The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1920-06-18
HARTFORD COUNTY, KENTUCKY FRIDAY, JUNE 49, 1920


in that section, the peak of which
consists of hugh boulder, rising
high toward the pure, blue sky, and
as Judge Wilson said at was a right
smart rock, 'pearing to be about as
big as forty little things like the
Court House down home"
On the side, or rather in the side
of Pinicle Mountain is King Solo
mans Cave, from which there flows
a mammoth spring or volume of
water from which marlborough
Cumberland Gap. a thriving little
city at the foot of the pass7in vir-
glnia, and perhaps two or three other
good-sized towns obtain their water
supply, and still they use only a small
portion, of the. flow, said to be of the
purest and best to be found any
where.
Judge Wilson and I, after fruit
less attempt to secure a guide, took
it upon our selves to climb to the
top of Pine Mountain, in the shadow
of which our hotel was located. Ar
Using at 4 o'clock in the morning, we
started our upward journey from the
side nearest the river, we ended the
climbing labor after going up $500
feet, but it seemed that we had done
about five miles in the effort. We
crawled out upon huge rock or cliff
from which we could look straight
down several hundred feet, and the
little city below us in the narrow wall
ley appeared as playhouse, settle
ment in miniature. The view from
the peak of this little mountain was
the most beautiful it has ever been
our fortune to behold, we could trace
the swift moving Cumberland for
some distance both below and above
Pineville, and the narrow valleys and
gulches, over which mountains lifted
their peaks as silent watches, were,
like the stars, almost too numerous
to be counted. 15 miles away, the
Pinicle and other high points form
ing the crest Of the Cumberlands
could be seen through the hazy
morning sun, which was not at all
the best for rangy viewing, as our
vision was thereby circumscribed.
Going down, Gee! How we wished
for some sort of elevator going our
way. That is where the hurtful part
of mountain climbing comes in, 1t is
in getting down again. At scores Of
points we were forced to feel our way,
holding on to bushes and such things
as we could get our hands on, but we
made the trip o. X. coming off of
the mountain from the side opposite
that on which we made the ascent,
but tired, hot, and hungry as church
mouse. And alas, the dining room
at the hotel was closed for the morn
ing. The hour was 9 and the lid to
the eats had gone on at $3.50.
We went to our room, cleaned up,
rested a few minutes and the only
reason we failed to slide down the
banister to get back to the lower
floor, was the fact that there was
none there. The Judge made the
trip down side-wise and l crawfish-
ed it, Travelled down backward. Any
way you did it, it pulled leaders
clear out and into pieces.
We grew up in country of big
Sills, and the Cumberland Mountains
are, as matter of fact, only small
replicas of the majestic Rockies and
numerous other ranges, yet this, our
first look at the Cumberlands, mod
list in magnitude, though mountains
beautiful to behold and as we looked
at them in silence the inspiration be-
ing of pleasurable awesomness, we
ask and trust that our readers will
pardon this feeble attempt at portray
ing a few of our impressions on this
our first visit to Kentuckys most in
teresting region of the Creators
handiwork.