Sept. 23, 1911.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
483 
New Country for the Sportsman 
By CHASE P. AMBLER 
deavor to excite popular feeling against game 
laws and preserves, and 99 per cent, of them pay 
no taxes and they are not required to pay a li¬ 
cense fee for shooting. Think of it, you sym¬ 
pathizers. These people so worked on the mem¬ 
bers of the Legislature that they actually pro¬ 
cured a law permitting them to kill geese by 
night, and that law is on the statute book. The 
geese, however, refused to stop and be shot at 
night and they left the premises for good. 
Game is one of the resources of the State. 
Exterminate the game and you destroy a valu¬ 
able asset. Game properly conserved adds to 
the material wealth of the State and gives a 
money value to many places that without game 
would be waste places. The presence of game 
invites sportsmen to the State, all of whom §pend 
more or less money and give employment to 
many. Lands are purchased, preserves are main¬ 
tained, game is propagated, and not only private 
lands and waters, but public places are supplied 
by such preservation and propagation with game. 
In order to have proper conservation, a game 
commissioner is needed. This official will know 
P LANS are maturing for the building of what 
will be the greatest scenic automobile road 
in the Eastern States. This road is to run 
from Asheville to Blowing Rock, a distance of 
130 miles, at an elevation of 3,000 feet on the 
average, and to reach the elevation of 6,000 feet 
at Stopp Gap, a point near the summit of Mount 
Mitchell, the highest point east of the Rockies. 
The grade is to be 4 1-3 per cent.; width of the 
road bed, 24 feet. 
The road is already practically graded from 
Asheville to Bull Gap, a distance of fifteen 
miles. Mr. Grove, of Asheville, had built, and 
opened to the public, the first five miles from 
Asheville, the first link extending to the top of 
Sunset Mountain, 1,000 feet above the city. 
During the past two months I have had charge 
of the construction of a horseback trail from 
timber line in dozens of places, through the 
famous pink beds (rhododendron) of Craggy, 
through forest of oak and chestnut, through 
nine miles of balsam so dense that we cannot 
see the sky on the brightest day; over moun¬ 
tain tops, around cliffs, by water falls (small on 
account of the altitude) ; by dozens of coldest 
of springs; along ridges so sharp that there is 
scarcely room for a two-foot trail while the 
mountain drops away on both sides at a 50 de¬ 
gree angle for thousands of feet, one can 
imagine in a slight way some of the magnificence 
of the scenery. We have already erected sixty 
signboards and have forty-two others ready to 
go up. There are no houses along the route 
after leaving Rattlesnake Lodge, but arrange¬ 
ments are making for building log shelters. Pri¬ 
vate individuals have already built a log house 
NEAR TOP OF CRAGGY PINNACLE. LANE’S PINNACLE. 
From photographs by Dr. Ambler. 
the wants of the different sections of the State 
and will be able to point out how the game sup¬ 
ply may be increased and advise as to proper 
laws and instruct the people as to the care and 
protection and give them information generally 
as to game. He would also see to it that proper 
game wardens were appointed. 
Then there should be a law permitting owners 
of property to appoint wardens who should also 
have all the powers and privileges of the official 
wardens, but who should be paid by the persons 
employing them and not by the State. There is 
a law to this effect in New York, and Virginia 
would do well to copy this law. 
In addition there should be a license required, 
as in New York, of every gunner—a small 
license for the resident and a greater for the 
non-resident. Then there should be a bag limit 
and the non-resident gunner who pays a greater 
license than the resident should be permitted 
to take with him as his personal baggage the 
game he has lawfully shot in the State. 
I hope later to be able to write you as to the 
outlook for the coming season. 
Bull Gap to Mount Mitchell. This trail is now 
completed and open to the public. 
Starting from Asheville the distance to the top 
of Mount Mitchell is thirty-two miies, the trail 
following as near as is practical the actual sur¬ 
vey of the contemplated road bed. This trail 
opens up what has heretofore been inaccessib.e 
only to those who were able to tramp the highest 
mountains afoot. The route is by Rattlesnake 
Lodge (a description of which section appeared 
in your paper several years ago) over Lane’s 
Pinnacle at an elevation of 5,277, over the 
Craggies, the Dome, Bull Head, Blackstock, 
Potato Knob, Clingman’s Dome and Mount Gibbs 
to the top of Mitchell. All of these mountains 
are between 5,000 and 6,000 feet elevation, the 
trail leading over the tops of some and near 
the tops of all. A glance at the Mitchell Geo¬ 
logical map (supplied by the Department of 
Washington for ten cents) gives a good idea 
of the route. 
It has been my privilege and pleasure to make 
ten trips over this route during the past few 
weeks. When I tell you it carries you above 
near the summit of Mitchell where rude accom 
modations can be had. 
1 have made the round trip in a day of eigh¬ 
teen hours, but it is a two days’ trip. No more 
delightful place for a tramp or camp can be 
found in- the mountains. A stranger accustomed 
to mountains and tramping can readily make the 
trip without a guide, but the novice had better 
take a guide. 
The Adirondack*. 
Sentinel birches, ghostly pale— 
Shadowing pines and waving moon. 
Deer tracks fresh on the mountain trail, 
Weird night call of the mother loon. 
Balsam scent in the soft night air, 
Whiteface veiled in a hazy blue, 
Lily carpeted lakes, oh rare 
Arcadie land—a toast to you! 
Roger Lawson, Jr. 
The Forest and Stream may he obtained from 
any newsdealer on order < 4 sk your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
