The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-31
o. The Wing
By JAMES H. HARD

before the top was blown off by vol canic action, leaving a snow filled crater, it was over 17,000 feet high. There was no room at the Inn, for travel is so heavy this year that res ervations have to be secured, some times weeks in advance. There were about 100 tents pitched on the slopes around the hotel, and they were all occupied. Hundreds of men, women and children were all about arrayed in mountain climbing , outfits, which means the women also wore britches and hob nailed shoes and mems hats, and carried alpenstocks. and there were several parties on horse, and bur TO back, starting out or returning from summit trails, could be seen those who in distance looked like ants crawling over the snow.
 The Inn is very attractive place, it is built ,0l immense logs cut on the sides of the mountains the roof laid on six inch and larger poles and sup ported by heavy logs, to prevent the entirely cover the building, from breaking in the roof. They say it does not get very cold there in winter, the temperature going only to about 40 degrees below zero, but at that l imagine that the care takers can be fairly comfortable for the big stone fire-places are large enough to roast an OK whole and there is an unlimited supply of big logs for fuel.
 We started back down the mountain at about three o'clock, in a train of about fifty automobiles, but you may be sure I secured places in the ono driven by the expert who brought us up in safety, and whom I hope will live long to pursue the calling for which he seems so eminent1y qualified to follow. Of course we got down in safety. and enjoyed the return trip. be- ing able to go little more rapidly than we came up. The road winds up and down in a spiral and in places by Joking straight towards heaven we could see above us in four places at once the road over which we had come, and could but marvel at the ability of the engineers who laid out the roads which appeared to be immediately above our heads but which were passed over by easy grades The forests which we passed were very majestic we saw in groups of three and fou.. growing close together trees which would measure eight to ten feet in diameter near the ground and which lowered over 300 feet into the air. Occasionally we would see forest ranger going his rounds looking out
 
 phone line. On our way up I sat along side of gentleman of Tacoma who was most entertaining, he had been for many years living in the section, and was we'll informed. incidentally he had varied experience. Was well up on the geology and natural history of the section and was very kind. I shall not soon forget the uniform courtesy found all along our way in the north west, and hope the lesson will not be | lost on me when we have strangers in | our midst down in Birmingham. On our return trip our companions were two gentlemen from I don't know where, and two young lady school | teachers from St. Paul, and we were able to keep the conversation from lag ging.
 We stopped en route at about dusk for chicken dinner, for which the section Is famous. but this dinner can not be described in the space allitteed to me at this time and deserves a sp- 1 arate description any how. We ar | rived again in Tacoma at about 8:30 o'clock having travelled 150 miles in an | automo ile, been close to the heighest mountain in this part of the world and as beautiful as any anywhere, and having thoroughly enjoyed the day When I started to write this letter it was intended to be a description of Tacoma, but I was carried away by the recollection of our mountain trip and I will have to postpone the de- scription of Tacoma until another time and hope you will enjoy the telling of 1t as much as I did the visit, and in the meantime au reyoir.