Chapter I: Preface

The very flattering reception which the sumptuous holiday edition of "The Heart of the White Mountains" received on its _début_ has decided the Messrs. Harper to re-issue it in a more convenient and less expensive form, with the addition of a Tourist's Appendix, and an Index farther adapting it for the use of actual travellers. While all the original features remain intact, these additions serve to render the references in the text intelligible to the uninstructed reader, and at the same time help to make a practical working manual. One or two new maps contribute to the same end.

I take the opportunity thus afforded me to say that, when "The Heart of the White Mountains" was originally prepared, I hoped it might go into the hands of those who, making the journey for the first time, feel the need of something different from the conventional guide-book of the day, and for whom it would also be, during the hours of travel or of leisure among the mountains, to some extent an entertaining as well as a useful companion. So far as author and publisher are concerned, that purpose is now realized.

Finally, I wrote the book because I could not help it.

SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE.

MELROSE, _January, 1882_.

GENERAL CONTENTS.

FIRST JOURNEY.

PAGE

I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_.....1

II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_: Voyage from Wolfborough to Centre Harbor.--The Indians.--Centre Harbor.--Legendary.--Ascent of Red Hill.--Sunset on the Lake.....8

III. _CHOCORUA_: Stage Journey to Tamworth.--Scramble for Places.--Valley of the Bear Camp.--Legend of Chocorua.--Sandwich Mountains.--Chocorua Lake.--Ascent of Mount Chocorua.....18

IV. _LOVEWELL_: Fryeburg.--Lovewell's Fight.--Desperate Encounter with the Pigwackets.--Death of Paugus.....33

V. _NORTH CONWAY_: The Antechamber of the Mountains.--White Horse Ledge.--Fording the Saco.--Indian Custom.--Echo Lake.--The Cathedral.--Diana's Baths.--Artists' Falls.--The Moats.--Winter Ascent of Mount Kearsarge.....39

VI. _FROM KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_: Conway Intervales.--Bartlett Bowlder.--Singular Homicide.--Bartlett.--A Lost Village.--Ascent of Mount Carrigain.--A Shaggy Wilderness.....55

VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_: Autumnal Foliage.--The Story of Nancy.--Doctor Bemis.--Abel Crawford, the Veteran Guide.--Ethan A. Crawford.--The Mount Crawford Glen.--Giant's Stairs.--Frankenstein Cliff.--Superb View of Mount Washington.--Mount Willey.....66

VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_: Great Notch of the White Mountains.--The Willey House, and Slide of 1826.--"Colonizing" Voters.--Mount Willard.--Mount Webster, and its Cascades.--Gate of the Notch.--Summit of the Pass.....76

IX. _CRAWFORD'S_: The Elephant's Head.--Crawford House, and Glen.--Discovery of The Notch.--Ascent of Mount Willard.--Magnificent _coup d'oeil_.....87

X. _THE ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_: The Bridle-path.--Wreck of the Forest.--A Forest of Ice.--Dwarf Trees.--Summit of Mount Clinton.--Caught in a Snow-storm.--The Colonel's Hat.--Oakes's Gulf.--The Plateau.--Climbing the Dome.--The Summit at Last.....95

SECOND JOURNEY.

I. _LEGENDS OF THE CRYSTAL HILLS_: Indian Tradition and Legend.--Ascent of Mount Washington by Darby Field.--Indian Name of the White Mountains .....113

II. _JACKSON AND THE ELLIS VALLEY_: Thorn Hill.--Jackson.--Jackson Falls.--Goodrich Falls.--The Ellis.--A Captive Maiden's Song.--Pretty Indian Legend.--Pinkham Notch, from the Ellis.--A Mountain Homestead.--Artist Life.....122

III. _THE CARTER NOTCH_: Valley of the Wildcat.--The Guide.--The Way In.--Summit of The Notch.--Awful Desolation.--The Giant's Barricade.--Carter Dome.--The Way Out.....132

IV. _THE PINKHAM NOTCH_: The Glen House.--Thompson's Falls.--Emerald Pool.--Crystal Cascade.--Glen Ellis and its Legend.....144

V. _A SCRAMBLE IN TUCKERMAN'S_: Tuckerman's Ravine.--The Path.--Hermit Lake.--"No Thoroughfare."--Interior of the Ravine.--The Snow Arch.....155

