Evening star., 1928-06-10
gton Trail Blazers Find New World in Lofty Wilderness

entirely on foot and this mountain top
route, free from thick forests, was really
the easiest. despite the difficult going.
1t also was safe from surprise attack,
| since there was a clear view for great
distances in every direction.
The parties OF red men could lie down
TO sleep at night with no fear of losing
| their scalps before morning. The Po-
| Appalachian Club plans further
research into the Indian history of
the country and will try to locate some
OF the ancient camp sites.
The country is a paradise for the
local botanist. The fora is that char
acteristic Of the North. climb up the
mountain Is equivalent to Journey Of
several hundred miles northward. There
are great fields of pink and white tril-
liuns. now in the full glory of their
Towering. Yellow lady slippers and
Snowy orchids are everywhere among
me ROCKS. Great masses Of blackberry
oramble are like patches of snow at
present. The dogwood and hawthorne
are in full bloom. Wild turkeys are
scared up from the bushes. The song
OF the woOdthrush =, and the white
throat sound sweeter and clearer In the
rarlfied atmosphere. Mammal life Is
rather scant. There are plenty of rab-
pits and SQUIRRELS, and the weird growl-
ing OF bobcats Is heard at nightfalI.
but these animals never are seen in
daylight
The Blue Ridge crest long has been
reputed to be a rattlesnake and copper
head country These reptiles, however.
keep out of sight. None of the club
members ever has encountered one of
them, although they undoubtedly are
to be found in considerable numbers
among the rocks. They do not seek
the companionship Of man, asking only
to be left alone.
The idea of the Appalachian trail
from Maine to Georgia was first
broached about seven wears ago by Ben
ton Mackaye OF Shirley. Mass. and
the project has grown slowly as differ
ent sections formed organizations TO
carry it out. The Washington group
one Of the latest to be organized, Is
headed by NJ. H. Avery of the u. S.
Shipping Board. II. C.. Anderson Is
secretary; p. l.. Kicker. president Of the
Wild Flower Preservation Society, vice
president; and j. F. Schairer Of the
Geophysical Laboratory Of the Carnegie
Institution. treasurer.
Most Of the trail-construction work
thus far has been done in New York
and New England. where there are en-
thusiastic local organizations at work IN
the Adirondacks, the White Mountains
Of New Hampshire and the Green
Mountains of Vermont. Very little has
been accomplished. as yet. IN the noun
tains Of Pennsylvania and West Vir-
ginia. or in the Carolinas and Georgia,
where Is 10 be found the most inter-
eSting Of all the mountain country.
The various organizations have been
not only trail blazers but missionaries.
From Maine to Georgia. the scanty
population of the mountain tops con-
sists Of rather primitive people. who
are very little in touch with the life
below. The farther south the trail
extends, the more primitive do social
conditions become The mountaineers,
naturally. are suspicious Of visitors from
the lowlands. and no small part of the
work has consisted in removing those
suspicious.
Once the Ice has been broken, says
H. c. Anderson, secretary Of the local
club, they cannot be accused Of inhos-
pitality. But they have their own code
of law. which often varies considerably
from that Of the people in the villages
below them. They are living in an en-
tirely different sort Of country. under
harder conditions. They fear at first
that the trail-blazers are "snoopers."
But on one of the last weekend trips
Of the Washington club. mountaineer
presented the party with a grouse
which he had shot out Of seasons
rare expression of confidence and good
will. It was like the peace-pipe Of an
Indian chieftain.