84 THE ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE 



doing this, as I lay flat on my face, I was caught 

 by a rush of wind. It lifted me a foot or two, then 

 jammed me back. After repeating this, it pitched 

 me headlong! 



The wind swept out of the west and came in 

 contact with the Divide at right angles. On 

 the east the wind blew everywhere; but strangely 

 enough on the western side it struck the moun- 

 tains from eleven thousand feet upward, be- 

 low this was perfect calm. By watching the 

 whirling snow and other wind-blown materials, I 

 judged this wind current to be about two thousand 

 feet thick. Above, approximately thirteen thou- 

 sand feet, was an air current moving in nearly the 

 opposite direction. In crossing the Divide this 

 wind that was blowing high above the earth on 

 the west side closely raked the earth on the eastern 

 side. From points near the top of the Peak I 

 looked out over my home to the east. Two thou- 

 sand feet above it the air was comparatively free 

 from dust. To the east I saw a number of birds 

 flying high and plainly in a calm stratum of air. 



As I continued upward above thirteen thousand 

 feet, the wind gushed and stormed through the 

 narrow openings between pinnacles and around 

 the large rocks in debris piles. I crawled through 

 a number of these openings. There are rapids in 

 rivers and rapids in air streams. Running a river 

 rapid in a boat is exhilarating. Crawling through 

 a wind rapid is even more intense. It lacks most 



