THE HIGH MOUNTAINS 107 
while the running waters are so abundant, one soon 
notices the complete absence of natural lakes. Here 
are none of those beautiful basins that so enhance 
the charm of our Northern mountain regions. 
The reason for this difference lies far back in the 
millenniums when the great ice cap that lay over the 
northern part of the earth, quite covering Mount 
Washington and all that region where the New Eng- 
land and Canadian lakes now lie, stopped short of 
the Southern mountains. Since the glaciers that 
scooped out or dammed up the lake beds of the 
North never reached these delectable heights, it 
happened that while the Northern mountains were 
being scraped bare to the bone by relentless ice, the 
Southern mountains were accumulating that soil 
out of which has been woven the wonderful mantle 
of trees that clothes them from top to bottom. 
Also, because the glaciers did not reach them, these 
mountains were able to weather slowly through the 
ages, which has produced their beautiful, rounded 
contours, although there are some very rugged cliffs 
among them. For the same reason the best soil is 
often found near the top of the mountains, which 
accounts for the curious appearance of cornfields 
hung up like wind-blown banners on the steepest 
slopes. 
It is largely due to the ancient glaciers that the 
Northern mountains are yet so bare and stony 
towards the top. And because the Northern moun- 
tains are so cold and barren, the people live down 
below and look up to them. Here the people live 
