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derful which I have yet seen—graceful, symmetrical, mountains 
towering up on all sides. Viewed from one of those summits, 
seemingly illimitable forests stretch in all directions as far as the 
eye can reach. The trees which were the most conspicuous be- 
cause of their abundance in these vast woods were the gray birch 
(Betula populifolia), the sweet birch (B. lenta), the blue birch 
(B. coerulea), and, above all, the paper birch (B. papyrifera). 
Looking off to the west we could discern the towering heights of 
the Presidential Range, culminating in the majestic Mt. Wash- 
ington. 
Sunday, August 28, was destined to be the red-letter day of 
our trip. After an early breakfast in Crawford N otch, my father, 
who has climbed many of the highest and most famous moun- 
tains of the Old World, and I, decided to climb Mt. Washington, 
the highest mountain peak in northeastern North America. We 
were informed that the distance from Crawford House, where 
we started, to the Tiptop House on the summit of the mountain 
was 83 miles. Perhaps it was, but, if so, those were the longest 
and most difficult 8} miles that either of us had traveled for 
many a day! The trip took us 73 hours and in a number of spots 
my father said the climb reminded him of the ascent of some of 
the Swiss Alps which he climbed in his younger days. We follow- 
ed the so-called Crawford Bridle Path which led us over Mt. 
Clinton, Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Franklin, and Mt. Monroe before 
we arrived at Mt. Washington proper—like gigantic stepping 
stones leading up to the monster ahead! 
The trail started out through a dense woods—cool, damp, 
and reeking with all the rain of that summer. It was narrow and 
slippery, but well-defined. In these woods the following trees 
and shrubs were noted as most abundant: Betula papyrifera, B. 
populifolia, Viburnum alnifolium, Acer spicatum, and A. ru- 
brum. In the moist black woodland soil beneath I found verita- 
ble beds of white woodsorrel (Oxalis Acetosella) and mountain 
clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum var. pungens). Along the 
sides of the trail were loads of Aster acuminatus, Carex Asa- 
Grayi, Galeopsis T etrahit, Nabalus altissimus, and Solidago squar- 
rosa. The latter grew in such profusion in some places as to make 
the dark woods fairly agleam with its golden splendor. 
Coming in due course of time to a fork in the trail, we deter- 
mined to keep to the right, and in so doing soon found ourselves 
SS nara er eee à 
Ea a a aaa 
