The Ocala banner., 1914-09-04
AN INTERESTING TRIP UP MT.
PISGAH
Asheville, N. c.. Aug. 2S. 1914.


folk, Va, formed a party who enjoyed
a very charming and delightful auto
mobile trip yesterday up Mt. Pisgah,
which, with the exception of Mt.
Mitchell, is the highest peak east of
the Rocky mountains. rhe trip is a
wonderfully interesting one, the seen
cry up and down the mountain being
simply Incompatible and entirely be-
yond description.
The wonderful peaks in the dis
tance, raising one above the other,
and losing themselves in the mystical
clouds, which hover like a soothing
benediction over the mountain peaks,
the verdant valleys below, with bits
of sunshine and shadows playing hide
and seek behind the peaks, and with
an occasional glimpse of a farm house
away in the distance, forms picture
that one can never forget-one that
will be stored away in our memory
urns, to be taken out at some future
time to enjoy 'over and over and
over again"
An old legend, learned in childhood,
said that two fierce Titans, in their
terrible anger, fought each other,
tearing rocks from the earth, piling
valley upon valley as they fought
tossing trees and mountains about as
so much chaff, and 10! where the
fighting giants were, mountains now
reared their massive and sublime
heights. These mountains, we know
are of gentler origin. There are only
a few rock precipices, the beauties of
hill and vale being so lovely that it
makes one long to be an artist, or, at
least, a poet, to adequately portray
the loveliness to others.
There is a great wealth of pictur-
esque scenery abounding throughout
the mountains Of western North Caro-
lima, but nowhere can it be more ma
jestic and good to look upon than on
Mt. Pisgah-over 1000 feet above sea
level.
Fortunately we picked out won
derful day for the trip, as it was ideal
from start to finish. Near the top of
the mountain is quaint and attract
i've log cabin lodge, belonging to the
late George Vanderbilt, who did so
much for this section, and whose
death was great blow to the noun
taineers. The lodge keepers house is
very attractive, built of hewn timbers
chinked in with red clay. The road
from the foot of the mountain leading
up to the lodge was built by Mr.. Van
derbilt, and is splendid road, but ne
cessarily very precipitous, perilous
and narrow. Every precaution, how
ever, is taken, and with a careful
driver there is not particle of dan
ger. Permission has to be obtained
from the Biltmore estate to make the
ascent, and only a limited number of
teams and cars are allowed to make
the trip daily, so that each party
knows just how many are on the road,
so there is no danger of collision
around the hundreds of short, sharp
curves. The drive up was too beauti-
full to describe.
The Vanderbilt lodge is set amidst
huge grove of magnificent old chest
nut trees, which sight alone was
worth the trip. At the lodge you
leave your team or car, and the bal
ance of the trip up the mountain is
made on foot. 1t was a good fifty-min-
ute walk to the top, and strenuous
climb it is, too. The trail is an excel
lent one, and when, after scaling it's
heights and standing on the very
apex of Mt. Pisgah, such panorama
of wondrous beauty meets the eye
that long breaths of contentment and
delight are drawn. One is almost
speechless, not only from lack of
breath after the long climb, but from
the marvellous and wondrous beauty
of the prodigality of nature in giving
to the world such a scene as this!
After coming down the trail back
to the car we had our lunch, and it is
safe to say that no lunch ever tasted
better.
At the foot of the mountain we had
apples and fresh apple cider, and the
mountain woman invited us into her
cabin, where she was engaged in
weaving woolen goods. Of course this
formed a most interesting incident of
the trip.
They call this the sapphire coun-
try, an old mountaineer saying the
name is from the color of the sky.
Whether this is so or not, the sky is
certainly enough like changing sap