The Camping Trip Thro’ Toxaway Country,  July 1905

July 24^th  ___________________________________

On this trip, the party consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Hill, Mr. Rives and Ora, Florence Powell, the Henderson and Croswell boys, Ben, Mary, and myself [Hattie ?] [P18].  Our outfit consisted of the two surreys, and a wagon, which carried our camp provisions, tents and bedding. [P1] The weather was ideal for the start, and by 8:30 we were off for a jolly good time. We took the Brevard road, until we came to the one, leading off toward Carkey’s Creek [Cathey's Creek?], which we followed, over crooks and turns, now up hill, now down, until noon time, when we stopped at the Creek [P19], and enjoyed our first camp lunch of fried chicken, home-made bread, and other good things in abundance [P20]. After a short rest and a good time [P23], we packed our things and journeyed on, traveling over a winding, bumpy road, crossing many creeks and rivers [P21] , [P7], and when about to cross one of the forks of the French Broad river, Mr. Rives had an exciting and funny experience, which none of us will forget. Had his horses become frightened at the train, when on the river bridge, they would have been most disastrous to his party. After a long drive, [P22] we reached Toxaway where we made inquiry for a camping spot for the night, then went to the hotel barns and procured hay for the horses, --- likewise for bedding for the girl’s tent. A short distance from Toxaway we found a fairly good place and made preparations for spending our first night there. [P3] We ate our supper by the dim light of our lanterns, then went straight-way to bed, a tired but happy crowd. 

The next morning found us up early, and all packed and on our second day’s journey by 7:30. The roads were much better on this part of our trip; and before long, we came to a dense forest, [P24] where we had a steady climb for a short distance, and we walked and rode by turns [P17]. 

We came to the foot of Hogback Mountain, [P25] 5100 ft. high, by 10:00, left the wagon and most of our luggage in the care of an old mountaineer [P15], and then we began our ascent. We took the two surreys, to relieve those, occasionally, who wanted to walk. Most of us tramped to the summit, reaching there at 11:30, and after an hour’s rest, we went to dinner at the “Lodge,” [P26] and sat down to a bountiful feast [P27]. I will leave the recollections of that meal to the different individuals, all of whom ate like harvest hands. After dinner we enjoyed the beautiful scenery all about us, [P29] then resumed our trip down the mountain. Ben and Henry tried some short cuts and got lost, and after we tried in vain to guide them by our “halloos,” we went on, leaving them to find their way as best they could. When all finally reached the mountaineer’s house, we continued our trip, passing through Sapphire, and around the beautiful Lake Sapphire, thence through Fairfield valley [P37] into Cashiers valley, and to the mountain hamlet of Cashiers, situated near the base of Chimney Top Mt. The drive was perfectly grand, through a most beautiful stretch of country, with lofty mountains and rich valleys all around us [P32]. We found a nice, clean camping spot, with a store near by, plenty of good water, and an obliging lady, across the way, who sold us what milk we needed. We had a good supper, and afterwards all sat around a glowing pine fire, talked over the events of the day, and when our fire became only glittering embers, we hied ourselves to our tents, and got to bed and to sleep, as quickly as possible. About 4:00 A.M. we got awake with cold feet and chills creeping up and down our backs, for the thermometer was hovering around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and we were too cold to sleep much more. 

July 26^th  ____________________________________

When we girls heard the boys up, we crawled out of our beds like snails, all unwilling to dress in the cold. We managed to get dressed; we hurried to our warm “kitchen” fire, and thawed out, while we ate breakfast [P30]. After we were well warmed inside and out, we started for Chimney Top Mt. ---4606 feet high [P31]. We lost the trail, so then made our way up as best we could, encountering many difficulties, all of which faded to nothing, when we finally got near the summit, and saw the stretch of bare rock ahead of us, up which we had to climb, steep as it was, in order to get to the trail that was on the other side [P33]. The most venturesome made attempts to climb, and in time succeeded. Hattie and I were the last to make an effort, and such vain attempts! We were tired, and almost gave up in despair, but with the help of those above us, we made one braver attempt, and at last reached the top of the mountain [P32]. We are still wondering how we ever accomplished the feat. The picture I took later showing the group on the slope [P33], does not portray the struggles we had to get up, when further down on the rock. The experience of that day will never be forgotten by any of us, I am sure. We met a Judge Bennett up there and he kindly led us down the trail, which was steeper, and more tiresome to some of us, and far worse than the climb we had over our improvised one. We reached camp about noon, ate a hearty dinner, and then resumed our journey toward Whiteside Mountain, 4931 feet high [P31]. The roads were good, so we made better time, and reached the camping place, near the top of the mountain, in time to see the sun set, had not some misty atmosphere prevented one from witnessing this pretty sight. The tents were put up, and then we ate our supper [P35]. We girls had an uncomfortable night, as we slept on a slight grade, and kept sliding down with every turn or move we made. 

