﻿BHCDA.] 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  305 
  

  

  precipices, 
  but 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  contained 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  of 
  snow. 
  

  

  Passing 
  from 
  the 
  secondary 
  peak 
  toward 
  the 
  main 
  summit, 
  there 
  was 
  

   a 
  fall 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  sharp 
  ridge, 
  which 
  continued 
  for 
  

   some 
  distance 
  very 
  irregular 
  but 
  approximately 
  level, 
  after 
  which 
  it 
  be- 
  

   gan 
  to 
  rise 
  gradually. 
  But 
  in 
  the 
  details 
  it 
  was 
  so 
  uneven 
  that 
  we 
  were 
  

   continually 
  going 
  up 
  and 
  going 
  down 
  without 
  any 
  level 
  parts 
  or 
  regu- 
  

   lar 
  slopes. 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  the 
  ridge 
  was 
  bordered 
  by 
  great 
  precipices 
  

   many 
  hundreds 
  of 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  ending 
  below 
  in 
  rock 
  slides, 
  secondary 
  

   precipices, 
  or 
  banks 
  of 
  snow. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  bluff 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   nearly 
  a 
  thousand 
  feet 
  down 
  and 
  nearly 
  vertical. 
  On 
  the 
  west 
  the 
  slope 
  

   was 
  gentler, 
  but 
  still 
  so 
  steep 
  that, 
  excepting 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  places, 
  a 
  slip 
  of 
  the 
  

   foot 
  would 
  send 
  a 
  chill 
  through 
  you, 
  and 
  a 
  fall 
  meant 
  utter 
  destruction. 
  

  

  These 
  facts 
  gave 
  us 
  little 
  opportunity 
  to 
  choose 
  our 
  way, 
  but 
  we 
  were 
  

   forced 
  for 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  to 
  walk 
  erect 
  along 
  the 
  nar- 
  

   row 
  crest, 
  which 
  generally 
  consisted 
  of 
  blocks 
  of 
  stone 
  set 
  edgewise 
  

   and 
  cracked 
  through 
  and 
  through. 
  Almost 
  all 
  mountain-ridges 
  are 
  very 
  

   narrow 
  in 
  some 
  places, 
  but 
  in 
  others 
  widen 
  out 
  considerably', 
  but 
  this 
  

   was 
  all 
  narrow. 
  As 
  we 
  neared 
  the 
  peak 
  the 
  grade 
  visibly 
  increased, 
  and 
  

   when 
  we 
  got 
  within 
  a 
  horizontal 
  distance 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  

   summit 
  we 
  were 
  confronted 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  steep 
  slope 
  of 
  cubical 
  blocks 
  of 
  

   a 
  very 
  black 
  kind 
  of 
  rock. 
  Up 
  this 
  rise 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  feet 
  we 
  

   climbed 
  with 
  great 
  ditficulty, 
  and 
  at 
  last 
  reached 
  the 
  summit 
  at 
  just 
  five 
  

   minutes 
  before 
  12 
  o'clock, 
  having 
  been 
  six 
  hours 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  from 
  camp. 
  

   In 
  that 
  time 
  we 
  had 
  traveled 
  more 
  than 
  ten 
  miles 
  horizontally 
  and 
  

   6,400 
  feet 
  vertically. 
  From 
  the 
  summit 
  the 
  view 
  was 
  very 
  extensive. 
  

   A 
  long 
  range 
  of 
  high 
  peaks 
  appeared, 
  extending 
  southward 
  from 
  Sangre 
  

   de 
  Cristo 
  Pass 
  far 
  into 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  till 
  they 
  were 
  lost 
  below 
  the 
  horizon. 
  

   The 
  whole 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley 
  was 
  laid 
  out 
  beneath 
  

   us, 
  with 
  its 
  many 
  little 
  plateau-peaks 
  massed 
  together 
  near 
  the 
  Eio 
  

   Grande, 
  while 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  its 
  lower 
  end 
  two 
  great 
  volcanic 
  domes 
  of 
  

   very 
  oval 
  profile 
  stood 
  nearly 
  opposite 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  valley. 
  In 
  

   the 
  far 
  west 
  the 
  main 
  range 
  was 
  clearly 
  visible, 
  with 
  its 
  high 
  plateaus 
  

   covered 
  with 
  masses 
  of 
  snow. 
  From 
  one 
  point 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  

   Alamosa, 
  great 
  volumes 
  of 
  smoke 
  issued 
  forth 
  and 
  extended 
  in 
  a 
  low 
  

   streak 
  eastward 
  across 
  the 
  valley, 
  and 
  at 
  certain 
  times 
  in 
  the 
  day 
  

   reached 
  beyond 
  Fort 
  Garland, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  70 
  miles. 
  We 
  afterward 
  

   lound 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  fire 
  in 
  the 
  Alamosa 
  Caiion, 
  near 
  the 
  Sum- 
  

   mit 
  mining-district. 
  The 
  Eio 
  Grande 
  had 
  overflowed 
  its 
  banks 
  during 
  

   the 
  spring 
  thaw, 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  still 
  covered 
  many 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  level 
  val- 
  

   ley. 
  The 
  valley 
  itself 
  spread 
  out, 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  nearly 
  4,000 
  square 
  miles, 
  

   apparently 
  as 
  level 
  as 
  the 
  ocean, 
  but 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  it 
  appeared 
  quite 
  as 
  

   much 
  like 
  a 
  desert 
  as 
  any 
  to 
  be 
  fonnd 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  time 
  we 
  may 
  survej' 
  the 
  horizon 
  and 
  wonder 
  what 
  further 
  mys- 
  

   teries 
  dame 
  Nature 
  has 
  hidden 
  beneath 
  the 
  veil, 
  but 
  we 
  cannot 
  do 
  so 
  

   long, 
  for 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  grand 
  and 
  rugged 
  scenery 
  which 
  in 
  these 
  mountfiins 
  

   has 
  been 
  presented 
  to 
  our 
  eyes, 
  nothing 
  can 
  surpass, 
  either 
  in 
  rugged- 
  

   ness 
  or 
  in 
  grandeur, 
  the 
  little 
  piece 
  of 
  country 
  immediately 
  about 
  us. 
  If 
  

   we 
  seek 
  for 
  grandeur, 
  where 
  can 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  more 
  precipitous 
  

   descent 
  than 
  the 
  north 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  peak, 
  where 
  a 
  stone 
  thrown 
  out 
  into 
  

   space 
  will 
  fall 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  without 
  striking 
  ? 
  The 
  great 
  precipice 
  of 
  

   Uncompahgre 
  Mountain 
  is 
  more 
  imposing, 
  because 
  it 
  stands 
  above 
  all 
  

   its 
  surroundings, 
  but 
  its 
  height 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  thousand 
  feet. 
  If 
  we 
  look 
  for 
  

   grandeur 
  in 
  mountain 
  form, 
  what 
  is 
  more 
  grand 
  than 
  the 
  great 
  mount- 
  

   ain 
  under 
  our 
  feet 
  1 
  Nor 
  are 
  snow 
  and 
  frozen 
  lakes 
  at 
  all 
  wanting 
  to 
  

   20 
  G 
  is 
  

  

  