70 THE ADIRONDACK^. 



that greets him from the long piazza when he returns from 

 his exile in the woods ! 



The borders of the Adirondack Wilderness are accessible 

 at various points by tolerable roads which branch off from 

 the main thoroughfares of travel. Dr. Ely's Map, published 

 by Colton, 172 William St., New York, gives minutest infor- 

 mation as to distances, interior routes, " carries," hotel and 

 stage accommodation, etc., and no tourist should be without 

 one. I have found it remarkably accurate in all its details, 

 though slight corrections are sometimes necessary. For im- 

 mediate reference, however, the subjoined directions will prove 

 useful and reliable : 



From, the southwest the approach is via Boonville, on the 

 Utica and Black River E. R A wagon-road (so called) leads, 

 directly to the Fulton chain of lakes, in the very heart of 

 what is known as " John Brown's Tract "; but it is practi- 

 cable for wheels only for about fourteen miles, or a little be- 

 yond Moose River. Thence to Arnold's old sporting-house, 

 eight miles, the success of the journey must depend upon 

 one's ingenuity in surmounting obstacles. The difficulties of 

 the way are graphically portrayed by the pen and pencil of 

 T. B. Thorpe, in the 19th volume of Harper's Magazine; 

 though the road has been consicrerably improved since the 

 article was published. Some few boulders have sunk into 

 the mud, and trunks of trees that then crossed the road have 

 rotted away, so that it is no longer necessary to go around 

 them. Consequently the distance is somewhat shortened, 

 and the road made more level. From Arnold's there is a 

 navigable water-course all the way to Raquette Lake, a dis- 

 tance of thirty miles, broken by three portages or " carries," 

 whose aggregate length is two and three-quarters miles. 

 Indeed there is a continuous water-course by way of Raquette 

 Lake, as will presently be shown, all the way to the northern- 

 most limit of the Adirondack region. This " John Brown's 

 Tract " is about twenty miles square and contains 210,000 

 acres. As is well known, it was once the seat of very consid- 



