THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS 



35 



luminous spectacle held these beholders 

 breathless. The whole range seemed 

 fusing and changing. Actually, the 

 clouds moving down the slopes appeared 

 like great masses of slow moving, thick, 

 viscous fluid. All stood dumb until one, 

 finding his tongue, whispered partly an 

 ejaculation, but mostly in reverential awe, 

 "Sangre de Cristo." 



And thus the range called "Blood of 

 Christ," or as the Spaniard called it, 

 "Sangre de Cristo," received a name 

 which has lived. This is in some meas- 

 ure due without doubt to the fact that 

 when atmospheric conditions are right 

 this blood red light floods the peaks, re- 

 calling the origin of the name. Almost 

 of a certainty the wonderous blood red 

 color will clothe these slopes several 

 times each season and if perchance at- 



THE GREATEST MOUNTAINS OF THE SAN ISABEL NATIONAL FOREST 



Often one returns to find a dream of scenic splendor dimmed through having seen many 

 things meanwhile but one comes back to the Sangre de Cristo and finds the same appeal. 



apparent distance remaining constant in spite of our 

 having traveled not less than ten miles since first sight- 

 ing their high pinnacles. Querida is a little mining 



SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE 



No range offers so many peaks to be scaled all within easy reach of 

 the broad valley floors which come to the foot of the single line of 

 peaks on either side. Nor can one find a range where the base of the 

 mountains hide so many pleasant camping and picnic spots in literally 

 hundreds of large and small canons. 



mospheric conditions remain the same for several days, 

 each morning within the time will witness the grandeur 

 of this coloring. 



But it was not our good fortune to witness this play 

 of freakish sun rays. Instead the line of peaks in front 

 of us stood in clear brilliant whiteness so far as the eye 

 could see to the north and to the south. Each looked 

 like some mammoth conical dish of ice cream lying just 

 beyond our reach. In truth, they were not less than 

 thirty miles, and possibly nearer fifty, from our car 

 when we sighted the whole range. 



Through the little mining village of Querida our car 

 sped, bearing us ever nearer the brilliant mountain range. 

 Ever the mountains seemed just a few miles away, their 



CRESTONE NEEDLES 



Here is the master feat for mountain climbers I So far as known, this 

 peak which is in the most rugged part of the backbone of the Cristos, 

 was never climbed until July 4, 1920, when a party of four, starting at 

 3 A. M., reached the tip of this pinnacle, 14,233 feet high, at 4.15 in the 

 afternoon. Three of the party were members of the Colorado Mountain 

 Club, and the fourth was a resident of the valley. All were skilled 

 and hardy climbers. 



