Waiting In The Wilderness 



CHAPTER I 



COASTING OFF THE ROOF OF THE WORLD 



A FOUR o'clock one clear, cold Febru- 

 ary morning I left my cabin with a pair 

 of bear-paw snowshoes under my arm, 

 a hatchet on my belt, kodak, field glass, ther- 

 mometer, a few pounds of raisins, and elkskin 

 sleeping bag. My cabin was on the eastern 

 slope of the Continental Divide at nine thousand 

 feet, and about twelve miles from the summit. 

 I was off to explore the winter summit of the 

 Divide, to see the snow and ice fields, frozen 

 lakes, and also to have a look at the winter 

 ways of the birds and animals that lived on the 

 top, from twelve to thirteen thousand feet above 

 sea level. Being alone I might hurry along and 

 make the other side by night or might go lei- 

 surely, stopping to watch animals or turning 

 aside for a look at anything that interested me. 



The first welcome delay came when a few 

 miles from my cabin. Eighteen mountain 



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