The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-02-18

j To the tourist who cannot imagine
any natural scenery of beauty except
in association with bare mountains
and snow-capped peaks; or to one
who sees nothing in nature but seen
cry, the question may indeed seem
difficult. To the nature lover in the
broader sense, however, one who
senses the charm not only of scenic
beauty but also of the multitude of
living things that dwell in the still
solitudes, the query seems quite un-
necessary and the answer is perplex-
ing only because of difficulties of ex-
preston. But there may perhaps be
other reasons than those which can
be simply stated or are sufficiently
apparent in themselves. Mayhap
there is something that gets into the
blood and draws one back to the
places where one once fell under the
mystic spell of the wilds. As for my
own part, whether or not the surge
of blood or the call of elfin voices
play their invisible role, the North
Woods hold attractions for me too
positive and real to require for their
support the invocation of mysterious
| forces.
One summer for certain reasons
"a college professor need not be more
specific) my wife and were obliged
| to spend my vacation-we always
want it in the form of camping trip
not where we most desired to go,
but in nearer-at-hand mountain reg
gion. We took great deal of pre-
liminary comfort out of the fact that
the region had long been widely adj
| vertised for it's natural scenery and
its trout fishing. We betook ourselves
thither. We found considerable
scenery, if mountains form the main
features of scenery. We camped
out, not necessarily in the place that
We should have preferred, blu. in ac-
cordance with rules and regulations
of the place, accessibility, water sup
ply, and so forth. We could not
afford the services of a pack-train
which would have been necessary if
we were to have sought a more desir-
able spot, of which there no doubt
were many.
After the first day or so we had
become familiar with all the mount
ain peaks visible from our camp. We
saw those peaks last thing as we
crawled into our tent at night; we
saw them first thing as we poked our
noses out of the tent door in the
morning. We saw them from sunset
to sunrise seven days in the week.
We tramped much in the timber, in
the valleys and on the mountain sides.
but we could never enjoy the sensa-
ton of being lost even for a moment
for we never could get out of sight
of one or another of those selfsame
mountains. And trout fishing!
have mentioned it but am not sure
that | have the courage to do more.
Trout were plentiful indeed. We had
! ocular proof of that. We could look
into almost any little pool and see
the speckled beauties disporting
themselves in the cool depths. 1t
warmed our hearts to the place, and
we enjoyed not little of an inward
sense of strength of character from
resolution calmly and cody to resist
the temptation until our camp had
been put in order.
We anticipated large things I cut
stick two inches longer Carefully
measured) than the legal minimum,
We wanted to be good sports and not
abuse in any way the hospitality of
the country. We would rather err
in the opposite direction.
After the first week I cut off one
inch from the end of my measuring
stick, but remained of good cheer.
1t was unreasonable on my part to
expect so much in the first place
The second week I cut off half an
inch more but still protested my faith
for / had been catching trout right
along. Ones expectations must not
be allowed to lead one to absurd
lengths. The third week / sadly
whitfield off an additional quarter
inch; and two days later, at the
earnest, almost. beseeching, solicita.
lions of my wife, / cut down my
stick Courses upon it, to the exact
merciless legal length.
Two days thereafter two silent
campers trudged number of miles
to the nearest mountain inn or supply
station and-bought small ham.
There was another feature about
this camping trip in the mountains
which persists in clinging more or less
fondly in the foreground of memory.
Camping, had to both of us always
been associated somehow with the
wilds; and with wilds we had always
ASSOCIATED not only the daily sounds
or presence of human neighbors but
of all the appurtenances thereto.
Possibly we had been in error as to
what in fact real wilds ought to be.
But the illusion was strong and
therefore, kind reader, imagine if
you can the almost overpowering eff
i feet OF the shock experienced one