wondered what secrets were hidden un der its great forests and tons of earth Each evening we had sat in the long twi light on the verandas and drunk In tn, satisfying draught of cool, pure air tha seemed to renew our strength and chal- lenge us to climb to the Eagles Nest, which gave its name to the celebrated hostelry situated upon the highest peal but one Today we had accepted thu challenge and with stout poplar ant hickory mountain sticks we started Three and one-half miles to top reads tn, mile post in front of the hotel. Many wer, the boasts of a record-brealSing climb ant many were the jibes of our friends or the veranda, who had already undertaken the climb or had been driven up in car riages.
 The Toll Gate
 After half mile of gradual climb w Come to the toll gate This road belongs to the Eagles Nest Hotel company, ant the tolls collected are supposed to bt used for keeping the road in repair The road is superior to most mountain climbs there being plenty of room for two ve- hicles to pass at any point and very few boulders or mud holes. About three quarters of mile from the start there is the typical mountain saw mill that sings the song of civilization to an accompa- niment of wilful waste The four ano eight-ox teams link the present progress with the past deiberatjon and consti- tute the slow but certain means of bring ing the mountain to the saw mill.
 The First View
 "A steep climb or two and we walked out upon a prominent point at curve il the road and caught our first elevated view of the surrounding country. 1t was grand, but rather invited us on to wha we knew must be the grander view from the top. So with climbing and leaning hard upon our stout sticks we slowl, mounted, now and then pausing to drini from a spring at the roadside or to lool out over the valley ana on 10 the noun tains in the distance.
 "The sky was becoming clouded and W put forth greater energy, for from infor nation and experience we knew that storm in the mountains of North Caro-