1t7i(l> BiU on i^i; ($iodiie 



tried to bring out was concerning the destruction 

 wrought by forest fires. Among other things I 

 said: " During the past few years in Colorado, for- 

 est fires, which ought never to have been started, 

 have destroyed many milHon dollars' worth of tim- 

 ber, and the area over which the fires have burned 

 aggregates twenty-five thousand square miles. 

 This area of forest would put on the equator an 

 evergreen-forest belt one mile wide that would 

 reach entirely around the world. Along with this 

 forest have perished many of the animals and thou- 

 sands of beautiful birds who had homes in it." 



I finally bade all good-bye, went on my way 

 rejoicing, and in due course arrived at Denver, 

 where a record of one of my longest winter ex- 

 cursions was written. 



In order to give an idea of one of my briefer 

 winter walks, I close this chapter with an ac- 

 count of a round-trip snowshoe journey from 

 Estes Park to Grand Lake, the most thrilling 

 and adventurous that has ever entertained me on 

 the trail. 



One February morning I set off alone on 

 snowshoes to cross the " range," for the purpose 



14 



