﻿324 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  rock, 
  with 
  occasional 
  scratches, 
  showing 
  that 
  a 
  glacier 
  once 
  passed 
  over 
  

   the 
  precipice 
  into 
  the 
  amphitheater 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  caiion. 
  

  

  Eastward 
  from 
  station 
  86 
  the 
  slope 
  was 
  quite 
  steep 
  for 
  some 
  distance 
  

   down 
  to 
  a 
  super- 
  timber-line 
  plateau, 
  which 
  extended 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  bend 
  of 
  

   the 
  Conejos. 
  Between 
  the 
  southern 
  and 
  middle 
  forks 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  

   there 
  lay 
  a 
  table 
  of 
  about 
  20 
  square 
  miles 
  in 
  extent, 
  mostly 
  covered 
  with 
  

   timber, 
  that 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  completely 
  isolated 
  from 
  the 
  main-land. 
  

   Along 
  a 
  circumference 
  of 
  about 
  20 
  miles 
  it 
  was 
  bordered 
  by 
  an 
  impassa- 
  

   ble 
  precipice, 
  extending 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  stream-beds. 
  On 
  the 
  west, 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  isthmus, 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  width, 
  connected 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  high 
  plateau. 
  

   After 
  we 
  had 
  nearly 
  finished 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  peak, 
  there 
  came 
  uf> 
  a 
  snow 
  

   and 
  hail 
  storm, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  electricity. 
  The 
  storm 
  was 
  of 
  short 
  

   duration, 
  but 
  left 
  the 
  rocks 
  white 
  with 
  snow. 
  

  

  During 
  our 
  stay 
  on 
  the 
  summit, 
  in 
  the 
  intervals 
  of 
  work, 
  we 
  killed 
  

   two 
  grizzlies, 
  took 
  long-range 
  shots 
  at 
  a 
  third, 
  and 
  just 
  missed 
  get- 
  

   ting 
  a 
  shot 
  at 
  a 
  fourth. 
  These 
  bears 
  live 
  on 
  grass 
  and 
  roots, 
  and 
  

   come 
  up 
  regularly 
  to 
  wander 
  over 
  the 
  plateaus 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food. 
  

   "What 
  may 
  be 
  their 
  object 
  in 
  climbing 
  up 
  to 
  these 
  high 
  regions 
  I 
  cannot 
  

   say. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  the 
  cold, 
  clear 
  air 
  has 
  some 
  attraction 
  for 
  them, 
  

   although 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  canons 
  are 
  already 
  so 
  elevated 
  that 
  the 
  

   weather 
  is 
  always 
  cool. 
  

  

  Eeturning 
  by 
  the 
  trail 
  we 
  came 
  over 
  the 
  plateau, 
  we 
  again 
  camped 
  

   in 
  the 
  pass, 
  where 
  we 
  were 
  visited 
  during 
  the 
  night 
  by 
  a 
  heavy 
  rain- 
  

   storm. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  ascended 
  the 
  plateau 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  pass, 
  and 
  

   found 
  a 
  level 
  area 
  of 
  many 
  square 
  miles, 
  all 
  above 
  12,000 
  feet 
  elevation. 
  

   The 
  storm 
  continued, 
  and 
  the 
  clouds 
  reached 
  far 
  below 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  

   the 
  plateau, 
  but 
  by 
  dint 
  of 
  patient 
  watching 
  and 
  waiting 
  we 
  were 
  able 
  

   to 
  make 
  a 
  partial 
  station 
  (88) 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  brink 
  of 
  the 
  table. 
  De- 
  

   scending 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Kio 
  de 
  los 
  Pinos, 
  we 
  camped 
  near 
  the 
  tim- 
  

   ber-line. 
  The 
  storm 
  continued 
  all 
  night, 
  and 
  the 
  camp, 
  being 
  high, 
  was 
  

   surrounded 
  by 
  bogs 
  and 
  marshes, 
  making 
  it 
  doubly 
  disagreeable. 
  One 
  

   who 
  has 
  only 
  experienced 
  the 
  storms 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  levels 
  cannot 
  appre- 
  

   ciate 
  the 
  feelings 
  of 
  a 
  person 
  caught 
  in 
  a 
  storm 
  of 
  several 
  days' 
  dura- 
  

   tion 
  at 
  the 
  timber-line. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  certain 
  dreary 
  sensation 
  connected 
  

   with 
  it 
  that 
  cannot 
  be 
  described. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  started 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  

   storm, 
  and 
  descending 
  rapidly 
  down 
  the 
  creek, 
  soon 
  came 
  to 
  beautiful 
  

   meadows 
  and 
  scattering 
  clumps 
  of 
  spruce 
  and 
  quaking 
  asp, 
  and 
  an 
  

   increased 
  degree 
  of 
  heat 
  seemed 
  to 
  suffuse 
  all 
  things 
  with 
  life, 
  very 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  from 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  perpetual 
  cold 
  and 
  dampness 
  2,000 
  feet 
  above. 
  

   Taking 
  this 
  course, 
  and 
  crossing 
  a 
  low 
  ridge 
  to 
  the 
  southward, 
  we 
  again 
  

   struck 
  the 
  trail 
  from 
  Tierra 
  Amarilla. 
  Following 
  this 
  eastward, 
  we 
  

   made 
  stations 
  90 
  and 
  91, 
  on 
  a 
  table 
  near 
  the 
  lower 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  

   Conejos 
  Canon, 
  and 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley. 
  

   Eeturning, 
  we 
  followed 
  up 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  then 
  crossing 
  a 
  

   divide, 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Brazos, 
  along 
  which 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  wide 
  

   space 
  of 
  laud 
  devoid 
  of 
  timber 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  grass. 
  On 
  the 
  even- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  August 
  27 
  the 
  weather 
  turned 
  off 
  clear 
  and 
  cold, 
  with 
  heavy 
  

   frost 
  during 
  the 
  night. 
  This 
  marks 
  the 
  fall 
  change. 
  Some 
  years, 
  at 
  

   this 
  season, 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  weeks 
  of 
  clear 
  fall 
  weather, 
  but 
  in 
  others 
  

   there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  definite 
  interim 
  between 
  the 
  summer 
  rains 
  and 
  

   the 
  winter 
  snows. 
  Continuing 
  down 
  the 
  stream, 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  another 
  

   trail 
  from 
  Tierra 
  Amarilla, 
  which 
  we 
  followed 
  westward, 
  making 
  sta- 
  

   tion 
  93 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  trail, 
  and 
  94 
  on 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  the 
  precipice 
  overhang- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  Brazos. 
  At 
  this 
  latter 
  point 
  quartzite 
  makes 
  its 
  appearance. 
  

   This 
  mass 
  fills 
  the 
  space 
  in 
  the 
  bend 
  of 
  the 
  Brazos, 
  and 
  presents 
  a 
  great 
  

   bluff 
  face 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  east. 
  Toward 
  the 
  west 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  cut 
  

  

  