Viewing page 69 of 102

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

60.
deserted camps on the way up, either of which would have made a good camping place for the night.  The trail was bordered with rare golden-rods and asters, one striking Solidago having brilliant orange flowers with a purple stem.  There was also a quantity of the twisted-stalk (Streptopus amplexifolius}.  One of the most intersesting flowers of the whole trip we found on the wayb up.  It was clearly a member of the Orchid Family, resembling in some ways a Habenaria and in others a Spiranthes.  It grew about two and a half feet high with a spike of white flowers about six inches high.  The whole plants was covered with a frost-like coating.  We carried this specimen all the way up Marcy and gathered more on the way back only to carelessly neglect to take it with us the next morning.
   As you ascend Marcy proper, the trees gradually become lower and lower and soon you have merely low, straggling shrubs.  The upper part of the mountain is far above the timber-line.  A very small Prenanthes (Prenanthes lana), dwarf Solidagos, Potentilla tridentata, and the alpine willow (Salix uva-ursi) were on the summit.  Particularly noticeable were the quantities of light pink clusters of the delicate Arenaria groenlandica, found only on the tops of the highest mountains.
   When about 500 feet from the summit, the clouds, which had been threatening all day long, lowered over us and it began to rain.  This was most discouraging.  No view was to be had, there were no trees for shelter, and the enveloping clouds prevented us from seeing event the trail.  All we could do was to lie down on the wet moss and let it rain and sqeeze for the storm to disappear.