﻿308 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  suggestive 
  one. 
  But 
  this 
  smoke 
  had 
  been 
  troublesome 
  to 
  us, 
  as 
  it 
  j 
  

   obscured 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  ail 
  distant 
  points, 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  even 
  the 
  near 
  

   objects 
  were 
  lost 
  to 
  sight. 
  We 
  were 
  daily 
  expecting 
  the 
  summer 
  rains 
  

   to 
  commence, 
  which 
  would 
  soon 
  extinguish 
  all 
  the 
  fires. 
  On 
  June 
  28 
  

   we 
  camped 
  at 
  the 
  mines, 
  and 
  although 
  it 
  was 
  considerably 
  below 
  timber 
  

   line, 
  we 
  found 
  some 
  snow 
  still 
  lying 
  about, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  fast 
  melting 
  away. 
  

   All 
  the 
  high 
  plateaus 
  west 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  us 
  were 
  covered 
  thick 
  with 
  

   snow-banks, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  nights 
  were 
  very 
  cold 
  ; 
  still 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  

   mosquitoes 
  so 
  numerous 
  that 
  we 
  could 
  scarcely 
  work 
  for 
  them; 
  they 
  

   were 
  everywhere 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  high 
  sharp 
  peaks, 
  

   where 
  there 
  was 
  wind 
  enough 
  to 
  blow 
  them 
  away. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  region 
  we 
  made 
  stations 
  17, 
  18. 
  and 
  19, 
  all 
  above 
  the 
  timber- 
  

   line. 
  The 
  latter 
  has 
  been 
  named 
  Summit 
  Peak. 
  Ou 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  points 
  

   we 
  were 
  troubled 
  by 
  electricity, 
  but 
  not 
  seriously. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  place 
  we 
  moved 
  northward 
  and 
  westward, 
  to 
  the 
  head- 
  

   waters 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Grande. 
  From 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  peaks 
  

   near 
  the 
  continental 
  divide 
  we 
  obtained 
  distant 
  views 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  

   Eiver. 
  After 
  following 
  the 
  divide 
  in 
  a 
  westerly 
  direction, 
  accompanied 
  

   by 
  the 
  pack-train, 
  we 
  turned 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  descended 
  into 
  the 
  caiion 
  of' 
  

   a 
  small 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Fork 
  and 
  made 
  camp. 
  During 
  our 
  high 
  

   ride 
  we 
  were 
  enabled 
  to 
  sue 
  the 
  courses 
  of 
  many 
  neighboring 
  streams. 
  

   To 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  southwest 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  abrupt 
  descent, 
  being 
  in 
  

   many 
  places 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  bluffs. 
  From 
  Summit 
  Peak 
  

   northward 
  and 
  westward 
  these 
  bluffs 
  -ittaiu 
  great 
  dimensions, 
  and 
  are 
  ^ 
  

   weathered 
  into 
  a 
  wonderful 
  variety 
  of 
  forms. 
  

  

  The 
  eastern 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Fork 
  run 
  through 
  rough 
  canons, 
  

   composed 
  of 
  steep 
  timbered 
  slopes, 
  extending 
  many 
  hundred 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  stream- 
  bed, 
  terminating 
  above 
  in 
  bluff's, 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  

   plateaus 
  contained 
  between 
  the 
  water 
  courses. 
  These 
  have 
  once 
  formed 
  

   a 
  continuous 
  flow 
  of 
  lava 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  thick 
  and 
  many 
  miles 
  in 
  

   area. 
  The 
  following 
  day 
  (July 
  1) 
  we 
  left 
  the 
  train 
  to 
  move 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  

   down 
  stream 
  while 
  we 
  climbed 
  again 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  divide, 
  this 
  time 
  a 
  little 
  

   farther 
  west 
  than 
  we 
  had 
  been 
  before. 
  On 
  our 
  way 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  great 
  

   deal 
  of 
  snow 
  still 
  remaining 
  in 
  the 
  ibrest 
  far 
  below 
  the 
  timber-line. 
  This 
  

   made 
  the 
  soil 
  very 
  miry 
  and 
  difficult 
  to 
  pass 
  over. 
  

  

  Making 
  stations 
  21 
  and 
  22, 
  near 
  the 
  divide, 
  we 
  started 
  for 
  camp, 
  and 
  

   found 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  Indian-trail 
  leading 
  nearly 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  we 
  wanted 
  

   to 
  go. 
  We 
  were 
  thus 
  enabled 
  to 
  avoid 
  much 
  thick 
  timber 
  and 
  many 
  

   swampy 
  places. 
  This 
  trail 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  direct 
  route 
  from 
  Del 
  Norte 
  to 
  

   the 
  Eio 
  San 
  Juan. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  traveled 
  over 
  it 
  it 
  was 
  good, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   probably 
  very 
  steep 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  pass, 
  as 
  the 
  mountains 
  fall 
  

   very 
  abruptly 
  to 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan. 
  We 
  found 
  camp 
  located 
  

   near 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  two 
  creeks, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  had 
  camped 
  on 
  the 
  

   night 
  previous, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  came 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  southwest. 
  Near 
  their 
  

   junction 
  both 
  streams 
  cut 
  deep, 
  narrow 
  channels 
  through 
  the 
  rocks. 
  

   The 
  bed 
  is 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  very 
  narrow 
  and 
  the 
  current 
  very 
  swift. 
  The 
  

   main 
  stream 
  retains 
  this 
  characteristic 
  for 
  many 
  miles 
  of 
  its 
  course. 
  

   The 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  traveled 
  down-stream. 
  Here 
  and 
  there 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  

   remains 
  of 
  an 
  extinct 
  Indian-trail, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  too 
  dim 
  to 
  be 
  followed. 
  

   It 
  is 
  even 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  there 
  ever 
  was 
  any 
  Indian 
  travel 
  up 
  and 
  

   down 
  the 
  Ciiiion. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  Indians 
  reached 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  

   the 
  stream 
  from 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  and 
  Del 
  Norte 
  sides, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  

   old 
  trail 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  hunting 
  only. 
  Except 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  

   breaks, 
  the 
  box 
  caiion 
  was 
  very 
  continuous, 
  and 
  we 
  had 
  to 
  travel 
  along 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  near 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  the 
  precipice. 
  

  

  Wishing 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  station 
  on 
  a 
  high 
  bare 
  plateau 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  stream, 
  

  

  