HIKING" OVER THE MOUNTAINS 



H7 



looking away as far as the eye can see, 

 and beholds all the manifestations of 

 Nature, that fill the soul with unut- 

 terable thoughts and lasting inspira- 

 tions. As one looks clown over the 

 brink upon the irregular hills with 

 great yawning canons between, looking 

 not unlike crooked, gaping furrows in 

 the earth and all clad in everlasting 

 Green the sights and music of wild 

 nature wakes the human soul from its 



out more vividly, while the red and 

 yellow leaves seemed more highly 

 burnished, and the many shades of 

 green that would distract the most 

 gifted painter. 



The shades of evening bring a soft, 

 mellow light, and the forest seems to 

 be alive with living creatures ; and a 

 great variety of bird notes coming from 

 the shrubs and trees remind one of his 

 unfamiliarity with bird lore. The wild 



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PTARMIGAN, NEAR THE SNOW LINE 



Photo by Jas. W. Nicol 



lethargy and enthrones new and better 

 ideals. 



We loitered about these inspiring 

 places where peaks innumerable point 

 upward, and the great sandstone cliffs 

 between us and the roaring streams be- 

 low almost forbid our descent. 



But we zigzagged across the steep 

 inclines and crawled under windfalls, 

 gradually descending. And as we ap- 

 proached the benches and gulches near 

 the streams the gray rocks above stood 



animals, both large and small, stole out 

 noiselessly to feed. And as we looked 

 along the gray cliff above us we saw 

 the stately deer silhouetted against the 

 sky, and scarcely had we discovered 

 him when others took up their station 

 by the leader. It was, surely, a fine 

 trio of Columbian Blacktail deer that 

 stood guard over us there on those si- 

 lent hills and added their charming 

 presence to the limitless scenic wonder. 

 And soon, down by the roaring stream 



