6 1 8 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



obsolete. I have marked some of them upon the general map, for their 

 historic interest. 



Ascent from the Notch. It is rumored that the Crawford path is soon 

 to be made into a carriage-road, so that one can pass directly from 

 the Glen to the Notch, over the summit, with the same team. Such 

 an improvement would greatly enlarge the ability of tourists to explore 

 the mountains. The present bridle-path starts from the Crawford house, 

 passes up a valley on the north-west side of Mt. Clinton to its summit, 

 thence over Mts. Pleasant and Franklin, on the east side of Monroe, past 

 the Lake of the Clouds, and up the cone of Washington. 



This path has some advantages. After travelling a couple of miles in 

 a forest, one comes out upon an open ridge, and can enjoy magnificent 

 views the rest of the way, especially of the side ravines and of Mt. Wash- 

 ington. The absence of much vegetation makes the tops of these moun- 

 tains a natural pathway. Cloud effects are better on this route; and, 

 should the highest summits be obscured, one feels repaid for the journey 

 by the glimpses obtained on the lower peaks. Mt. Pleasant is known by 

 its rounded summit, and greater elevation than the peaks on either side. 

 When reached by this path, the surface appears like a smooth field, slop- 

 ing gently from the centre outwards in all directions. The view north- 

 easterly is a notable one. First is the long, bare top of Franklin, with 

 the serpentine thread worn by the horses' feet running its whole length. 

 Next, the double, ragged peaks of Monroe present a wide contrast. The 

 natural slope of the strata north-westerly can be detected through all the 

 rubbish covering them. On the right is another view of the great ele- 

 vated plateau, — that part known as Bigelow's lawn, — overlooking Oakes's 

 guK. Washington towers far above everything else, and displays to 

 advantage the excavations upon the west side, with the ridge on which 

 the railway ascends to the summit. 



One of the heliotypes represents the larger of the Lakes of the 

 Clouds, partially filled with ice (Vol. II). These are two small tarns 

 5000 feet above the sea, the sources of the Ammonoosuc, and in the 

 saddle between Monroe and Washington. Alpine vegetation borders 

 them, and they have been chiselled out of the solid rock by the drift. 

 The ice-markings are plain in their neighborhood to the height of 

 5200 feet. 



