﻿BHODA.] 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  323 
  

  

  Chama 
  was 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  divide, 
  and 
  by 
  following 
  it 
  make 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  sta- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  we 
  found 
  our- 
  

   selves 
  surrounded 
  by 
  walls, 
  while 
  the 
  only 
  way 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  plateau 
  

   above 
  was 
  a 
  narrow 
  crevasse 
  filled 
  with 
  loose 
  rock 
  and 
  soil. 
  Here 
  the 
  

   slope 
  was 
  very 
  great, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  running 
  through 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   the 
  gap 
  left 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  to 
  walk 
  on. 
  As 
  the 
  height 
  was 
  

   many 
  hundred 
  feet, 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  difficult 
  matter 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  pack-train 
  up. 
  

   On 
  reaching 
  the 
  summit, 
  we 
  found 
  ourselves 
  in 
  a 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  ridge 
  

   which 
  was 
  grown 
  over 
  with 
  spruce, 
  but 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  very 
  marshy, 
  and 
  

   great 
  numbers 
  of 
  ponds 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  everywhere. 
  After 
  camping 
  here, 
  

   at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  over 
  11,000 
  feet, 
  we 
  traveled 
  northward 
  with 
  the 
  traiu. 
  

   We 
  soon 
  came 
  out 
  upon 
  a 
  high 
  plateau 
  considerably 
  above 
  the 
  timber-line. 
  

   Many 
  snow-banks 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  , 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  day-time 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  very 
  

   pleasant. 
  The 
  land 
  above 
  the 
  timber-line 
  varied 
  in 
  width 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  

   two 
  miles 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity. 
  In 
  making 
  station 
  84, 
  near 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   plateau, 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  large 
  grizzly 
  pass 
  from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  to 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   slope, 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  out 
  of 
  gunshot. 
  We 
  found 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  ascending 
  the 
  

   peaks 
  from 
  the 
  plateau 
  much 
  easier 
  than 
  from 
  the 
  plains, 
  for 
  here 
  we 
  

   could 
  camp 
  nearly 
  up 
  to 
  12,000 
  feet 
  elevation, 
  which 
  gave 
  us 
  a 
  good 
  start. 
  

   From 
  station 
  85, 
  a 
  point 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  we 
  had 
  a 
  fiue 
  

   view 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  Kavajo. 
  The 
  main 
  canon 
  and 
  its 
  

   branches 
  are 
  deeper 
  and 
  more 
  rugged 
  than 
  any 
  others 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   range. 
  In 
  going 
  to 
  this 
  peak 
  we 
  passed 
  a 
  little 
  piece 
  of 
  timbered 
  land 
  

   at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Chama, 
  in 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  lake. 
  On 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  

   this 
  little 
  park 
  was 
  bordered 
  by 
  a 
  precipice 
  hundreds 
  of 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  

   over 
  which 
  the 
  little 
  streams 
  fell 
  in 
  cascades 
  to 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Chama 
  

   below. 
  On 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  and 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  side, 
  low 
  but 
  im- 
  

   passable 
  bluffs 
  hemmed 
  it 
  round. 
  The 
  only 
  entrance 
  was 
  a 
  narrow 
  gap 
  

   at 
  the 
  northeast 
  corner, 
  and 
  that 
  was 
  only 
  just 
  passable. 
  A 
  well-beaten 
  

   trail 
  led 
  from 
  the 
  high 
  plateau 
  down 
  through 
  this 
  gap 
  into 
  the 
  park. 
  This 
  

   was 
  probably 
  made 
  by 
  wild 
  game, 
  elk, 
  bear, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  sheep. 
  The 
  area 
  

   of 
  the 
  park 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  square 
  mile, 
  and 
  was 
  well 
  sup- 
  

   plied 
  with 
  grass 
  and 
  water. 
  Having 
  their 
  only 
  possible 
  entrance 
  from 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  i^lateau 
  above 
  the 
  snow-line, 
  the 
  game 
  could 
  resort 
  

   to 
  this 
  covert 
  in 
  summer 
  with 
  comparative 
  safety, 
  especially 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  

   seen 
  how 
  difficult 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  ascent 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  plateau. 
  

  

  Continuing 
  our 
  march 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  and 
  following 
  the 
  general 
  course 
  

   of 
  the 
  continental 
  divide, 
  we 
  camped 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  middle 
  branch 
  

   of 
  the 
  Conejos. 
  Here 
  we 
  noticed 
  many 
  fresh 
  tracks 
  of 
  elks, 
  but 
  saw 
  

   none 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  themselves. 
  The 
  next 
  day, 
  August 
  22, 
  we 
  ascended 
  

   Conejos 
  Peak 
  to 
  the 
  northeast 
  to 
  make 
  station 
  86. 
  This 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   good 
  station, 
  and, 
  the 
  ascent 
  being 
  easy, 
  we 
  had 
  plenty 
  of 
  time 
  for 
  work. 
  

   From 
  this 
  peak 
  we 
  had 
  a 
  fine 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  canons 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  streams 
  

   which 
  form 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Conejos. 
  Many 
  facts^ 
  tend 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  

   these 
  have 
  been 
  cut 
  by 
  glacial 
  agency. 
  The 
  general 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  

   streams 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  peculiarly 
  regular 
  and 
  sweeping 
  curves, 
  very 
  

   unlike 
  those 
  produced 
  by 
  erosion 
  of 
  water 
  alone. 
  From 
  the 
  peak 
  this 
  

   feature 
  appears 
  very 
  prominent. 
  The 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  caiions 
  still 
  fur- 
  

   ther 
  bear 
  out 
  the 
  theory. 
  The 
  cross-section 
  is 
  very 
  regular 
  and 
  not 
  sub- 
  

   ject 
  to 
  those 
  abrupt 
  changes 
  so 
  common 
  in 
  most 
  caiions. 
  The 
  walls 
  

   are 
  nearly 
  vertical 
  for 
  hundreds 
  of 
  feet, 
  with 
  a 
  narrow 
  valley 
  along 
  the 
  

   bed 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  caiion 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  

   branch, 
  near 
  the 
  pass 
  by 
  which 
  we 
  came 
  upon 
  the 
  plateau, 
  is 
  700 
  feet, 
  

   but 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  stream 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  1,000 
  feet. 
  At 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  

   this 
  fork, 
  on 
  the 
  plateau, 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  polished 
  surfaces 
  of 
  

  

  