VI. _IN AND ABOUT GORHAM_: The Peabody Valley.--Copp's Farm.--The Imp.--Nathaniel Copp's Adventure.--Gorham and the Androscoggin.--Mount Hayes.--Mount Madison.--Wholesale Destruction of the Forests.--Logging in the Mountains.--Berlin Falls.--Shelburne and Bethel.....165

VII. _ASCENT BY THE CARRIAGE-ROAD_: Bruin and the Travellers.--The Ledge.--The Great Gulf.--Fatal Accident.--Lost Travellers.--Arrival at the Signal-station.--A Night on the Summit.....178

VIII. _MOUNT WASHINGTON_: View from the Summit.--The Great Gale.--Life on the Summit.--Shadow of Mount Washington.--Bigelow's Lawn.--The Hunter Monument.--Lake of the Clouds.--The Mountain Butterfly.....189

THIRD JOURNEY.

I. _THE PEMIGEWASSET IN JUNE_: Plymouth.--Death of Hawthorne.--John Stark, the Hunter.--Livermore Fall.--Trout and Salmon Breeding.--Franconia Mountains from West Campton.--Settlement of Campton.--Valley of Mad River.--Tripyramid Mountain.--Waterville and its Surroundings.....209

II. _THE FRANCONIA PASS_: The Flume House.--The Pool.--The Flume.--Ascent of Mount Pemigewasset.--The Basin.--Mount Cannon.--Profile Lake.--Old Man of the Mountain.--Summit of the Pass.....224

III. _THE KING OF FRANCONIA_: Profile House and Glen.--Eagle Cliff.--Echo Lake.--Ascent of Mount Lafayette.--The Lakes.--Singular Atmospheric Effects.....237

IV. _FRANCONIA, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD_: The Roadside Spring.--Franconia Iron Works and Vicinity.--Sugar Hill.....248

V. _THE CONNECTICUT OX-BOW_: Newbury and Haverhill.....256

VI. _THE SACK OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES_: Robert Rogers, the Ranger.--Destruction of the Abenaqui Village.--Retreat and Pursuit of the Rangers.--Legend of the Silver Image.....259

VII. _MOOSEHILLOCK_: Ascent of the Mountain from Warren.--View from the Summit.....267

VIII. _BETHLEHEM_: Bethlehem Street.--Sudden Rise of a Mountain Resort.--The Environs.--Maplewood and the Great Range.--The Place of Sunsets.--The "Hermit."--The Soldier turned Peddler.....276

IX. _JEFFERSON, AND THE VALLEY OF ISRAEL'S RIVER_: Jefferson Hill.--Starr King and Cherry Mountains.--The Great Chain Again.--Thomas Starr King.--Ethan Crawford's.--Ravine of the Cascades.--Randolph Hill and King's Ravine.--The Cherry Mountain Road.--Fabyan's.--Captain Rosebrook .....291

X. _THE GREAT NORTHERN PEAKS_: The Mountain Railway.--An Evening Ascension.--Moonlight on the Summit.--Sunrise.--A March to Mount Adams.--The Great Gulf of the Five Mountains.--The Castellated Ridge.--Peak of Mount Adams.--Conclusion.....304

Illustrations.

These Illustrations, excepting those marked *, were designed by W. HAMILTON GIBSON.

SUBJECT. ENGRAVER. PAGE. TRAVELLERS IN A STORM, MOUNT WASHINGTON _R. Hoskin_ Frontispiece

