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Rh covered with water or otherwise rendered impassable. In such locations the trails were exceedingly circuitous. The few men who are still to be found who traveled and remember any Indian trail will attest to this fact that in low ground the trail was wont to double back on itself many times, even in a few rods. This in itself is interesting proof that even in low ground the path of the Indian sought the highest ground. In describing the portage path between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers in northern Ohio, an old resident affirmed that the circuitousness of the path when it entered the lowland of the Cuyahoga valley was invariably a matter of comment among the early pioneers who traversed it.

Trails in low ground were far less stable than those on the heights; indeed, very many were probably impassable for many months of the year, being subject to constant overflow from neighboring rivers or swamps. Thus numerous trails well worn in the summer season must have been quite deserted in winter. And when such abandoned routes were again traversed, the old