110 



^\)c iTarmcv's iHmitl)hj iMsitor. 



journey, we were nearly roasted alive by the heat of the 



sun, which our friend's familiarly denominated 



the " old hay- maker/-' occasionally ej iculating, when the 

 heat was remarkably oppressive, "How he puts in!" 

 Stoppint; at the " CarPnll Hout^e," five miles west of 

 Fahvnn's, we procured a tjond dinner with plenty of straw- 

 berries and cream. The road to Whitchehl rntets, at this 

 place, the roads from Bethlehem and Littleton. The 

 township cnntains some half a dozen houses, and is called 

 Carroll. IVlanv acres of land have here been cleared 

 smce we visited the mountains four years since, and are 

 fast being brought into cultivation through the aj^ency of 

 industrv.^'hnrd labor, and persevereiice. which are abso- 

 lutely necessarv on the part of the poor but honest peo- 

 ple, who by the sweat of tlieir brows alone, gain a scanty 

 sustenance in this wild reaion. 



Passini^upthe Ammonoosuck, and bya coupleof humble 

 dwellings— one of them a log: house, and both swarming 

 with children, in any quantity — we came to a three story 

 white house, occupied like all other houses on the road, 

 as a tavern, or place of " entertainment for man and 

 beast/' This was formerly called the " Dcnnison House."' 

 It is rather unfavorably located ; being out of sight of the 

 highest mountains and* three-fourths of a mile farther from 

 them than Fabyan's. Upon approaching this place we 

 gazed at the sign and read—" Ethan Allen Craw- 

 ford." We looked about us to find the veteran moun- 

 taineer, but he was absent. 



Fifteen minutes' walk brought us to Fabyan's " .Mount 

 Washington House'' — as good a hotel, in point of fare, 

 beds, comfortable sleeping rooms and parlors, as can be 

 found in the cities. One of us had visiied this house on 

 two former occasions, and knew our host and his accom- 

 modating and efRcient lady. On the present occasion we 

 found that a great improvement had taken place since our 

 last visit ; the rooms had been re-furnished and repaired ; 

 better horses and new saddles had been provided to ascend 

 Mount Washington ; the number of horses had also been 

 increased to ^//(>fn— -'thus affording an opportunity for a 

 large party to ascend at the same time. During our three 

 days' stay at Fabyan's we regaled ourselves upon the de- 

 Icioiis trout, and wild berries, wh'ich, in addition to every 

 other luxury to be procured within forty miles, appear on 

 Iiis table three times a day. Spending Sunday at this 

 lif use, we found the parlor table of our hostess covered 

 with an abundance of books and pamphlets appropriate 

 for serious or secular reading. We would not omit to 

 notice the obliging assistant at the iMount Washington 

 House — Mr. Walker; as well as the accommodating and 

 intelligent guide— Mr. Oliver Fabvan. brother of our host. 



On Monday, July 17, we started at 3 o'clock A. M. to 

 ascend Mount Washington by Mr. Fabyan's path, which, 

 too, we also found much improved since a former visit. 



The party consisted of Messrs. S—z , O. Fabyan (our 



guide,) and the writer. The distance is about 19 miles 

 to the summit and back again, over a rough and narrow 

 path, 10 or 12 miles of which may be traversed by a re- 

 spectable equestrian a^ a round gallop. The distance 

 from the foot uf the mountain to the summit is two miles 

 and a quarter, which is traversed by the horses all the 

 way, stopping in the steepest plaees, at intervals ot a few 

 rods, to taljebreath. Much of the path up the ascent is 

 very steep — other parts will admit of the horses trotting 

 slowly. In some places, near the top, the track is but the 

 shadow of a path, marked with piles of stones, called 

 "monuments," to guide the straggler. In these places 

 tlie horses proceed safely and without accident over the 

 rough jagg€d stones partly covered, here and there, with 

 a little earth, where it can be obtained. 



Having galloped our horses most of the distance for 

 four miles, across meadows, and through the mazes of 

 thickly-growing birch bushes, we were compelled to 

 6lacke'n our pace after entering the \\i\d and dense forest 

 a mile or two distant from the foot of the mountain. The 

 horses proceeded upon a walk over the rough path, partly 

 paved with wood in the shape of roots anti stnnips, and 

 in other places with stones. After fording the Amnionoo- 

 tuck. with Its rocky bottom over which the water dashed 

 Kpitcfully to the depth of a few inches, for the fifth or 

 sixth time, we reached tiie camp at the '' foot of the moun- 

 tain,'' as our ijuide called it, although we had been Ir.iv- 

 elling Tip kill for a mile or two before reaching it. Here 

 we found an excellent spring of pure, cold water, at 

 which we slaked our Hurst, and then commenced the 

 •■ ascent," par exollcncc, with an injunction from our 

 guide to " lean forward" and give our horses the rein. 

