54 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. /O 



vicinity. Chasm Lake lies at the foot of the east face of Long's Peak, 

 which rises above it, a sheer precipice of over 2,000 feet. A beautiful 

 and well-marked lateral moraine leads away to the east of the lake. 

 On the morning- of the second day the ascent of the peak was com- 

 menced and the summit was reached about noon. Fortunately the 

 weather was clear and the whole surrounding" country lay in plain 

 view for many miles, even Pike's Peak being- distinguishable, nearly 

 100 miles to the south. 



The timber-line is at approximately 11,000 feet. In this vicinity 

 the trees are stunted by the force of the winds and can develop only 



.jm^- 



LiG. Oo. — A heavy rock near Chasm Lake, probabl}- transported b}- gkicial 

 action and left supported by four small stones. 



in the lee of rocks and hillocks. It is not uncommon to find a dense 

 growth of pine or s])ruce reaching up to the level of a protecting 

 ledge, but prevented l)y the force of the wind from extending above 

 this level. 



The forest on the slopes of the mountain consists mainlv of four 

 species, the aspen, the Englemann spruce, and two kinds of pine. The 

 aspen {Popnhts trciiiitloidcs) is a deciduous tree with smooth light 

 green or nearly white bark, found up to about 10,000 feet. The 

 Engelmann spruce (Picca cngcUnanni) , a beautiful conifer with a 

 tapering top, is common over all the upper stretches of the moun- 

 tains. The lodgcpole jjine (Finns contoria) is the common pine 



