Forgotten Treasures #19: THE SPECKLED BROOK TROUT--PART IV

THE SPECKLED BROOK TROUT

PART IV: THE OLD ADIRONDACKS.
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Last summer the New York Times published an article deprecating the "ruinous
publicity" given by Rev. W. H. H. Murray to the sporting attractions of the
Adirondacks, and lamenting that this exceptional region should have "fallen
from that estate of fish and solitude for which it was originally
celebrated." Railroads, stages, telegraphs and hotels, it says, "have
followed in the train of the throng who rushed for the wilderness. The
desert has blossomed with parasols, and the waste places are filled with
picnic-parties, revelling in lemonade and sardines. The piano has banished
the deer from the entire region, and seldom is any one of the countless
multitude of sportsmen fortunate enough to meet with even the track of a
deer." The writer rejoices, and with reason, that Canadian forests are yet
undesecrated, and are likely to remain so, "unless some malevolent person
writes a book upon the subject, giving to the indiscriminate public the
secrets that should be reserved for the true sportsman and the reverent
lover of nature."



It is not without a careful consideration of the question in all its aspects
that I have ventured to publish my Reference Books. Jealous as I am, in
common with all sportsmen, of sportsmen's secrets, and restrained withal by
the instincts of self-interest, I should hesitate to reveal them, were it
not that concealment is no longer a virtue. The considerations that permit
publicity are these:



In the first place, the several great railway routes that have been recently
completed or are now in progress-the Intercolonial, the European, and the
North American, and the various Pacific roads-are opening up to tourists and
sportsmen regions hitherto inaccessible. Civilization and its concomitants
inevitably follow in their train, and hidden places become open as the day.
What would the negative force of silence avail to hinder or prevent?



There is not much danger of the mosquito swamps and inaccessible fastnesses
of the Adirondacks being invaded by "good society." The crowd comes only
where the way is made easy, and because it is easy. It follows the natural
water-courses and avoids the tedious "carries." It halts where the
sporting-houses invite, and selects those which provide the most abundant
creature comforts.



Murray's book attracted its crowds, not because a legion of uninitiated
sportsmen and ambitious Amazons stood waiting for the gates of some new
paradise to open, but because it presented the wilderness in new aspects and
fascinating colors. It showed how its charms could be made enjoyable even
for ladies. It was a simple narrative of personal experience and
impressions, written con amore, with a vigor and freshness that touched a
sympathetic chord in the hearts of its readers. It aroused a latent impulse
and provided a new sensation for those who had become surfeited by the weary
round of watering-place festivities. And it has accomplished much good by
encouraging a taste for field-sports and that health-giving exercise which
shall restore the bloom to faded cheeks and vigor to attenuated
valetudinarians.



What though the door-posts of Adirondack hostelries be penciled o'er with
names of those who fain would seek renown among the list of mighty Nimrods;
what though the wilderness blooms with radiant parasols, and pianos thrum
throughout the realm; there yet is ample room for the sportsman, and
solitude sufficient for the most sentimental lover of nature. The very
contour of the land makes roads impracticable. It is everywhere broken up
into mountain ranges, groups, and isolated peaks, interspersed with
innumerable basins and water-courses, nearly all connecting. These are the
heads and feeders of numerous rivers that flow to every point of the
compass, and after tumbling down the lofty water-shed in a series of rapids,
fall into the lakes or ocean. These are the sources of the Hudson, the
Oswagatchie, Black River, Raquette, Saint Regis, Ausable, and Saranac. It
is only where a valuable iron deposit makes it pay to surmount the natural
obstacles that some solitary tramway penetrates into the heart of the
mountains. The few fertile districts and tillable spots are likely to
remain unoccupied forever for lack of highways to a market, unless,
perchance, the growth of succeeding centuries drives an overflowing
population to the very crags of this American Switzerland.



It has been proposed to make a national park of this grand domain, and
dedicate it forever to sports of forest, lake, and field. Why not? Here is
a territory of 3,500,000 acres, or 5,000 square miles-larger than the State
of Connecticut. Let the disciples of the rod and gun go up and posses the
land. Let the girls romp. Let the pianos thrum. Let the wild-wood ring
with the merry laughter of healthy women-real flesh-and-blood women who will
make wives too good for the sour ascetics who would fain frown them out.
Precious indeed in these cloudy times of irksome servitude are the holiday
hours we snatch, sparkling with dew and sunshine, from the beatitude of the
better day. And what more genial warmth can the sportsman find than the
female welcome that greets him from the long piazza when he returns from his
exile in the woods!



