﻿314 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  facts 
  tend 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  enormous 
  and 
  almost 
  unlimited 
  power 
  that 
  may- 
  

   be 
  contained 
  in 
  a 
  stroke 
  of 
  lightning 
  in 
  these 
  high 
  regions. 
  While 
  on 
  

   the 
  summit 
  we 
  noticed 
  again 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  old 
  time 
  friends, 
  a 
  lone 
  grizzly, 
  

   traveling 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  peak, 
  some 
  hundred 
  feet 
  below 
  us. 
  

   In 
  his 
  travels 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  steep 
  slide, 
  part 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  occupied 
  by 
  a 
  

   snow-bank 
  about 
  40 
  yards 
  in 
  length. 
  The 
  bear 
  walked 
  out 
  upon 
  the 
  

   snow, 
  and 
  sitting 
  on 
  his 
  haunches, 
  slid 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  as 
  deliber- 
  

   ately 
  as 
  if 
  he 
  had 
  never 
  traveled 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  way 
  ; 
  then 
  proceeded 
  on 
  

   his 
  journey 
  across 
  the 
  rock-slides. 
  From 
  where 
  we 
  stood 
  we 
  could 
  see 
  

   distinctly 
  the 
  long 
  streak 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  snow-bank 
  after 
  he 
  had 
  passed. 
  

   Eeturning 
  to 
  camp, 
  we 
  were 
  still 
  harassed 
  by 
  rain 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  but 
  

   during 
  the 
  night 
  it 
  set 
  in 
  heavily 
  again. 
  The 
  morning 
  of 
  tbe 
  fourth 
  

   day 
  found 
  it 
  still 
  coming 
  down. 
  We 
  moved 
  camp 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  down- 
  

   stream, 
  and 
  then 
  rode 
  up 
  the 
  east 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  creek, 
  passing 
  through 
  

   fallen 
  timber 
  and 
  marshes, 
  till 
  we 
  at 
  last 
  came 
  out 
  upon 
  a 
  high, 
  

   bare 
  plateau. 
  In 
  the 
  forenoon 
  the 
  storm 
  abated, 
  and 
  we 
  traveled 
  

   along 
  quite 
  comfortably 
  till 
  nearing 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  peak, 
  where 
  

   we 
  had 
  to 
  leave 
  our 
  mules. 
  The 
  foot 
  climb 
  was 
  short, 
  but 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  top 
  rain 
  began 
  to 
  fall, 
  and 
  before 
  we 
  had 
  com- 
  

   menced 
  work 
  a 
  cloud 
  settled 
  over 
  the 
  peak 
  like 
  a 
  great 
  extinguisher, 
  

   and 
  we 
  could 
  nowhere 
  see 
  a 
  hundred 
  yards 
  before 
  us. 
  Eain 
  and 
  sleet 
  

   fell 
  steadily, 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  abandon 
  the 
  station. 
  On 
  our 
  

   return 
  the 
  heavy 
  west 
  wind 
  and 
  the 
  sleet 
  made 
  the 
  riding 
  very 
  uncom- 
  

   fortable, 
  both 
  for 
  us 
  and 
  for 
  our 
  animals. 
  At 
  a 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  

   probably 
  12,500 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  we 
  noticed 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  little 
  walls 
  

   of 
  loose 
  rock, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  used 
  as 
  rifle-pits 
  by 
  Indians 
  in 
  shooting 
  

   mountain-sheep 
  in 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  arrows. 
  The 
  plateau 
  was 
  very 
  bleak 
  

   and 
  cold, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  timber 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  tempera- 
  

   ture 
  quite 
  comfortable. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  made 
  station 
  30, 
  on 
  a 
  plateau 
  

   west 
  of 
  South 
  Eiver 
  Peak, 
  and 
  the 
  next 
  we 
  started 
  from 
  our 
  camp 
  on 
  

   the 
  Kio 
  Grande 
  to 
  ascend 
  another 
  larger 
  table-land 
  southward 
  from 
  Ante- 
  

   lope 
  Park. 
  This 
  plateau 
  is 
  very 
  uneven. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  portion 
  

   above 
  the 
  timber-line 
  is 
  several 
  miles 
  across, 
  while 
  in 
  others 
  it 
  narrows 
  

   to 
  a 
  mere 
  ridge, 
  but 
  it 
  continues 
  essentially 
  unbroken 
  from 
  station 
  3L 
  

   to 
  Weeminuche 
  Pass, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  over 
  10 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line. 
  In 
  

   some 
  places 
  side 
  branches 
  lead 
  off 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance. 
  On 
  our 
  

   return, 
  while 
  yet 
  far 
  above 
  the 
  timber-line, 
  Mr. 
  Wilson 
  shot 
  a 
  grizzly; 
  

   and 
  as 
  we 
  were 
  riding 
  along 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  meat 
  behind 
  our 
  saddles 
  

   we 
  saw 
  a 
  young 
  elk 
  trotting 
  toward 
  us 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  pla- 
  

   teau 
  and 
  closely 
  followed 
  by 
  three 
  grizzlies 
  in 
  single 
  file. 
  The 
  latter 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  be 
  perfectly 
  mad 
  with 
  the 
  excitement 
  of 
  the 
  chase, 
  while 
  none 
  

   of 
  them, 
  either 
  pursued 
  or 
  pursuers, 
  seemed 
  to 
  notice 
  our 
  two 
  mules, 
  

   although 
  we 
  were 
  in 
  open 
  sight, 
  with 
  no 
  obstructions 
  in 
  the 
  way. 
  I 
  

   shot 
  and 
  wounded 
  the 
  elk 
  as 
  it 
  came 
  within 
  range, 
  bi>t 
  the 
  bears 
  were 
  

   so 
  wild 
  with 
  excitement 
  that 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  hear 
  the 
  shot, 
  though 
  they 
  

   were 
  only 
  a 
  lew 
  hundred 
  yards 
  away. 
  They 
  followed, 
  one 
  behind 
  the 
  

   other, 
  and 
  each 
  would 
  rear 
  up 
  on 
  his 
  hind 
  legs 
  at 
  every 
  20 
  or 
  30 
  feet 
  

   distance 
  and 
  gaze 
  around 
  in 
  a 
  fierce, 
  excited 
  manner 
  over 
  the 
  low 
  wil- 
  

   lows, 
  then 
  would 
  drop 
  on 
  all 
  fours 
  and 
  snuff 
  along 
  the 
  trail. 
  As 
  they 
  

   rose 
  uy) 
  and 
  presented 
  their 
  black 
  fronts, 
  their 
  fierceness 
  and 
  power 
  

   was 
  much 
  more 
  manifest 
  than 
  when 
  they 
  trotted. 
  Had 
  they 
  run 
  straight 
  

   on 
  without 
  snuffing 
  the 
  trail, 
  they 
  could 
  have 
  caught 
  the 
  elk 
  in 
  a 
  min- 
  

   ute, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  tired 
  out 
  and 
  lost. 
  By 
  this 
  time 
  our 
  mules 
  were 
  getting 
  

   restless; 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  already 
  carrying 
  some 
  bear-meat 
  on 
  their 
  

   backs 
  under 
  protest, 
  we 
  feared 
  a 
  stampede, 
  so 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  anything 
  to 
  

   tie 
  them 
  to 
  we 
  tied 
  them 
  together, 
  and 
  tore 
  the 
  meat 
  otf 
  the 
  saddles. 
  

  

  