Year: 1871




RAVINE. eT


Mrs. c., former resident of Augusta,
now living in Maiden, Mass, recently ex-
plored Tuckerman's Ravine, in the White
Mountains, and thus relates her expert
ence


Eight years ago visited the Franconia
and White Mountain region with party
OF friends who were averse to making any
effort to witness the beauties which are to
be found off the regular line of travel. 1
had at that time an ardent desire to visit
Tuckerman's Ravine, but the gentleman
who directed our party dubbed the aspira-
ton as unladylike, and in order to crush it
resorted to the following stratagem:


AS we were ascending Mount Washing
ton on the then just completed carriage.
road, we came to a rough place formed by
mountain slide, when the gentleman said
to me: Look out, now. Here is Tucker
mans Ravine. Look quickly, if you want
to see it." thrust my head out eagerly,
but after half minutes inspection said:
Il see nothing very remarkable go
unsafe stopping here Never suspecting
the deceit which had been practiced, I
asked many questions on our return to the
hotel, to which received unsatisfactory
answers. 1t was not until after our return
home that learned, from conversing with
different individuals, that had not seen
any portion of the ravine.


| This summer learned that the lady who
purposes taking this walk meets with OPP
position from every quarter. One gentle
man who apparently intended no offence,
remarked, as he looked at me that / was
about to lay aside the lady(C A strip.
pling from Havard College U am old
enough to be his mother) assured me that
if belonged to him he should forbid me
going.


Mr.. S. L. Gerry of the Studio Building,
whose paintings adorn the drawing-rooms
ofnearly every wealthy connoisseur of Bos-
ton Art, confessed that he had for many
years desired to 60 through the ravine,
but had dreaded the .jaunt too much to un-
dertake it. As we sat with him under the
umbrella, while he sketched Glen Ellis
Falls, he remarked that Tuckerman's Ra-
vine would 60 hard with lady's costume
AYE, there's the rnb : the men think we
cannot separate for few hours from our
hoops and panniers. The morning we
started was bright and clear, and we left
the Glen house at half past eight. The
piazza was crowded with ladies, who evil
IDENTIFY regarded the expedition in the same
light as DR.. Kane's friends viewed his set
ting out for the North Pole. The guide
with resigned expression of countenance,
placed himself on the middle seat of the
carriage, which was to convey us two
miles up the mountain. IA


THE OUTFIT.


A short water proof dress, close hat,
light underclothing, thick walking boots,
bamboo staff and luncheon which Mr..
Osgood carried, constituted the necessary
outfit for lady. The party consisted Of
the guide, Mr.. c., Boston publish
er, and your correspondent. Mr.. c.,
arrayed himself for the days work in fine
tight fitting black broadeloth pantaloons.
Alas for these! When he returned in the
tiuttering in the breeze proclaimed the
departed glory of these garments.
THE PATH.


Those who have walked or driven I'D
Mt. Washington will probably recall to
mind dead pine tree which hangs par
TALLY suspended over the road two miles
from the base of the mountain. The top
of the tree indicates the spot where it Is
necessary to enter the forest by the path
which Mr.. Thompson cut to the ravine.
We do not know how distinct this path
may have been when it was first cut, but
at the present time 1t is quite overgrown
in places. Where the top of the dead
pine points, we dismounted and plunged
into the brushwood, which is nearly as
dense at this place as at any other on the
road. The guide who appears TO smell
his way successfully through all difficult
ties, soon struck upon the trail, and our
work commenced.


| Those happy souls who have walked
through forest on sunny. morning over
elastic turf and rising land, know some-
thing of the impression produced by the
perfect hush, the glistening leaves, the
rugged gray rocks and mossy hooks where
the spirits of the wood dwell. Occasion
ally in our anxiety to catch glimpse of a
distant cascade, leaping with graceful
curves over granite stairways, we would
find ourselves sprawling upon rotten log
or stuck fast in a clump of trees. The col
umns of crystal water which we often
meet can be forded without much difficult
| ty, and drinking from the hollow Of the
hand is altogether agreeable. There are
many points along the way where delight
| full views of the surrounding country may
be obtained. These points the guide calls
resting places" and they are obviously
chosen by a lover of nature.


THE GUIDE,


Although perfectly unconscious of it him.
self, forms an interesting feature in the
landscape, being apparently mixture of
panther, antelope, goat, or any other
strong and springy animal who goes easi-
ly with mighty leaps over rocks and
chasms. He nibbles vines, leaves, roots,
and the bark of trees, and sets up new
marks, to distinguish his separate jour-
neys. He expressed surprise only once,
and that was when he took out his watch
and asked us what time we wanted to
make, as though we had been about to run
a race. We assured him we cared moth
ing about time-that we would like to see
i the ravine at our leisure. He replaced his
watch, giving US one sharp look. to as
sure himself that there were Yankees on
the earth who were not in hurry.


AS we made our way onward through
the forest we were obliged sometimes to
thrust ourselves head first through knot