At another visit, the same celebrated traveller remarks—“On this day, the sky was obscured very soon after I got up; a vast mist enveloped the whole circuit of the mountain; the prospect down was horrible. It gave an idea of numbers of abysses concealed by a thick smoke, furiously circulating round us. Very often a gust of wind formed an opening in the clouds, which gave a fine and distinct view of lake and valley. Sometimes, they opened only in one place, at others in many at once, exhibiting a most strange and perplexing view of water, fields, rocks or chasms, in fifty different places. They then closed at once, and left us involved in darkness; in a short time, they would separate again, and fly in wild eddies round the middle of the mountains, and expose in parts both tops and bases clear to our view. We descended from this various scene with great reluctance, but before we reached our horses a thunder storm overtook us. Its rolling among the mountains was inexpressibly awful, the rain uncommonly heavy. We remounted our horses, and gained the bottom with great hazard. The little rills which on our ascent trickled along the gullies on the sides of the mountain, were now swelled into torrents, and we and our steeds passed with the utmost risk of being swept away by these sudden waters. At length, we arrived safe, yet sufficiently wet and weary, to our former quarters.
“It is very seldom that the traveller gets a propitious day to ascend Snowdon; for often when it appears clear, it becomes suddenly and unexpectedly enveloped in mist by its attraction of clouds, which just before seemed remote and at great heights. At times, I have observed them lower to half their heights, and notwithstanding they have been dispersed to the right and to the left, yet they have met from both sides and united to involve the summit in one great obscurity. The quantity of water which flows from the lakes of Snowdonia is very considerable; so much, that I doubt not but collectively they would exceed the waters of the Thames before it meets the conflux of the ocean.”
This industrious and persevering traveller observes: “I had made a determination soon after I came into Wales, that I would ascend Snowdon by all the tracks that are usually pointed out to travellers.” This gentleman had already accomplished the task in three instances, his routes being first from Dôlbadarn Castle, secondly from Llanberis, and thirdly from Llyn Cwellyn. The fourth, the description of which we are about to borrow, as more descriptive than any of the others, is the route from Bedd-gelert. He says: “The distance from Bedd-gelert to the summit, being reckoned not less than six miles, and a lady being one of our number, it was thought most eligible for her to ride as far as she could without danger, and for the rest to walk the whole of the way. In this manner therefore, we set out, commencing our _mountain_ journey by turning to the right, from the Caernarvon road, at the distance of about two miles and a half from the village. We left the horse at a cottage, about half way up, from whence taking a bottle of milk to mix with some rum that we had brought along with us, we continued our route over a series of pointed and craggy rocks.