WINNIPISEOGEE, FROM RED HILL _J. Tinkey_ 15

*"ALONE WITH ALL THOSE MEN!" _V. Bernstrom_ 20
_Designed by W. A. Rogers._

PASSACONNAWAY, FROM THE BEAR-CAMP RIVER _Smithwick and French_ 24

CHOCORUA _R. Hoskin_ 26

LOVEWELL'S POND _J. P. Davis_ 34

MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM THE SACO _F. S. King_ 40

THE LEDGES, NORTH CONWAY _E. Held_ 41

ECHO LAKE, NORTH CONWAY _G. J. Buechner_ 45

KEARSARGE IN WINTER _R. Hoskin_ 48

*SLIDING DOWN KEARSARGE _H. Deis_ 53
_Designed by W. A. Rogers._

CONWAY MEADOWS _W. H. Morse_ 56

BARTLETT BOWLDER _E. Held_ 58

*NANCY IN THE SNOW _J. P. Davis_ 68
_Designed by Sol Eytinge._

*ABEL CRAWFORD (PORTRAIT) _Thos. Johnson_ 70

STORM ON MOUNT WILLEY _J. Linton_ 75

MOUNT WILLARD, FROM WILLEY BROOK _G. Smith_ 78

THE CASCADES, MOUNT WEBSTER _F. S. King_ 85

ELEPHANT'S HEAD, WINTER _H. Wolf_ 88

LOOKING DOWN THE NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 91

GIANT'S STAIRS, FROM THORN MOUNTAIN _J. Hellawell_ 124

MOAT MOUNTAIN, FROM JACKSON FALLS _F. Pettit_ 126

THE CARTER NOTCH _Smithwick and French_ 134

THE EMERALD POOL _W. H. Morse_ 147

THE CRYSTAL CASCADE _H. Wolf_ 149

THE PATH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _R. Hoskin_ 157

HERMIT LAKE _W. J. Dana_ 160

SNOW ARCH, TUCKERMAN'S RAVINE _N. Orr_ 163

THE IMP _J. Tinkey_ 166

THE ANDROSCOGGIN AT SHELBURNE _G. Smith_ 176

MOUNT ADAMS AND THE GREAT GULF _W. H. Morse_ 182

WINTER STORM ON THE SUMMIT _R. Schelling_ 187

*THE TORNADO FORCING AN ENTRANCE _J. Tinkey_ 194
_Designed by Thure de Thulstrup_

LAKE OF THE CLOUDS _J. P. Davis_ 200

ON THE PROFILE ROAD _Smithwick and French_ 213

WELCH MOUNTAIN, FROM MAD RIVER _J. Hellawell_ 217

BLACK AND TRIPYRAMID MOUNTAINS _J. S. Harley_ 220

FRANCONIA NOTCH, FROM THORNTON _F. S. King_ 222

A GLIMPSE OF THE POOL _C. Mayer_ 225

THE FLUME, FRANCONIA NOTCH _J. P. Davis_ 227

THE BASIN _G. J. Buechner_ 230

*THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN _A. Measom_ 234
_Designed by Granville Perkins._

*EAGLE CLIFF AND THE ECHO HOUSE _P. Annin_ 238
_Designed by Granville Perkins._

ECHO LAKE, FRANCONIA _G. J. Buechner_ 240

MOUNT CANNON, FROM THE BRIDLE-PATH, LAFAYETTE _R. Schelling_ 242

CLOUD EFFECTS ON MOUNT LAFAYETTE _R. Hoskin_ 245

*FRANCONIA IRON WORKS AND NOTCH _C. Mayer_ 248
_Designed by Granville Perkins._

*THE ROADSIDE SPRING 250
_Designed by W. A . Rogers._

*ROBERT ROGERS (PORTRAIT) _C. Mayer_ 260

*THE BUCK-BOARD WAGON 274
_Designed by W. A. Rogers._

MOUNT LAFAYETTE, FROM BETHLEHEM _J. Tinkey_ 280

THE NORTHERN PEAKS, FROM JEFFERSON _Smithwick and French_ 292

MOUNT WASHINGTON, FROM FABYAN'S _E. Held_ 301

*MOUNTAIN RAILWAY-STATION IN STAGING TIMES _T. Johnson_ 305 _Designed by Granville Perkins._

ASCENT BY THE RAILWAY _J. Hellawell_ 309

THE CASTELLATED RIDGE, MOUNT JEFFERSON _J. Tinkey_ 315

MAP OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS (_East Side_) xv

" " " (_Central and Northern Section_) 111

" " " (_West Side_) 207

FIRST JOURNEY.

PAGE

I. _MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS_ 1

II. _INCOMPARABLE WINNIPISEOGEE_ 8

III. _CHOCORUA_ 18

IV. _LOVEWELL_ 33

V. _NORTH CONWAY_ 39

VI. _KEARSARGE TO CARRIGAIN_ 55

VII. _VALLEY OF THE SACO_ 66

VIII. _THROUGH THE NOTCH_ 76

IX. _CRAWFORD'S_ 87

X. _ASCENT FROM CRAWFORD'S_ 95

]

THE

HEART OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.

FIRST JOURNEY.