 Some of the way the path seemed to ^o up, almost per- 

 pendicularly ; perhaps at an anylc of between sixty-five 

 and seventy-tivc degrees. The noble ^inimals scrambled 

 up the sleep places until they came upon ground com- 

 paratively level, when they would stop to breathe a mo- 

 ment, and then start again' with apparently as uuich zeal 

 and desire to reach the toa as their riders. Parsing by 

 two small camps, abnut a npie from the summit the trees 

 became dwarKsh and rapidly diminished in size as we as- 

 cended ; until, havingalighted from our horse and '* climb- 

 ed" some distance on toot, we were glad to throw ourself 

 upon tile spruce trees, as upon a bed. to rest. The growth 

 of the spruce, which near the road-side at the foot of the 

 mountain in im.ny cases exceeds forty or fifty feet, is here 

 but a few inches ; and the dimiflulive trees being thickly 

 interwoven with each other, furnish a capital maitrass. 



Within a quarter of a mile of the summit we Ibnnd 

 ourselves among the rocks and slunes which serve to pro- 

 tect the proud and lofty head of Mount Washington from 

 the wintry blasts, tempests, storms and clouds which rage 

 arttund and hang over it nearly three-fourths of the year. 

 Here Mr. Fabyan has constructed a house, fifteen or 

 twenty feet squ.aro. three sides of which are of stone, and 

 the fourth of boards and plank. The interior is furnished 

 with a convenient bench and stove, which, as well as all 

 the timber used in the construction of the edifice, were 

 carried up the mountain upon the backs of horses; |iie 

 wood ctmsuined in the stove has to be transported halT a 

 mile in the same manner. This house affords a good 



shelter to the visitor in case he is overtaken by a storm. 

 Leaving our horsea here, in preference to riding them 

 upon the e.\treme summit as we might have done, we 

 traversed the remaining quarter of a mile on foot, and 

 accomplished the entire journey, nine miles, in 2 hours 

 and 40 minutes. 



At tlie summit we found the view slightly obscured by 

 a haze or mist — but not enough to prevent our enjoving 

 for an hour or more a scene of indescribable gra'ndeur. 

 Standing at u height of more than 6000 feet above the 

 level of the sea, we looked down upon the lofty heights 

 of the White mountains around us. The barere collection 

 of our exalted station almost drives us into a strain of 

 transcendentalism , and we opine that some of our cele- 

 brated modern American philosophers mnst have first 

 visited Mount Washington, descended, and then written 

 those essays in winch they have tortured so excfuciatingly 

 the King's English to e.xpress their mystified and e.valted 

 ideas. Mount Pleasant, Adams, Jefferson, Madison. 

 Munroe and .lackson, as westood upon the summit named 

 after the *' Father of his country" .sf.r /c£7-///rce above 

 every thing but the clouds, tor once, had to look up to us. 

 Twenty miles to the west was lofty Lafayette, of the 

 Franconia range — seemingly so near as to appear less 

 than five miles distant ; farther on we iiad the valley of 

 the Connecticut, succeeded by the range of Green Moun- 

 tains in Vermont, upon which we could also look down, 

 Immediately under us, to the west, were the Ammon- 

 oosuck, Fabyan's liouse and opening, with Mount Decep- 

 tion on the north — to all appearance a respectable swell 

 of table land, no longer able to conceal its real top or 

 impose upon us, as upon some impatient climber-up its 

 sides, who vainly fancies that he has just been about to 

 reach the summit some half dozen times already, and, af- 

 ter altainingeach successive elevation, has occular dem- 

 onstrations that " still they come," and that, having con- 

 quered a seventh, there is " still another ;" (poor fellow ) 

 D(ni't you wish you was up here on Mount \\ ashington ?! 

 On the west and northwest are the villages of Bethlehem, 

 Lancaster. Jefferson and Whitefield ; to the northeast, 

 Shelburne. the valley of the Androscoggin and its princi- 

 pal source. Lake Umbagog. On the east may be seen, in 

 a clear day and with a glass (which by some blundering 

 oversight >ve had neglected to take with us.) the ocean, 

 many villages and cultivated tracts of land in Maine, &c. 

 iSlc. Immedtately beneath us, to the south-east and 

 south, were the Saco river, the village ('f Conway, Pe- 

 quavvket mountain, and still farther Lovewetl's pond and 

 Fryburg village, all from forty to fifty miles distant, but 

 apparently beneath us. On the south, were the Sandwich 

 mountains, including Corway peak and Whiteface, be- 

 yond which we could see distinctly Red Hill, Lake Win- 

 nipisseogee— the latter appearing like a small pond — and 

 the Gunstock mountains m Gilford. 