The borders of the Adirondack Wilderness are accessible at various points by
tolerable roads which branch off from the main thoroughfares of travel. Dr.
Ely's Map, published by Colton, 172 William Street, New York, gives minutest
information as to distances, interior routes, "carries," hotel and stage
accommodation, etc., and no tourist should be without one. I have found it
remarkably accurate in all its details, though slight corrections are
sometimes necessary. For immediate reference, however, the subjoined
directions will prove useful and reliable:



From the southwest the approach is via Boonville, on the Utica & Black River
Railroad. A wagon-road (so-called) leads directly to the Fulton chain of
lakes, in the very heart of what is known as "John Brown's Tract"; but it is
practicable for wheels only for about fourteen miles, or a little beyond
Moose River. Thence to Arnold's old sporting-house, eight miles, the
success of the journey must depend upon one's ingenuity in surmounting
obstacles. The difficulties of the way are graphically portrayed by the pen
and pencil of T. B. Thorpe, in the nineteenth volume of Harper's Magazine,
though the road has been considerably improved since the article was
published. Some few bowlders have sunk into the mud, and trunks of trees
that then crossed the road have rotted away, so that it is no longer
necessary to go around them. Consequently the distance is somewhat
shortened, and the road made more level. From Arnold's there is a navigable
water-course all the way to Raquette Lake, a distance of thirty miles,
broken by three portages or "carries," whose aggregate length is two and
three-quarter miles. Indeed there is a continuous water-course by way of
Raquette Lake, as will presently be shown, all the way to the northernmost
limit of the Adirondack region. This "John Brown's Tract" is about twenty
miles square and contains 210,000 acres. As is well known, it was once the
seat of very considerable iron-works which afterward failed in the
fulfillment of a promise of lucrative profit, and were abandoned. Arnold's
house is a relic of those ancient improvements. It is one of the finest
fishing and hunting grounds in the whole section, though here, as elsewhere,
the sportsman must turn a little aside from the main thoroughfare if he
would find reward commensurate with his endeavors. The adjacent country is
hilly, though not strictly mountainous; but there is an isolate peak called
"Bald Mountain," which is everywhere the most prominent feature of the
landscape. From its summit there is a panorama of magnificent extent.
Fourth Lake with its green islands occupies the central position, stretching
away for six miles through an unbroken forest whose farthest limit is a blue
mountain-range delicately limned upon the horizon. There is a comfortable
house near the foot of the mountain where parties proposing to ascend can
find an abiding-place.


From the west there are entrances to the Wilderness via Lowville and
Carthage, stations on the Black River Railroad, by tolerable wagon-roads
which converge at Lake Francis, a distance of eighteen or twenty miles;
thence by road and stream twenty-two miles to Beach's Lake, and thence nine
miles to Raquette Lake. This route is not much travelled, and the sport
will not pay for the hardships of the journey. Boonville is the better
starting-point.



From Potsdam, on the north, there is a very good winter road all the way to
"Grave's Lodge" on Big Tupper Lake, whence all parts of the Wilderness are
accessible by boat. The summer route is from Potsdam to Colton, ten miles
by stage; thence by good wagon-road twelve miles to McEwen's on the Raquette
River; thence six miles to Haw's, with a very short portage; thence six
miles and a half by road to the "Moosehead still water"; and thence fifteen
miles by water to the foot of Raquette Pond, from which there is water
communication with Big Tupper and all other points north and south. From
McEwen's to Raquette Pond the river is broken by a succession of rapids and
falls, around which boats must be carried. Notwithstanding the frequency of
the portages, and the vexatious changes from wagon to stream, this is a
favorite route for sportsmen, for the adjacent country abounds in fish and
game. Visitors to this section do not, however, generally go through, but
camp at eligible points, or put up at Pelsue's, Haw's, Ferry's and other
houses below the Piercefield Falls. On the other hand, visitors from above
seldom descend as far as Piercefield.



Entering from the north at Malone on the Ogdensburg & Northern Railroad,
after a fortnight spent at Chazy and Chateaugay Lakes, the route is by the
east branch of Saint Regis River to Meacham Pond, famous for its trout and
its beautiful beach, and thence by stream through Osgood's Pond, with a
half-mile carry to Paul Smith's, on the Lower Saint Regis Lake, the
preferred and best-known starting-point for the interior Wilderness for all
visitors from the East. It is the easiest and shortest route, and affords
fine fishing the whole distance. There is also an excellent wagon-road from
Malone to Martin's, a favorite hotel on the Lower Saranac-distance fifty
miles.



From the northeast there is a railroad twenty miles long from Plattsburg to
Point of Rocks, Ausable Station, on the Ausable River, whence lines of
Concord stages are run daily over excellent roads to Paul Smith's and Martin's,
diverging at Bloomingdale, the post-office nearest to either point. The
distance by stage is about forty miles. The same stages also run from Port
Kent, on Lake Champlain, through Keeseville to the railroad terminus at
Point of Rocks, a trip of thirteen miles. By this route a great deal is
saved in distance; but thirteen miles of staging are added, and nothing is
gained in time, as the stages all connect with the railroad trains. Whether
the tourist leaves the steamer at Port Kent or continues to Plattsburg, he
will have to remain at a hotel over night. The Wetherill House, and Fouquet's
Hotel, at Plattsburg, afford the traveller every luxury, and at the Ausable
House, Keeseville, there is excellent accommodation. Both places are
reached by steamer from Whitehall and Burlington, and also by railroad from
Montreal. Tourists often take the Keeseville route in order to visit the
celebrated chasm of the Ausable River, a magnificent mountain-gorge of most
romantic effects and picturesque scenery. There is also a route to Saranac
Lake from this point, which passes through Wilmington Notch and skirts the
base of "Whiteface Mountain," and thence continues on through North Elba,
where may be seen the tomb of John Brown, of Harper's Ferry renown. There
is a road to the top of "Whiteface," whence can be had an illimitable view
of the Wilderness. This route altogether affords the most remarkable and
varied scenery to be found in the Adirondacks; and a visit will well repay
those lovers of nature who have never yet "wet a line" or "drawn a bead on a
deer."



