Year: 1872

us toWaterbury, where we met a party


of six from Montpelier, for the noun


tain. After a few minutes delay we


all, ten passengers, were seated in an


open spring wagon following four


galloping horses on the road to Stowe,


ten miles away. We made quite rise


in going; the road winds among the


mountains and through some of their


finest scenery. In front Of US stood


Mt. Mansfield, with its black, ungain-


ly top looming up among the clouds,


forbidding our approach however we


pressed on, and eleven o'clock found


US at Stowe-a small village of. some
500 or 600 inhabitants-andi in hotel


capable of accommodating some 400


persons. This is quite a romantic little


place, having many drives and walks


to hooks and waterfalls and slightly


places. Here we took dinner, and at


two o'clock, "all aboard for the noun


tains," brought Us to our feet and


made our hearts quiver with happy


and fearful anticipations terribly


mixed up. A crack from the drivers


long lash, giving the signal, and in


an instant we were dashing out of the


village on the mountain road at the


fullest speed. Four miles of gentle


rise brought us to the ascent of the


mountain proper. We found the road


up the mountain very good indeed,


but quite steep and narrow; it winds


about very much, and in many places


a man can throw a stone down the


mountain side and it will cross the


road several times before stopping


In many places it seemed fearful to


look off at the side into the depths be-


low. On our way up we were shown


the road leading to "Smuggler's
Notch" q wild and romantic pass be-
tween the mountains, quite narrow,


with almost perpendicular sides,


rising some five hundred feet on eth


er hand. 'Tis so high and narrow
that the sunlight reaches the bottom |
only about one hour during the day.
Within this gorge, from one of its
sides issued a stream of water nearly a |
foot in diameter and as cold as ice
water. A few cultivated fields are |
found far up the mountain side
Except those little clesrings it is one
vast wilderness of pines, hemlocks
and birch. About four o'clock we
reached the HALFWAY House, two
miles from the summit, by road
Here is famous spring bubbling up |
from the rocks. We all agreed that 1
it was the finest water we ever drank.
We were very 10th to leave it, and
made the usual estimates of its value,
situated as our imaginations pictured |
it. Strange to say, though, we left |
the spring Just where we found it,
1t took us about an hour to go the re-
two miles


The elevations and depressions on
the top of the mountain, seen from
a distance, present the profile of a
mans face-on a very large scale
The Summit House-the only house
on the top-is situated about thirty
yards from the base of the nose, which
nose rises to an elevation of 220 feet
above the ground on which the house
stands. After supper we aseended
this pile of rocks which is not far
from perpendicular. Wefound tquite
a difficult undertaking, especially for
the ladies, both on account of the
steepness and the wind, which was
very violent. Over the steepest por-
ton a rope has been stretched by
means of which we could pull our
selves up. The top gained, we were
well repaid for our trouble. There
lay the country spread out before us
on all sides, like one grand picture
On the west our view took in Lake
and extended to the Adj
seventy-five miles away,
while on the east our vision was boun-
ded by the White Mountains of n.
b., 100 miles distant. The hills
which we had thought large when we
saw them from below, now seemed
but little hillocks. With the aid of
the glass we were enabled to see quite
3 number of cities and smaller towns.
While we sat enchanted with this
prospect, and watching the sunset we
saw a thunder storm coming from the
north end of Lake Champlain, and
two from farther south. 1 will not
attempt to describe the magnificence
Of the scene as we saw the rain pour |
ing down and the lightning darting !
from point to point, apparently far
below us. After enjoying this till
darkness had nearly overtaken US,
we came down the cliff and returned {
% the house. We had been in only a
lew minutes when a vivid flash of
lightning and loud peal of thunder,
ogether with a roaring sound, warned
Is that the rain was upon US. We
greed that we never saw q grander |
hunder storm, or one more severe
Think of being enveloped in a cloud, ;
With the lightning and thunder above I
'ou, around you, below you. After '
this storm until human ma
ure was exhausted, we retired, con-
ented with the assurance that our o
louse was bolted by inch and a half !
ron rods to the solid rock below, and a
raced by large pine logs on either o
ide. When morning dawned we
Ound that the rain had ceased, but =
hat we were in cloud yet, not black Il
Ike that of the evening before, but of


grayish hue, and very dense; so e
ense indeed that we could see only a o
cry little distance. After breakfast II
wo of our party assembled the nose, !,
ut soon came back completely satu- n
ated, as to the clothes. We spent the e
,renoon hunting geological and bo- iC
anical specimens. We were COM =
elled, however, to make frequent is
isits to the fire on account of the cold o.
nd dampness. While we were at
inner the wagon came up for u.s.
= I L Il Il I