Wc remained upon the summit of this mountain of 

 mountains 2 hours and 10 minutes, and partook of an ex- 

 cellent dinner which our guide had brought itlong in a ca- 

 pacious pair of •' saddle-baus ;" protected in the mean 

 time from the wind which blew a gale from the south- 

 west, beneath the huge rocks on the north-east sdc of the 

 summit, where there is an excellent spring, or basin, of 

 water, supplied, as we supposed, immediately from the 

 clouds themselves, and kept cool by frequent snow and 

 hail-storms. During our stay the wind increased, andat 

 no )n the mercury in the thermometer sank to 44.*^ • "W 



At half past one, P. M., perceiving the clouds gather- 

 ing below, we suddenly dftide up our minds that it would 

 be best for us to be " making tracks," down hill, with as 

 much expedition as the state of the road — the state of 

 our recently laden stomachs, and circumstances generally, 

 would allow. Having gone down u few rods, we met a 

 very numerous company ai' respectably grown hail-stones 

 comiuii up at a rate of speed which m.ide our horses and 

 ourselves fian^ our heads. This comptny was escorted 

 by a deafening band ot music, led by one " Boreas," who 

 performed'the principal solos and played his parts so 

 shockingly harsh and shrill as to disturb seriously onr 

 auricular organs, and impress us with a very contemptible 

 opinion of his musical abilities. We must confess nev- 

 ertheless, that we were completely overcome by his per- 

 formances. Seemingly infuriated by his music, the great 

 hail-stones and the little hall stones Hew about ourdcvot- 

 ed pates for a few moments like madmen, buffeting itur 

 ears and faces, and tryinu their best to '• pick a fuss" with 

 our nasal organs. The wind from Professor Boreas' in- 

 strument, particularly, proved very annoying. With a 

 force almost, if not quite, equal to the steam on a loco- 

 motive engine when raised as high as from fifty to sixty 

 pounds to the square inch, it rushed past snapping our 

 " soap-locks" into the eyes, in a way anything but agreea- 

 ble to our feelings — arraigned, as we seemed to be, upon 

 horse-back, betbre a tribunal composed of so many petu- 

 lant, snailey, and ill-tRinpered judges, who seemed to 

 louk upon us as having encroached upon their premises 

 and as having indulged ourselves in a " contempt of the 

 court" by thus trespassing during their temporary absence. 

 Our friend, '' the General," subsequently remarked, (when 

 adverting to this incident in our excursion upon Mount 

 W., which, by the way, was by far the most annoying to 

 £ay the least, which befel us,) that the conversion of tun 

 nail- into diminutive whip-lashes and the application of 

 these to oi^r eyes, reminded him so forcibly of a couple 

 of squirrels engaged in whipping themselves to death with 

 their oicn tails, that he was irresistibly compelled to 

 laugh, while suffering under his part of the infliction. 



After having fairly commenced descending, a few min- 

 utes carried us below the force of the storm. The de- 

 sc'^nt is made much more rapidly than the ascent. The 

 horses are suffered to take their own course ; being al- 

 lowed a loose rein. In going down the steepest places, 

 they step cautiously and carefully; keeping their noses 

 near the ground, and sometimes halting a moment to sur- 



*By an observation made at Fabyan's at the same lime 

 it Gtood at 75. 



vey the path, as it were, where it may chance to be more 

 rocky than in other parts, or the roots of trees happen to 

 protrude across it in such a manner as to require a long 

 step. The sagacious animals seem to pick their way 

 down, instinctively ; and vvc were informed thai no acci- 

 dents have ever taken place from their stumbling, or oth- 

 erwise. When the rider has dismounted, if suffered lo 

 proceed by themselves, they will frequently trot down 

 steep places with twice the rapidity their riders can fol- 

 kiw them. 



Ladies make the ascent of Mount Washington now. 

 almost daily ; this was occasionally done when the four 

 miles and a half, from the base to the summit and back, 

 were traversed on foot. Our guide informed us, that on 

 such occasions he had frequently been '■ bound by the 



silken bonds" of as many silk handkerchiefs to four 



of the fair creatures at once, while scrambling over the 

 ri'U^h stones on the top in a high wind ! Fthan .A. Crawj 

 ford, we are also told, was in the habit of waiting upon 

 his female |>roteges over these places, by taking them 

 H^on /(is 6«c/c and confining them there with his apron 

 strings, or something of the kind ! 



