A Visit to the Peaks of Otter
Dublin Core
Title
A Visit to the Peaks of Otter
Subject
Travel, Vacation
Creator
Willing
Source
http://addison.vt.edu/record=b1775388~S1
Publisher
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Date
March 1876
Contributor
Katie Garahan, Alexis Priestley
Rights
Permission to publish images from The Gray Jacket must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Format
Text
Language
English
Type
Nonfiction Story
Identifier
LD5655.V8 L4, ser.1, v.1, no.6 (Mar. 1876), p.2
Coverage
Blacksburg, VA
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
On the 26th of February last, in company with a friend, we started from one of the valleys under-lying the Peaks of Otter, with the determination of scaling the heights of that majestic eminence.
Being well mounted, and fully equipped for the excursion, with much regret we bid adieu to our fair young lady friends, and turning our faces peaks-ward, we began our journey with a bouyancy of spirits, scarcely experienced in any other breast than that of a student, who is spending a two months' vacation from his most interesting studies. The day was very warm for the season of the year, and the wrappings which our most prudent elders insisted on taking with us, proved quite a burden for a greater part of the day. The first five miles of our ride, which wound along the head waters of Big Otter river, was with-out event, but on leaving the main road, we were surprised but gratified to find a well-graded road, extending nearly to the summit. This improve-ment had lately been made by the energetic pro-prietors, thereby rendering the ascent less tedious, as a great part of the way had to be made formerly on foot. While leisurely riding up this winding road, we were startled by a rustling in the leaves near by, and, glancing in the direction of the noise, we be-held two mammoth fowls, termed by Walter Scott's idiot as "Jockler Bublers." "Oh! for a gun," we both exclaimed, all our gaming enthusiasm being aroused, and feeling quite certain that, had a fowl-ing-piece been at hand, both birds would have
fallen victims to a single shot. As we ascended, our path, at times, was covered with snow, and our Rossinantes being rather timid, required some coaxing before they could be per-suaded to place their understandings upon that un-usual element. But here we glance upward and behold! The huge rocks that cap the summit, almost directly overhanging our heads, and now our eyes are fixed and our energies bent to attain "The point of our calling which is"—on those rocks. A few min-utes climbing. and we have attained the summit, and are scaling those mammoth rocks, some of which contain hundreds of cubic feet, and heaped one upon another, forming a most suitable crown for the Queen of the Blue Ridge. Standing on a pinnacle of the vast crown, we
turn our admiring gaze upon the unsurpassingly beautiful scene spread out before us. To the south and east, spread out like a vast map, is the county of Bedford, with its sparkling streams and winding valleys, presenting a picture which requires an effort to convince us that it is real, and not ideal. Turning to the north we see the twin sister and rival of the Peak. This is Flat Top mountain, which is in fact several feet higher than the Peak. Then turning to the west we see an ocean of moun-tains looming up one after the other, and finally melting away in the dim blue horizon whose gran-deur seems to inspire us with a supernatural awe, and to "Lift the soul from nature, up to nature's God." But a few minutes are required to take in the scene just described, and we recall our wild imagi-nation and wandering vision to make an examina-tion of that on which we stand. Having satisfied ourselves that we are upon terra firma, and putting aside all apprehension of being suddenly elevated upon the back of a volcano, (though our eastern
Virginia papers a few months before had very zealously circulated the report that that very point
would soon be in a state of eruption,) we began to appreciate our situation, and realized, for once in our lives, at least, that we were considerably above the common people of our neighborhood.
Near us fastened in the crevices of the rock, was a signal pole, used during the preceding summer by the U.S. Corps. Upon this we fastened our paper flag made of the wrapping of our lunch, but failed to hear the applause of the admiring world below. But the angle that old Sol was now making with the western horizon, warned us that our time was limited and that we must begin our decent. So, gathering a few mementos, some small fragments of rock, some twigs of green laurel and fern which grew from the crevices of the rock, we hastened to our steeds, feeling that our ideas had taken in as much during the day as could well be digested in our dreams during the night. A few hours ride and we were again with our friends, feeling well repaid for our ride, and noting in the diary of our memory a day never to be for-gotten. WILLING.
Being well mounted, and fully equipped for the excursion, with much regret we bid adieu to our fair young lady friends, and turning our faces peaks-ward, we began our journey with a bouyancy of spirits, scarcely experienced in any other breast than that of a student, who is spending a two months' vacation from his most interesting studies. The day was very warm for the season of the year, and the wrappings which our most prudent elders insisted on taking with us, proved quite a burden for a greater part of the day. The first five miles of our ride, which wound along the head waters of Big Otter river, was with-out event, but on leaving the main road, we were surprised but gratified to find a well-graded road, extending nearly to the summit. This improve-ment had lately been made by the energetic pro-prietors, thereby rendering the ascent less tedious, as a great part of the way had to be made formerly on foot. While leisurely riding up this winding road, we were startled by a rustling in the leaves near by, and, glancing in the direction of the noise, we be-held two mammoth fowls, termed by Walter Scott's idiot as "Jockler Bublers." "Oh! for a gun," we both exclaimed, all our gaming enthusiasm being aroused, and feeling quite certain that, had a fowl-ing-piece been at hand, both birds would have
fallen victims to a single shot. As we ascended, our path, at times, was covered with snow, and our Rossinantes being rather timid, required some coaxing before they could be per-suaded to place their understandings upon that un-usual element. But here we glance upward and behold! The huge rocks that cap the summit, almost directly overhanging our heads, and now our eyes are fixed and our energies bent to attain "The point of our calling which is"—on those rocks. A few min-utes climbing. and we have attained the summit, and are scaling those mammoth rocks, some of which contain hundreds of cubic feet, and heaped one upon another, forming a most suitable crown for the Queen of the Blue Ridge. Standing on a pinnacle of the vast crown, we
turn our admiring gaze upon the unsurpassingly beautiful scene spread out before us. To the south and east, spread out like a vast map, is the county of Bedford, with its sparkling streams and winding valleys, presenting a picture which requires an effort to convince us that it is real, and not ideal. Turning to the north we see the twin sister and rival of the Peak. This is Flat Top mountain, which is in fact several feet higher than the Peak. Then turning to the west we see an ocean of moun-tains looming up one after the other, and finally melting away in the dim blue horizon whose gran-deur seems to inspire us with a supernatural awe, and to "Lift the soul from nature, up to nature's God." But a few minutes are required to take in the scene just described, and we recall our wild imagi-nation and wandering vision to make an examina-tion of that on which we stand. Having satisfied ourselves that we are upon terra firma, and putting aside all apprehension of being suddenly elevated upon the back of a volcano, (though our eastern
Virginia papers a few months before had very zealously circulated the report that that very point
would soon be in a state of eruption,) we began to appreciate our situation, and realized, for once in our lives, at least, that we were considerably above the common people of our neighborhood.
Near us fastened in the crevices of the rock, was a signal pole, used during the preceding summer by the U.S. Corps. Upon this we fastened our paper flag made of the wrapping of our lunch, but failed to hear the applause of the admiring world below. But the angle that old Sol was now making with the western horizon, warned us that our time was limited and that we must begin our decent. So, gathering a few mementos, some small fragments of rock, some twigs of green laurel and fern which grew from the crevices of the rock, we hastened to our steeds, feeling that our ideas had taken in as much during the day as could well be digested in our dreams during the night. A few hours ride and we were again with our friends, feeling well repaid for our ride, and noting in the diary of our memory a day never to be for-gotten. WILLING.