Boy Scouts in the White Mountains: The Story of a Long HikeEaton, Walter Prichard
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Boy Scouts in the White Mountains: The Story of a Long Hike
Eaton, Walter Prichard
Boy Scouts -- Juvenile fiction; Hiking -- Juvenile fiction; White Mountains (N.H. and Me.) -- Juvenile fiction
Everybody was awake early the next morning, and glad to get up, for
Tuckerman’s Ravine can be very cold, even in mid-July, and all the boys
had huddled together unconsciously in the night, for mutual warmth.
Art’s suggestion that they take a morning dip in the waters of the
Cutler River wasn’t hailed with much enthusiasm.
“You know, it doesn’t get exactly _warm_ in the mile between here and
where it comes out of the snow arch,” said Frank, with a shiver.
“I want a bath, all right,” said Peanut, “but I don’t want a
refrigerator for a bathroom and ice water in the tub. I’m no polar
bear. Let’s wait till we get to some other brook.”
“Gee, you’re a set of cold-foot Scouts!” Art taunted.
“And we don’t want ’em any colder,” laughed Lou.
“Why don’t _you_ go for a bath, Art?” asked Rob.
“It’s no fun all alone,” Art replied, rather sheepishly, while the rest
laughed.
The sun was not yet up as they got breakfast ready, and the valley
behind them and the ravine ahead were full of white mist. Only the
rocky pinnacle of the Lion’s Head to their right, and the cliffs of
Boott Spur to the left stood up above the vapor. The coffee smelled
good in the cold air, and Peanut toasted a great piece of Art’s bread,
and varied his breakfast by making himself scrambled eggs on toast as
a special treat. They broke camp as the sun was rising, and by the
time they had climbed into the floor of the ravine the shadow of the
Lion’s Head was beginning to climb down the cliffs of Boott Spur, and
in Pinkham Notch behind them they could see the billows of white mist
tossing and stirring, Lou said exactly as if a giant was sleeping
underneath, and tossing his bedclothes.
“That’s how Winthrop Packard, the bird expert, once described it,” said
Mr. Rogers.
When they reached the snow arch, the path swung to the right, and
ascended a pile of debris which had come down from the cliffs above.
When the path had surmounted the arch, it turned to the left, and
passed under the overhanging cliffs at the top of the head wall. It
was very steep and rough, and at one point was covered with snow, or,
rather, snow packed into ice. Here the going was extremely treacherous,
and the party moved slowly, with the utmost caution, using the staffs
on every step. But they got past without accident, and soon found
themselves at the top of the wall. At the top was a long sloping
“lawn,” leading to the summit cone, the “lawn” consisting of grasses
and flowers and moss between the gray stones. They were in full morning
sunlight for a few moments, and every stone on the summit pyramid stood
out sharp against the sky. But all the world below them, except the
tops of the surrounding mountains, was buried under the white vapor.
“Above the clouds!” cried Peanut.
“But not for long,” said Art. “Lou’s giant is picking up his bedclothes
and coming after us!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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