﻿EHODA. 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  315 
  

  

  We 
  now 
  took 
  a 
  long-range 
  shot 
  at 
  the 
  bears 
  ; 
  whether 
  we 
  hit 
  them 
  or 
  

   not, 
  they 
  appeared 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  to 
  see 
  us, 
  and, 
  taking 
  the 
  back 
  track, 
  

   quickly 
  disappeared 
  over 
  the 
  ridge 
  whence 
  they 
  came. 
  In 
  the 
  strife 
  the 
  

   wounded 
  elk 
  limped 
  away, 
  aud 
  getting 
  down 
  ofi 
  the 
  plateau 
  disappeared 
  

   in 
  the 
  timber. 
  The 
  bears 
  had 
  probably 
  made 
  a 
  dash 
  upon 
  the 
  band 
  of 
  

   elk 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  forest, 
  and, 
  separating 
  them, 
  had 
  followed 
  the 
  call", 
  aud 
  

   doubtless 
  would 
  have 
  caught 
  it 
  had 
  we 
  not 
  come 
  along 
  when 
  we 
  did. 
  

   Keturning 
  to 
  camp, 
  we 
  crossed 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  the 
  following 
  day, 
  July 
  

   13, 
  and 
  making 
  station 
  33 
  on 
  a 
  bluff 
  near 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  station 
  34 
  on 
  a 
  

   point 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  edge 
  of 
  Antelope 
  Park. 
  At 
  this 
  latter 
  place 
  we 
  

   found 
  quartzite 
  bowlders 
  that 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  grouj) 
  

   of 
  peaks 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Grande. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  marched 
  

   up 
  the 
  river 
  along 
  the 
  trail 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  mines, 
  and 
  striking 
  

   the 
  Ute 
  trail 
  from 
  Los 
  Pinos 
  we 
  turned 
  southward 
  and 
  followed 
  it 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  summit 
  of 
  Weemiuuche 
  Pass, 
  where 
  we 
  camped. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  

   pass 
  through 
  the 
  range 
  between 
  the 
  -Rio 
  Grande 
  aud 
  the 
  San 
  Juan. 
  It 
  

   is 
  broad 
  and 
  even 
  through 
  nearly 
  its 
  whole 
  extent, 
  but 
  the 
  ascent 
  from 
  

   the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  and 
  the 
  descent 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Piedra 
  are 
  very 
  ab- 
  

   rupt. 
  It 
  is 
  scarcely 
  possible 
  to 
  ride 
  an 
  animal 
  up 
  either 
  ; 
  but, 
  for 
  a 
  pass 
  

   in 
  these 
  mountains, 
  it 
  is 
  remarkably 
  free 
  from 
  dangerous 
  places 
  and 
  from 
  

   bogs. 
  Gn 
  July 
  15 
  we 
  ascended 
  the 
  range 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  pass. 
  On 
  the 
  high 
  

   plateau, 
  about 
  12,500 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level, 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  ptarmigan's 
  nest, 
  

   with 
  four 
  eggs, 
  built 
  on 
  the 
  level 
  ground. 
  I 
  believe 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  spec- 
  

   imen 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  found, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  carefully 
  preserved 
  for 
  the 
  Smithso- 
  

   nian 
  Institution. 
  These 
  birds 
  are 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  in 
  all 
  

   places 
  above 
  the 
  timber-line. 
  They 
  are 
  a 
  little 
  larger 
  than 
  quails, 
  and 
  

   in 
  winter 
  are 
  as 
  white 
  as 
  the 
  snow 
  about 
  them 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  summer, 
  as 
  the 
  

   snow 
  melts 
  away, 
  they 
  take 
  on 
  a 
  grayish 
  color, 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  white 
  

   feathers 
  on 
  the 
  wings. 
  From 
  this 
  region 
  we 
  had 
  a 
  fine 
  view 
  of 
  Rio 
  

   Grande 
  Pyramid 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  peaks 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  1874. 
  Leaving 
  

   this 
  region, 
  we 
  traveled 
  southward 
  along 
  the 
  trail. 
  For 
  some 
  distance 
  

   it 
  follows 
  down 
  the 
  Rio 
  de 
  Los 
  Pinos, 
  and 
  then 
  turns 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  through 
  a 
  

   curious 
  narrow 
  gateway 
  in 
  the 
  granite 
  that 
  here 
  makes 
  its 
  appearance. 
  

   The 
  bed 
  of 
  this 
  gap 
  is 
  so 
  low 
  that 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  

   the 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  pass 
  flowed 
  into 
  the 
  Piedra 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  Pinos. 
  

   From 
  here 
  the 
  trail 
  follows 
  the 
  Piedra, 
  being 
  very 
  steep 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  

   miles. 
  As 
  we 
  rode 
  down 
  this 
  south 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  we 
  noticed 
  that 
  

   the 
  trees 
  and 
  small 
  plants 
  all 
  increased 
  in 
  luxuriance. 
  For 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  way 
  the 
  weeds 
  bordered 
  the 
  trail 
  very 
  thickly, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  

   were 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  high. 
  Flowering-plants 
  of 
  many 
  kinds 
  grew 
  in 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  abundance, 
  while 
  the 
  quaking 
  asp 
  trees 
  and 
  pines, 
  by 
  their 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  size 
  and 
  richness 
  of 
  foliage, 
  testified 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  climate 
  

   aud 
  soil. 
  As 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  valley 
  below, 
  we 
  found 
  great 
  meadows 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  rich 
  growth 
  of 
  grass 
  aud 
  flowers, 
  and 
  very 
  unlike 
  any 
  of 
  

   the 
  country 
  through 
  which 
  we 
  had 
  been 
  traveling. 
  

  

  The 
  range 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  eastward 
  is 
  remarkable 
  for 
  its 
  abruptness, 
  

   aud 
  the 
  result 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  many 
  little 
  valleys 
  along 
  the 
  water-courses 
  

   reach 
  up 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  mountains 
  without 
  attaining 
  an 
  elevation 
  too 
  great 
  

   for 
  rich 
  vegetation. 
  The 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  trail 
  

   passes 
  has 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  about 
  8,000 
  feet. 
  Station 
  36 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  a 
  

   low 
  peak 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  range. 
  From 
  here 
  a 
  good 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  peaks 
  

   north 
  was 
  obtained, 
  with 
  their 
  preci[)itous 
  fronts 
  facing 
  the 
  south. 
  

   These 
  walls 
  pi^esented 
  a 
  degree 
  of 
  beauty 
  rarely 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  bluff 
  

   faces 
  bare 
  of 
  timber. 
  The 
  horizontal 
  lining 
  and 
  the 
  pectiliiar 
  weather- 
  

   ing 
  conspired 
  to 
  make 
  these 
  quite 
  picturesque. 
  In 
  height 
  they 
  ranged 
  

   from 
  2,000 
  to 
  3,000 
  feet, 
  but 
  the 
  variety 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  projecting 
  

  

  