The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-23
EDUCATORS ENJOY THRILLING TRIP IN
 GLORIOUS WE q
Birmingham Teachers Spend Time Between Work
 And Play

 summer school at the University Of California at Berkeley are putting in good time with their books and play time, intending to make both coun; In their next terms work, according to C. P. Bowman, principal of Minor school, Ensley, who is among the party of some 50 teachers spending the summer in California. who writes to The Age-Herald of one days do- ings.
 Thinking perhaps your readers may be interested in the welfare of Birmingham teachers browsing about after new ideas in the classic halls of California's great university, 1 will write of one days happenings,' Mir. Bowman says.
 Though only 50 years of age, the university has a wonderful plant, ex- ceiling in beauty of surroundings and extent many others that can boast of more years of service.
 The teachers are exploring the surrounding country in all directions in their off time from study and rec itations. Last Saturday (July IA one group was royalty entertained by the great Burbank, the plant wizard.
 Another party of the more ven planned by the good people of the Berkeley Methodist church, south. Their objectives were Miur woods and Mount Tamalpais. The latter is across the bay on the north, and from it's top is a wonderful view of all the cities centering about the bay. which, together, are said to contain more than 1,000,000 inhabl- tants. There Is nothing like it any where else except it be Royal noun, tain above Montreal. Almost all other high mountains have lofty peaks all about. leaving nothing else to be seen. But from this summit the country is spread out below like a great map, and with the deep blue of the Pacific in the distance and the mountains in the background they make wonderfully beautiful picture. So much for the objective. How we got there is quite another story. The minister speaking in his pulpit the next day said that he had planned for 150 and the number was only five short That made quite large majority were women and girls. Some IS were home town folks. We had to cross two ferries and then a short electric railway trip brought us to Mill Valley. From there one can take the mountain for about s4. But we did not pro pose to go in any such commonplace way as that and, besides, s4 Is be- ginning to loom pretty large to most of us. The first trial of wind and muscle was in climbing series of count them. being otherwise engaged. but I should say on liberal est1- mate there were something less than 1000 of them.
 At last, however, we came out high above the city of Mill Valley, which made pretty picture spread out below us. Then commenced winding path through the under growth, and pines gradually rising, till after about two miles we came out opposite the face of the noun tain and about third of the way up. It is about 2,500 feet high and we were feeling quite elated at our progress when our guide told us to follow the trail to the left, and we were soon going down much faster than we came up. We went down about two miles till we came to Muir Woods National Park. The big trees are in a canyon and well worth the tramp to get there. It is one of the few places where the forest primeval has been allowed to grow. One place called the Cathedral was especially impressive. It gave one the feeling that one has alone on high mountain, that he Is pretty small in Natures immensity. About this time we were interested in things more material provided by the minister. Dr. Score, and his hand some and efficient wife. They came over the mountain by the auto trail. their car loaded with a bountiful supply of eatables. free entertain ment furnished by the bounty of the church.
 After eating and resting on the soft needles under the towering red woods we were ready, or thought we were, for the next stage. According Judge Pemberton of the District court, the good hikers were to go back to where we turned off the mountain trail to come down into the woods. There they could take the train back to the ferry. The better hikers were to take trail over the mountain down which we had come and get all the way back to the ferry without riding the cars. The best hikers were to follow him up the mountain. Of course. I joined the best crowd. Getting out of the park we took a trail away to one side. After we had scrambled up steep came in sight of little house far up the side of the mountain and only quarter of a mile from the top as the crow flies But We did not fly like a crowd. Far from 1t. We were told that at this house we could get water, as it was on the railroad. and that from there we could follow the track Between us and our goal was a plainly marked trail.
 AS to the shade. like the boys ap pie core, there wasn't any. The sun came down on that south slope as if to show us that California could get hot at times, of which fact we had hitherto sometimes had our doubts. And steep! Well. a part of the way it was like climbing up the roof of house with about one-third pitch. If 1t had not been for the roots of the stunted underbrush growth it would have been difficult for us to have gotten up at all. Stops to rest became more frequent. especially as we neared the little house that prom ised us rest, and. above all, water. When at last we did arrive we made the most of both. It was the most once down the Grand canyon. That was a little worse because there the hardest work came at the end. Here, after a needed rest and the enjoy ment of absorbing all the moisture we wanted, we went on and found the rest of the ascent by tte rail- road track easy and restful. by con trast. As noted before, we did not have any crow wings and the way that track wound around and in and out was enough to make one dizzy. It had coy way of letting us ap- proach the top, which looked so near, and then running away from it. But at last we made it. and the reward was worth all our effort. The beauty of the view cannot be described, so I won't attempt it. The ocean, the o{t