﻿306 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  M 
  

  

  give 
  luster 
  or 
  add 
  sublimity 
  to 
  the 
  scene 
  which 
  the 
  God 
  of 
  nature 
  has 
  

   laid 
  before 
  us. 
  

  

  Not 
  less 
  than 
  six 
  great 
  peaks 
  are 
  arranged 
  about 
  us 
  as 
  a 
  center, 
  yet 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  confusion. 
  At 
  least 
  three 
  are 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  main 
  one 
  

   by 
  ridges 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  one 
  by 
  which 
  we 
  came 
  up. 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  

   Old 
  Baldy, 
  with 
  its 
  bare 
  conical 
  summit, 
  the 
  most 
  distinct 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   subordinate 
  peaks, 
  connects 
  across 
  to 
  our 
  present 
  position 
  through 
  a 
  

   much 
  lower 
  gap 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  others, 
  but 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  between 
  

   the 
  gap 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  peak 
  the 
  grade 
  is 
  almost 
  precipitous. 
  From 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  subpeaks 
  secondary 
  ridges 
  lead 
  to 
  other 
  peaks 
  beyond. 
  One 
  mile 
  

   to 
  the 
  southwest 
  of 
  us 
  is 
  the 
  highest 
  of 
  the 
  secondary 
  peaks. 
  It 
  is 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  main 
  summit 
  by 
  a 
  ridge 
  as 
  high 
  or 
  higher 
  than 
  that 
  

   we 
  have 
  already 
  described, 
  but 
  so 
  rough 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  perfectly 
  impassable 
  

   to 
  man. 
  The 
  east 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  is 
  one 
  immense 
  wall 
  of 
  rock, 
  more 
  

   than 
  a 
  thousand 
  feet 
  high, 
  so 
  steep 
  and 
  rugged 
  that 
  snow 
  can 
  nowhere 
  

   find 
  a 
  resting-place 
  till 
  it 
  reaches 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  amphitheater. 
  To 
  

   the 
  southwest 
  a 
  ridge 
  leads 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  peak 
  to 
  the 
  timber, 
  but 
  this 
  

   is 
  apparently 
  inaccessible 
  also. 
  

  

  Northwest 
  of 
  us 
  are 
  several 
  peaks 
  quite 
  as 
  high 
  and 
  rugged 
  as 
  their 
  

   neighbors, 
  having 
  a 
  scraggy 
  ridge 
  connecting 
  with 
  the 
  main 
  peak 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  other 
  cases. 
  Among 
  the 
  quartzite 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  

   Eange 
  we 
  had 
  seen 
  peaks, 
  quite 
  as 
  rugged 
  as 
  these 
  and 
  nearly 
  as 
  high, 
  

   massed 
  together 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  but 
  the 
  one 
  thing 
  lacking 
  was 
  unity. 
  

   They 
  were 
  indeed 
  giants, 
  but 
  lacking 
  the 
  subordination 
  of 
  the 
  parts 
  to 
  

   a 
  distinct 
  head 
  ; 
  we 
  saw 
  nothing 
  but 
  confusion. 
  The 
  Sierra 
  Blanca, 
  on 
  

   the 
  contrary, 
  is 
  a 
  family 
  of 
  giants, 
  and 
  when 
  you 
  stand 
  on 
  the 
  center 
  

   peak 
  you 
  can 
  look 
  over 
  all 
  the 
  others. 
  All 
  the 
  secondary 
  peaks 
  are 
  dis- 
  

   tinctly 
  subordinate 
  to 
  this 
  primary 
  one. 
  The 
  highest 
  of 
  the 
  others 
  is 
  

   several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  below 
  it. 
  When 
  we 
  first 
  set 
  foot 
  on 
  the 
  summit 
  

   we 
  were 
  struck 
  by 
  this 
  fact, 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  beautiful 
  subordination 
  of 
  parts 
  

   we 
  had 
  not 
  before 
  seen 
  anywhere 
  among 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  Colorado. 
  

   Southeast 
  of 
  us 
  lay 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  amphitheaters, 
  which 
  was 
  almost 
  

   covered 
  with 
  snow 
  and 
  ice, 
  while 
  many 
  little 
  frozen 
  lakes 
  extended 
  to 
  a 
  

   level 
  more 
  than 
  2,000 
  feet 
  below 
  us, 
  notwithstanding 
  this 
  was 
  a 
  clear 
  and 
  

   beautiful 
  day 
  on 
  the 
  19th 
  of 
  June, 
  and 
  high 
  up 
  above 
  where 
  we 
  stood 
  the 
  

   sun 
  seemed 
  to 
  give 
  out 
  a 
  fair 
  modicum 
  of 
  heat. 
  The 
  steep, 
  rocky 
  wall 
  on 
  

   the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  cavity 
  was 
  marked 
  with 
  many 
  long 
  and 
  curious 
  

   streaks 
  of 
  snow, 
  which, 
  accommodating 
  themselves 
  to 
  rough 
  ledges 
  and 
  

   crevasses 
  of 
  the 
  rock, 
  formed 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  figures, 
  yet 
  all 
  reaching 
  like 
  

   fingers 
  down 
  toward 
  the 
  frozen 
  lakes 
  and 
  fields 
  of 
  snow 
  in 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  the 
  basin. 
  So 
  high 
  above 
  them 
  rose 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  rock 
  that 
  the 
  lakes 
  

   were 
  nearly 
  all 
  day 
  in 
  the 
  shadow. 
  

  

  The 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  was 
  a 
  model 
  one, 
  about 
  10 
  feet 
  in 
  width, 
  

   and 
  covered 
  with 
  finely-broken 
  rock 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  hard, 
  dark 
  variety. 
  The 
  

   only 
  relics 
  of 
  former 
  visitants 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  curious 
  circular 
  excavation 
  

   6 
  to 
  8 
  feet 
  across, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  wall 
  of 
  loose 
  rock 
  1 
  to 
  2 
  feet 
  high, 
  

   which 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  an 
  Indian 
  ; 
  but 
  how 
  an 
  Indian 
  could 
  

   have 
  climbed 
  up 
  there 
  I 
  cannot 
  imagine. 
  But 
  why 
  he 
  did 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  less 
  

   explicable. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  useless 
  as 
  a 
  lookout, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  7,000 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  base 
  and 
  nearly 
  10 
  miles 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  val- 
  

   ley. 
  It 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  hunting 
  game, 
  since, 
  with 
  the 
  excep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  rock-dog, 
  we 
  saw 
  no 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  either 
  sheep 
  or 
  bear 
  

   had 
  ever 
  visited 
  the 
  place. 
  The 
  latter 
  animal 
  often 
  scratches 
  a 
  bed 
  in 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  on 
  the 
  high 
  peaks, 
  but 
  the 
  excavation 
  here 
  was 
  too 
  large 
  and 
  reg- 
  

   ular 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  his 
  work. 
  In 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  circle 
  was 
  a 
  well-built 
  

   monument 
  of 
  loose 
  stones 
  about 
  o 
  feet 
  high, 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  printed 
  

  

  