The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-08-16
VERlMONT'S OLD NAN
OF THE MOUNTAINS

Vermont, not unlike her sister state
across the Connecticut river, has an old
man of the mountains.
But the two old men are quite differ
emit
Climbers of Cancels Hump will tellyou
so.
They know because the Green Noun
tain states old man of the mountain
always has his eye out for 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
mountains, for his face is not of rough
formed stone though quite as rugged.
A better name for the guardian of
Cancels Hump and its visitors and one
more commonly used by those who know
him is SAT Your Service" Blondin. For
the Green mountain cold man" is very
human and not at all unlike the rest of
us, albeit be has warmer heart than
many of u.s. He is literally an old man,
having seen 60 summers in different sec
tions of Vermont
At Is he became an apprentice in the
granite industry and by spells for so
years he 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
takeAthe position last summer as guard
ian of the Green Mountain club property
atop the Hump.
Not woodsman 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 services he performed From a
debt of $50 incurred by the Green Noun
tain club in the upkeep of the Cancels
Hump huts the year previous, "At Your
Service managed to give even better
service and at the same time reduce the
yarly deficit TO about 50, This year he
is endeavoring to break even, all that
the club desires
AT the same time the number Of visit
ors has been increased because the "old
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 a
crude bed of bows in the small damp
wood shed" of canvas nearby.
Some visitors to the Hump have a
mania for climbing the peak by moon
light and if "At Your Service Blondin
learns that they are coming by reason
of telephone 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 he builds a rousing fire, gets wa.
ter from the excellent spring near the
huts, and helps them prepare some warm
coffee
Keeping house atop the Hump some
times grows monotonous, as there are
often spells of several days when no
visitors 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 trail to Callahan's 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
about forest fires but can sit in his cabin
and muse upon the philosophy of life.
After such a spell of loneliness cat
Your Service" is unusually eager in his
welcoming of guests, for with their com
ing he has someone to talk to- He is no
uninteresting talker, either,
He tells you Of the bear he met on
July 6, OF his dislike for killing the
hedgehogs that abound on all Vermont
mountains, his successes and defeats in
life, and all in such way that he makes
you think he would have returned to
| the lower regions. where many people
are always willing to listen to one, if
only you had not happened to visit the
Hump at just the exact time you did.
81 was going down the long trail" he
says, wearing my ruB5er-soled shoes.
| | didn't make much noise because of the
shoes and on rounding bend ! saw the
bear coming toward me about 50 feet
away. The bear looked up, saw my for
estry badge, realized he was on forest
land belonging to the state, reared on
his hind legs and made off for all he was
good for"
A knawing sound at the underpinnine
of the shack will attract his attention
and he viii tell of how he never kills a
hedgehog unless the animal persists in
hanging around and getting in the
way.
AT Your Service" plays no favorites
he likes everyone and treats all alike.
Vermont's old man of the mountain is
much moro worth while than is New
Hampshre's.