Account of an Excursion to Mount Katahdin. 31 



shout of our comrades, who, thoroughly drenched, and much fa- 

 tigued, soon arrived at camp. Mr. Barnes stated that the difficuhy 

 of the ascent increased greatly until he reached the ridge above the 

 slide, along which he then proceeded without much trouble to the 

 summit. On the very summit he found a fine bed of grass, and 

 picked specimens of two plants, which I found to be Vaccinium uli- 

 ginosum and Empetrum nigrum, both in fruit. He brought no spe- 

 cimens of the grass. 



The summit rock, of which he brought down some specimens, is 

 a reddish colored granite, containing small, well formed crystals of 

 feldspar. It is stated In Williams's History of Maine, that on Ka- 

 tahdin, vegetation ceases a mile from the summit, and that the ele- 

 vation is so great as to cause difficulty of breathing, as well as intense 

 cold to be felt ; Mr. Barnes contradicts this, having found vegetation 

 on the summit, and not having perceived any great rarefaction of 

 the air, or sensible reduction of temperature. 



It is evident from this, that the height of this mountain has been 

 greatly overrated. It has been variously estimated at from five 

 thousand to six thousand four hundred feet above the level of the 

 sea. It was our intention to have measured its height, but unfortu- 

 nately we could not procure a mountain barometer either in Water- 

 ville or Bangor. 



Before we descended from our camp, the clouds rose a little, so 

 as to give us a fair view of some of the numerous lakes with which 

 the region abou'nds. We could distinguish Millinoket, Debskonee- 

 gan, Pemmidumkook, &c. In descending, we passed numerous 

 horizontal terraces which appeared to extend along the flanks of the 

 mountain beyond the slide. 



When we had descended nearly to the point where we had first 

 entered the slide, we turned to the left, and pursued a southerly 

 course ; but in the endeavor to avoid the swamp which the day pre- 

 vious had caused us so much trouble, we lost our way and became 

 entangled in several dense sphagnous swamps, in which was a thick 

 growth of cedar, (^Thuja occidentalis,) through which it was very 

 difficult to efi;ect a passage. Often we would completely lose sight 

 of each other, and be obliged to shout to our guides to stop, for fear 

 we might part company. The heavy rain in the morning had com- 

 pletely drenched the trees and bushes, so that every one we touch- 

 ed sent down upon us a shower, which soon wet us to the skin. 

 Climbing over fallen trees, stumbling at tangled roots, now by main 



