T&ifo #oC8 of (Mounfam^umtmfe 



orado alone the Arctic-Alpine territory above 

 the tree-line probably extends over five million 

 or more acres. Thrust high in this summit area 

 are the tops of more than three hundred peaks. 

 Many of these tower three thousand feet above 

 the timber-line. Much of this region is made up 

 of steep slopes, shattered summits, and pre- 

 cipitous walls, many of which bound canons. 

 There is a scattering of lakes, gentle slopes, 

 stretches of rolling moorlands, and bits of wet 

 meadow or arctic tundra. In this high and far- 

 extending mountain land one may travel day 

 after day always above the uppermost reaches 

 of the forest. In this strange treeless realm 

 there is a largeness of view. Up close to the 

 clouds and the sky, the big world far below, 

 the scene stretches away in boundless, mag- 

 nificent distances. 



The snow-fall of this region varies with local- 

 ity, and ranges from a few feet up to fifty feet 

 annually. In most localities this snow is rapidly 

 evaporated by the exceedingly dry air of the 

 heights. The remnants of each year's fall com- 

 monly rest upon the accumulations of prcced- 



103 