July 27^th  ____________________________________

All were up early to see the sun rise, but we found ourselves enveloped in a mass of clouds, which hindered us from seeing any great distance away. We ate a hurried breakfast, then climbed up a trail to “Fat Man’s Misery”, squeezed through it to the rocks above, and we found ourselves on the very summit, where we caught glimpses of some beautiful scenery [P10], between the shifting of the fleecy clouds around us. This was my first experience above the clouds --- a very novel one ---, and I found it most fascinating to sit there [P11] and watch them float through space, giving us intermittent views of the mountain beyond, and the valleys below, with their farm cottages here and there, that looked like mere white specks, from our dizzy height [P28]. The view was grand and awe-inspiring, and we longed to remain there, but we had to return to our former camping grounds at Cashiers, for the night. From here on we were going down grade most of the time, and the roads were rocky, so we made slow progress. At Highlands we stopped for provisions, then drove on until we came to a deserted schoolhouse, where we stopped for dinner, and in an adjoining field, and found all the blackberries we could eat for camp dessert . A couple of hours here refreshed us, after our long drive and by two o’clock, we were on our way to Mr. Grimshaw’s quaint, English home [P36], located at White-side Cove, and there we were cordially received, and entertained for a little while. Approaching evening, and threatening clouds, hurried us on to Cashiers, and scarcely had we come within sight of the place, before it began to rain --- our first shower on the trip. The heavy trees kept our tenting spots fairly dry, and the tents were quickly put up to protect our bedding [P30]. This done, the horses were fed, and our supper started, after some difficulty in getting enough dry wood for it. Before supper was ready, we had an exciting time with Bob, one of our horses. He choked on some fodder, and but for the timely suggestions, and quick action of Mr. Rives, Bob never would have recovered from his precarious condition. When this excitement abated, we ate our supper by lantern lights, and retired at once, after a most strenuous day’s outing. 

July 28^th  ___________________________________

As soon as we got up, we all inquired after Bob’s health, and when he acted none the worse for his violent treatment, and seemed all right, we packed our things and moved on. This time we went around Fairfield Lake [P37], and enjoyed the magnificent scenery in that vicinity. By noon we came upon a nice, clean grassy plot, and the boys went for a swim in a river, nearby, while the rest of us helped get the dinner ready. The boys had been gone but a short time, when old Frank frightened by the rumble of a wagon, crossing a bridge near us, started toward Toxaway, in a mad gallop, with all but one horse following him. I jumped on this horse, rode her to a place hear the boys’ bathing place, and was met by Charlie, who had heard the horses pass by. He quickly took my place on her back and hurried after them. After a long, hard ride, and lots of trouble he and Ben got them back, and we ate our dinner while he related his experiences. Afterwards we hurried on toward our last camping spot [P40], for the night, and before reaching Tip Top Mt., were caught in a light shower. This only laid the dust for us, and was soon over, and we felt better for the refreshing air it brought with it. When descending Tip Top Mt., we came to a place near the summit where we could see three roads below us, as in terraces, that we would reach in due time; and when we came to a point on a ridge, the valley was on our right, and in a moment’s time another turn brought it to our left --- both instances being unusual sights. We stopped at Toxaway town (later called Rosman) [P38], a small tanning place, but were unable to get provisions for our supper and breakfast, or learn of a nice place to camp [P39]. Farther on we came to a small store where we procured ham and all the eggs we wanted, and were directed to a nice camping spot, in a grassy meadow. The rain had made the grass pretty wet for us girls to sleep on, but the boys bought some fodder from the farmer, who owned the place, and we spread it on the ground, put on our comforts, and had a soft, dry place to sleep. By ten o’clock supper was ready, and afterwards all were ready for bed in a short time. 

July 29^th  ___________________________________

We broke camp about eight o’clock, packed our things for the last time [P41] and started for Cedar Mountain [P8], a tired but happy crowd. I took a few pictures on the way; and one was of the girls, who took possession of the wagon  [P42] and its thorough-bred (?) team, when the boys deserted it, to take a short cut over a trail. The trip for the six days, cost each of us the small sum of three dollars and twenty-two cents ($3.22), and this paid all expenses incurred while gone. For the distance traveled, the grand and inspiring scenery we saw, and the jolly good times we all had [P42], the comparative expense faded into insignificance. The trip was one long to be remembered, and will afford many pleasant recollections for those who were fortunate enough to be in the part. Unfortunately, the pictures I got, while gone, show only a minute portion of some bits of scenery en route [P43], but they may help us to retain some of the interesting things we saw.   

Hattie Hill                        

 Additional information regarding this journal and the accompanying photographs is welcomed. Please contact hwykle@unca.edu

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