Adirondack Peeks Winter 2023

"Hitch up,

Matilda!"

“Come, Bill—how about that adventure of yours at Avalanche Lake?”

. . . said one of the party gath ered around the blazing fire. We all had heard of it, but wanted the facts from the principal actor. “What adventure?” said Nye [Wil liam B. Nye, guide of North Elba]. “Oh, come, you know what one we mean; go ahead.” So, after considerable innocent beat ing about the bush to ascertain the one meant, although it was perfectly evident that he knew all the time, Nye told his story: “Well, boys, some of you may remember a party of three—Mr. and Mrs. Fielding and their niece, from somewhere or other on the Hudson—that I went guiding for in 1868. Mr. Fielding was rather a little man, one of those quick motioned, impulsive sort who make up their minds quick and is liable to change it in five min utes afterward, but a very gen erous gentleman withal; his wife was taller and heavier than he, would look things carefully over before she expressed an opin ion, and when she made up her mind to do a thing she did it. The niece—Dolly they called her— was about seventeen years old, a splendid girl, handsome as a pic ture, and she knew it too, all very sociable and willing to talk with

anyone; and I tell you boys, when I look at such a girl I sometimes feel as though may be I have made a mis take in living alone so long, but I’m too old a dog now to think of learn ing new tricks, so we will go on. “Well, our trip was to be from Nash’s through Indian Pass to the iron works, then on to Mount Marcy and back the way of Avalanche Pass. We got rather a late start from Nash’s, and all the boarders told Mrs. Field ing she could not go through that day. She says, ‘You’ll see I shall if the guide will show me the way.’ She did go through, though she traveled the last three or four miles by torch-light. I tried to have her let me build a little camp and stay till daylight; she said, ‘No, you know what they said when we started. If you can find the way I am going through.’ I told her I could find the way if it was darker than a stack of black cats. She says, ‘Lead on, I will follow.’ The last mile she car ried her shoes in her hand, but she beat, and that was enough. The next day we went to Lake Colden and camped; the next to Mount Marcy and back to Colden camp again. “The following day we started to go through Avalanche Pass to North Elba—you will remember the walls, hundreds of feet high on either side, that you can neither get over nor

Photo credit: Edward "Ned" Fletcher #13644

"Hitch Up, Matilda" is reprinted from its original publication in 1874 by Seneca Ray Stoddard in The Adirondacks Illustrated .

22 | ADIRONDACK PEEKS