188 RIVER LIFE. 



driver to work upon ; its swelling hills, and, in some instances, 

 towering mountains, from whose tops may be counted an almost 

 endless number of lakes, and the vast groves of towering pines 

 here and there scattered over millions of acres of forest land, 

 make it altogether one of the wildest and most romantic portions 

 of country. 



One of the most attractive features in the interior is Mount 

 "Ktaadn," which, from its isolated position, height, and sublime 

 grandeur as the "birth-place of storms," surrounded with a beau- 

 tiful, rich, and luxuriant forest, with streams and lakes, is worthy 

 of special attention. 



The following sketch of a visit to this mountain by a party of 

 gentlemen may be esteemed worthy of a perusal : 



Our travelers, after having made the ascent of the river to the 

 proper point, and made the necessary arrangements for their 

 journey up the mountain, " entered the slide at eight o'clock" 

 A.M., in the early part of September, and found its ascent quite 

 steep, "though not difficult or dangerous at all, when one takes 

 time." 



" On almost all sides of the mountain there is a short, tangled 

 growth of alders and white birch coming up between the rocks. 

 These, being kept down by the winds, grow into an almost im- 

 passable bramble. At a distance it has a beautiful, smooth ap- 

 pearance, like a green, grassy hill, or what one of the company 

 called a c piece of oats.' The slide serves as a path up through 

 all this tangle, reaching to the top of the southeastern ridge of the 

 mountain, which is above all timber growth, making about one 

 third of the whole perpendicular height of Ktaadn, to which the 

 ascent of the brook below would add another third. 



" Although it was hard climbing, we ascended pretty fast, and 

 the clear morning air gave an indescribable beauty to the pros- 

 pect below. The most pleasing was the constant change and va- 

 riety caused by our rapid ascent. It was known that the mount- 



