Colonel Greenleaf had five men engaged to help me but some of
them got tired before they reached the top of the mountain and
they left their load beside the trail and went back down and took
the last train out as the Profile Railroad was closing up for
the winter. There was one man who stayed for three days and made
two trips to the head each day carrying pieces of the turn buckles
on each trip. I had one man come from Whitefield who worked one
day. The rest I had to do myself, every morning carrying all I
could.
On Wednesday, September 27, there was a terrible rainstorm and
the next morning I was warned that it was not safe to go up the
mountain but as my time was limited I thought I would try it.
Every narrow place up the trail was a raging torrent and I had
to climb among the trees and rocks to keep from being washed back
down the mountain. When half way up it began to be very icy and
cold and when I reached the top every rock was glare ice and every
bush was hanging with snow. The sun was shining bright and what
a beautiful picture it was. I think the temperature was near zero.
When I looked down over that ice and snow it took all my courage
to go down to the head. I was wet and my clothes were frozen stiff
up to my knees. Many places I would slide for 20 ft. The slide
was alright but when you have to run a chance of going over the
side of a rock and falling 10 ft. or more it kind of makes a twinge
run up you spine. That night coming up from the head I had to
make notches in the ice to get a foot hold. It had snowed more
in the afternoon and that made traveling more difficult. The weather
continued very cold until Friday…. “
