Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The St. Mary's Muse, Raleigh, N. C, Vol. 22: Fall Number, October-November, 1917
Don' t try to ascend Mitchell from the western side without a guide. The trail is obliterated and covered in many places by fallen logs, the work of the lumbermen. We tried it, lost the trail, spent hours break ing through the laurel, saw the footprints of bears, for surely no human being had ever been where we went, and had to return to the camp, beaten, at night. Next day, however, in spite of ominous head shak ings about the coming rain, we set off at six-thirty with a competent guide, and after a long climb, generally along the trail, but frequently over fallen logs and logs charred by fire, we reached the summit, feet, the highest point east of the Rockies, and were rewarded by a very fine view. It gives one a sad impression, however, to see the devastating work of the lumberman's axe, and the frequent fires which follow, and burn out the tree seeds, so that a hundred years will not replace the noble Spruce trees that formerly grew to the very top of the ridge. The descent on the eastern side is pathetic here the lum berman has had full sway and has left the mountain scarred and naked, with a few gaunt skeletons standing here and there as sad reminders of the noble forest growth of former years.
That day's walk brought us to Montreat, about twenty-four miles, and the railway station at Black Mountain, where I ran across John Copeland, Virginia and Rita Williams, Ruth Pleasants, and others, and the end of our 143-mile walk.
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