The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-12-31
OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.
Guardian of Camel's Hump Keeps
House Atop the Peak.


Vermont, not unlike. her sister state
across the Connecticut river, has an old
man of the mountains
But the two old men are quite different
Climbers of Camefs Hump will tell you
so.
They know because the Green Noun
tam states old man of the mountain al
ways has his eye out fer them.
The old man is one Of the first things
to attract their attention as they finish
the last and hardest half mile OF the two
and one-half mile grind up the mountain
side. His welcome is not So stern as
that accorded visitors in the White noun
| tains. for his face is not of rough formed
stone. though quite as rugged.
| A better name for the guardian of Cam
els Hump and its visitors and one more
commonly used by those who know him
| is ''At Your Service" Blondin. For the
Green mountain "old man" is very hui
man and not at all unlike the rest of us.
albeit he has a warmer heart than many
of us. He is literally an old man, having
| seen 65 summers in different sections Of
Vermont
| At 10 he became an apprentice in the
granite idustry and by spells for so wears
ne has followed this trade But he never
managed to save a great deal and the
lure of the woods finally took hold OF
'him two years ago. leading him to take
the position last summer of guardian of
the Green Mountain club property alton
the Hump
Not a woodsnan by nature, at Your
Service" Blondin rapidly acquired his own
special sort of wood lore and soon added
! his nickname by reason OF the honest ser
vices he performed. From a debt OF $50
incurred by the Green Mountain club in
the upkeep OF the Camel's Hump huts the
year previous, AT Your Service man
| aged TO give even better service and at
the same time reduce the yearly deficit
to about Sc. This year he is endeavoring
to break even, all that the club desires.
At the same time the number OF visitors
| mas been increased because the cold man
makes friends Of everyone who climbs
the mountain. Invariably he Is there
with open arms as you reach the hut area
near the top. If his list of guests is large
he does not hesitate to loan you the use
OF his own little tin shack with its supply
OF store. cook stove and rather hard
but welcome bunk, while he himself puts
up with crude bed of bows in the small
damp wood shed" of canvas nearby.
Some visitors TO the Hump have a ma
! ma for climbing the peak by moonlight
and If AT Your Service" Blondin learns
that they are coming by reason of a tele-
phone message before they start he takes
his lantern and journeys down the long
trail to "Callahan's," where the two trails
up the Hump begin, and waits for their
| arrival, that they may be safely escorted
to the top.
Then ne builds n rousing fire, gets water
from the excellent spring near the huts,
and helps them prepare some warm coffee
heeplng house atop the Hump some
times grows monotonous, as there are OF
ten spells OF several days when no yisitirs
| appear. On such days AT Your Service
has time to attend to getting ahead on
his supply of wood and stores. To do this
he must make many trips into the woods
with his saw and an axe or jog down the
| tran TO Galatians with a yoke after the
canned food supplied him by the Green
| Mountain club.
Again there will come a rainy spell and
the 'old man" then need not worry abou,
forest fires but can sit in his cabin and
muse upon the philosophy of life
After such a spell of loneliness ''At
Your Service is unusually eager in his
welcoming OF guests, for with their com
ing he has someone to talk to. He is nc
unlnteresting talker either.
/ lie tells you of the first bear he met or
July 6. of his dislike for killing hedge
hogs that abound on all Vermont noun
tains, his successes and defeats in life
and all in such way that he makes YOU
think he would have returned to the low
er regions, where many people are always
willing TO listen TO one, if only You hac
not happened to visit the Hump at Just
the exact time you did.
t Il was just going down the long trail,
he says, wearing my rubber-soled shoes
l didn't make much noise because of the
shoes, and on rounding a bend / saw the
bear coming toward me about 80 fee
away. The bear looked up, saw my for
estry badge, realized he was on fores
land belonging to the state, reared on hi
hind legs and made off for all he wa,
good for
gnawing sound at the underpinnin:
of the shack will attract his attention
and he will tell of how he never kills ;
/ haduebop ,,p1asv he