Mt. Moosilauke (1914) - Beaver Brook Cascades
". . . The camp was astir at sunrise, shortly after four. Everybody was cold, and, truth to tell, a little cross.
"We're not hardened to this high mountain air yet, I guess," said Art, as he built up the fire. But breakfast restored their good nature, and they all went back up the path to have a look at Jobildunk Ravine by daylight, while Mr. Rogers was shaving.
"Got to shave, boys," he said, "because we strike a town - North Woodstock - this afternoon."
It was after six before the descent of the mountain began. At first the way led through thick woods, and, while it was steep, seemed no steeper than Kinsman. They came upon the embers of two or three camp-fires beside springs, and presently upon a small lean-to, built of bark and hemlock boughs, which would hold two people.
"Somebody got tired half-way up," laughed Art. "Gee, they could have got to the top while they were building this."
"Maybe they liked to build," Lou suggested, which seemed unanswerable. The path below this point swung over to the side of a rushing brook, and they began to enter a region where the lumbermen had been, stripping the forest down to bare soil and leaving behind dry, ugly slash. The path grew steeper every moment. The brook went down the mountain in a series of cascades, one after the other, and at almost every waterfall the path beside it dropped almost as steeply. In some places there were rough ladders to descend by. At other places you simply had to swing over a root and drop, often landing in soft, wet leaf-mould, and sinking up to the ankles.
"Steep? Well, I should smile!" said Peanut. "Say, fellers, don't you wish we were going up instead of down?"
"Can't say I do," Frank answered. ''I don't see how anybody does get up here, 'specially with a heavy pack. Wasn't this path ever better than this?"
"It must have been once. The water has washed it," the Scout Master replied. Just then they came to a six foot drop, and Frank took it first. He unslung his camera at the bottom, and snapped the rest as they came tumbling after him.
"That'll prove we had some steep work, all right," he said. "I believe if my pants were stronger, I'd just sit down and slide the rest of the way," Peanut laughed.
But such steep descents have one great advantage - they get you down quickly. Almost before the boys realized that they were at the bottom. . . ."
From "Boy Scouts on Moosilauke" by Walter Prichard Eaton, pp. 312-315, The Moosilaukee Reader (Vol.2). ©1999.
