THE GLACIER OF MT. ARAPAHOE, COLORADO 



On the fourth day of August 1900, I was one of a party of 

 seven men who ascended Mt. Arapahoe. This mountain is the 

 highest of a small group of peaks on the Continental divide in 

 Colorado. It is situated about latitude 40 1 ' N. and longitude 

 105 38' W. 1 and has an elevation of 13,520 feet above sea level. 

 There are several peaks of nearly equal altitude in the group, 

 but they are so intimately connected that they form practically 

 one mountain. The group is locally known as "The Arapahoes." 

 The peaks, together with their spurs and connecting ridges, 

 nearly encircle a large enclosure in which the north branch of 

 Boulder Creek rises. In the southern part of this enclosure is a 

 well-defined cirque which is partitioned off by a spur extending 

 into the enclosure from the side of the highest peak. This spur 

 forms the north wall of the cirque. Its west and south walls 

 are formed by Arapahoe Peak proper and the peak next south, 

 together with their connecting ridge, which is but little lower 

 than the summit of the peaks. The east wall is formed by a 

 third peak, the summit of which is a few hundred feet lower 

 than the other two and joined to the peak on the south side by a 

 moderately high ridge. The cirque opens toward the north- 

 east by a constricted passage into Boulder Creek valley. 



The inner slopes of the cirque are precipitous on all sides. 

 In only a few places can they be climbed in safety. The 

 accompanying photograph, Fig. 1, taken from a high point 

 and looking downward, does not adequately represent the 

 degree of slope. The south wall is, in places, nearly vertical. 

 The naked cliffs rise something like 1000 feet in the clear. 

 But at the southwest and west sides the slopes are such that 

 great masses of snow and ice of unknown depth lie upon them, 

 reaching from the main mass at the bottom of the cirque, to 

 the top of the ridge. The largest of these arms is shown in 



1 Hayden's atlas of Colorado. 



647 