Half a mile below the summit, at the right as you de- 

 scend, is the " Gulf of Mexico," so called — a yawning 

 chasm on the north-east side of the mountain some thou- 

 sand feet deep. It may be viewed by leaving the moun- 

 tain path a few rods. About three miles I'rom Fabyan's 

 on the return route, three fourths of a mile north of the 

 poth are the " Falls" in the Amonoosuck. Leaving our 

 horses where the paths diverge from each other, one of 

 us proceeded to their location on foot, in company with 

 the guide. The view well repaid us tor our walk and 

 getrmg drenched among the thick wet bushes and trees 

 on either side of the pal;h. At the Falls the eddying of 

 the water has performed some curious freaks. An im- 

 mense ledge of granite, overwhicli the stream passes, has 

 been scooped-out and made to present the appearance of 

 sundry basins, similar, (although smaller,) to that at Fran- 

 conia. The cascades at this place are also well w'orth 

 viewing. 



Reaching Fabyan's at an early hour ia the evening par- 

 tially drenched by a slight fall of r.ain which had continu- 

 ed tliroughout the^ afternoon, we found a good tire and 

 every accommodation for onr comfort. The view of the 

 mountains from here is the only view which can be ob- 

 tained from any liouse within five miles. The summit of 

 Mount Washington and t!ic neighboring peaks are envel- 

 oped in clouds much of the time, and from Fabyan's the 

 changes of the atmosphere about them are apparent 

 throughout the day. With a clear sky, Ihose ascending 

 Mount W. H*ay be seen distinctly from here with a glass ; 

 they may be detected and the motion of their horses per- 

 ceived, frequently, with the naked eye. Those visiting 

 this house will be provided wiih horses and carriages, if 

 they desire, to ride to the iSotch, six miles, or the VVilJey 

 Hout^e^ eight miles, on the road to Conway. The excur- 

 sion is ^er a tine and slightly liitty road and may be made 

 in two or three hours. 



Before le:vving Fabyan's we had an opportunity to take 

 a peep at Kthan A. Crawford, who is the lion everybody 

 must see in connexion with the other tall sights. When 

 we made our visit in ISSH, Mr. C, we believe, was resid-. 

 ing at Guildhall, Vt. He has since returned and resumed 

 his location among the giant hills of JNew Hampshire 

 where he had formerly spenl the most of his lil'e — how 

 many years we are unable to say — and had become cele- 

 brated for his knowledge ot the mountains and his famili- 

 arity with the wilds and fastnesses hereabouts. He is now 

 about o3 years old — is some six feet, four inches, high; 

 and has always been remarked by those who ha\e become 

 acquainted with him as a man of intelligence. Plain in 

 his manners and blunt in his aduiess, he might shock the 

 over-fasiidious by his conversation. Ethan A. Crawford, 

 however, can tell more stones of his own experience, 

 and deliver himself of more dry jokes than any other 

 man within fifty miles of the '" Dennison House" where 

 he now resides. Go and see him, by all means. 



While at Fabyan's we had the pleasure of becoming 

 acquainted with W. Oakes Fsq., of Ipswich, Mass., who 

 has visited the mountains frequently for seyeral years 

 past, and has engaged himself in procuring specimens of 

 the botanical plants and shrubs in the regions round about. 

 Mr. O. showed the writer an extensive and beautiful col- 

 lection ot' mountain plants which he had made during 

 several weeks stay here this season These he had pro- 

 cured, with the assistance of E. A. Oawford. by frequent 

 excursions, from various parts of Mount Washington and 

 from the wildest and most inaccessible places in its vi- 

 cinity. Mr. O. has already spent several years in collect- 

 ing and arranging botanical preparations from all parts of 

 J\evv England, which he is now engaged in classify- 

 ing, and proposes to publish a botanical treatise thereon 

 at no very distant period. 



Tuesday afternoon, July IS, we resanied our journey 

 on our return toConcord, lOG miles, reaching home on 

 the Saturday following ; of this distance wc travelled 94- 

 miles on foot, and had time and a favorable opportunity 

 to see much more than circumstances and the state of 

 our columns will allow us to describe. Ojr walk on 

 Tuesd ly afiernoon brought us to Ab^l Crawford's, 12 

 miles from Kabyan's, 8 from T. J. Crawford's '■ iSotch 

 House," and from the Willey House. 



From Fabyan's, four miles, over a good road, a little 

 ascending, is the so much celebrated "JNotch." Here 

 there is just sufficient room for the road and the head 

 waters of the Saco, some five or six feet wide, to pass. — 

 An immense ledge of granite, hundreds of feet high, 

 overhangs the passage on either side of it — the whole 

 opening being only two rods in width. Within the last 

 thirty years it is said lo have been very much obstructed 

 by the falling of the rocks — the road formerly passing 

 through the Notch nearly on a level, for some distance.-^ 

 The descent is now uneven and abrupt. Years ago, we 

 are tidd, this place was impassable for carriages, and the 

 road passed over the steep hill on the easterly side. 