By the other route there is a romantic bit of scenery at the Franklin Falls
of the Saranac; but its natural charms are disfigured by one of those
utilitarian improvements, a saw-mill. Here is the "half-way house," where
passengers for Smith's and Martin's dine. Two seasons ago, while indulging
in a post-prandial cigar, I took the trouble to count the names on the
little hotel register, and found that they numbered 1,500! and the season
was only half over. These, however, included those going out as well as
those going in. (When a man is headed for the Wilderness, he is said to be
"going in.")



There are two other routes from the east, namely, from Westport, and from
Crown Point, on Lake Champlain. Both of these take the visitor into the
heart of the mountains, the birth-place of winds and the nursery of snow-fed
sources. Here old "Boreas Mountain" dwells; here is Boreas Lake, the
fountain-head of Boreas River. Here also are Lakes Sanford, Henderson, and
Delia, which are often resorted to by pertinacious sportsmen; but as these
are most accessible from the south by the old Fort Edward stage-route, or
the Adirondack Railroad, which is now extended to North Creek Station, sixty
miles from Saratoga, the above-named routes are seldom used.



The Fort Edward Road leaves the Saratoga & Whitehall Railway at the station
of that name, and extends to Long Lake, a distance of seventy-five miles,
touching Lake George at Caldwell, Schroon Lake at Potterville, and passing
within easy access of Lakes Delia, Sanford, Henderson, Harris, and Catlin.



From the south access is had to Round Lake and Lakes Pleasant and Piseco-the
well-stocked waters of the famed "Piseco Club"-by a good wagon-road which
leaves Little Falls or Herkimer on the New York Central Railroad. The
distance from Herkimer to the head of Piseco Lake is fifty-two miles.



The foregoing make up a list complete of all the highways into the
Adirondack Wilderness, with two exceptions. One is a road to "Joe's Lake"
in the lower part of Herkimer County, which leaves the town of Prospect, on
the Black River Railroad; and the other a boat-route from Clarksboro, on the
Grasse River, to Massawepie Pond at its head. Clarksboro is an iron region
at the terminus of a branch of the Watertown & Potsdam Railroad. Massawepie
Pond is within striking distance of the Raquette River, near Piercefield
Falls, and is visited by old hunters who mean business, and are not afraid
to camp out or follow a blind trail through the woods. There are plenty of
deer and trout there for those who will hunt them in their season.
Massawepie is accessible also by the old Potsdam wagon-road to Tupper's
Lake.



The "circumbendibus" route generally taken by ladies and gentlemen who
purpose "doing" the Adirondacks thoroughly, is from the foot of the Upper
Saranac Lake, three miles over the "Sweeny carry" to the Raquette River;
thence through Big Tupper Lake and stream, via Round Pond, to Little Tupper
Lake; thence through a series of little ponds and connecting streams, with
one three-mile carry, to Forked Lake; thence carry a mile and a half to
Raquette Lake, the southernmost point of the tour. From Raquette Lake into
Long Lake, with three short "carries," thence through Raquette River, Stony
Creek, and Stony Creek Pond, with a mile "carry," back to Upper Saranac
Lake. From thence visitors for Martin's Ferry carry over at Bartlett's
through Round Lake to the Lower Saranac; for Paul Smith's, they continue
through the Upper Saranac to Big Clear Pond, with a forty-rod "carry";
thence carry a mile and a half to the Upper Saint Regis Lake, and thence
through Spit-fire Pond to head-quarters on the Lower Saint Regis.



There are several routes that diverge from the main route at various points,
those most in favor being from Raquette Lake fourteen miles to Blue Mountain
Lake, the most beautiful of all the Adirondack waters; from Big Tupper Lake,
with a three-mile-carry from Brave's Lodge, to Horseshoe Pond, Hitchins'
Pond, and a labyrinth of lakes and ponds of greater or less extent; and from
the Upper Saranac through Fish River to Big Square Pond; thence, with a
half-mile carry, through a series of small lakes to Big and Little Wolf
Ponds, Raquette Pond, and Big Tupper; and thence return by Raquette River to
Upper Saranac. The two last-named regions are equal for game and fish to
any in the country, and the Hitchins' Pond district is perhaps the best.



END PART IV