12 FOOTING IT IN FRANCONIA 



something less than a thousand feet above 

 the level of Profile Notch. One of its two 

 owners, fortunately, is of our Franconia 

 company ; and when I spoke of my intention 

 of Aasiting it again, he bade me drive up 

 with his man, who would be going that way 

 within a day or two. Late as the season 

 was getting, he still went up to the lake once 

 or twice a week, it appeared, keeping watch 

 over the cabin, boat-house, and so forth. The 

 plan suited my convenience perfectly. We 

 drove to the foot of the bridle path, off the 

 Notch road ; the man put a saddle on the 

 horse and rode up, and I followed on foot. 



The climb is longer or shorter, as the 

 climber may elect. A pedestrian would do 

 it in thirty minutes, or a little less, I sup- 

 pose ; a nature-loving stroller may profitably 

 be two hours about it. There must be at 

 least a hundred trees along the path, which 

 a sensitive man might be glad to stop and 

 commune with : ancient birches, beeches^ 

 and spruces, any one of which, if it coidd 

 talk, or rather if we had ears to hear it, 

 would tell us things not to be read in 

 any book. Hundreds of years many of the 



