﻿KHODA.] 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  331 
  

  

  tance 
  it 
  would 
  generally 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  a 
  dike. 
  It 
  extends 
  northward 
  

   from 
  the 
  pass 
  several 
  miles, 
  and 
  is 
  notable 
  for 
  its 
  sharpness 
  and 
  its 
  con- 
  

   tinuity. 
  Its 
  position 
  may 
  be 
  easily 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  map, 
  as 
  it 
  lies 
  between 
  

   the 
  Oucharas 
  and 
  a 
  branch 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  running 
  parallel 
  with 
  it. 
  In 
  

   fact, 
  it 
  has 
  produced 
  that 
  peculiar 
  parallelism 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  streams. 
  

  

  On 
  September 
  26,we 
  ascended 
  the 
  West 
  Spanish, 
  and 
  found 
  the 
  ascent 
  

   quite 
  easy. 
  We 
  had 
  about 
  1,500 
  feet 
  to 
  climb 
  after 
  leaving 
  our 
  mules. 
  

   The 
  summit 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  deep 
  snow, 
  but 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  clear, 
  

   and 
  the 
  station 
  a 
  perfect 
  success. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  great 
  height 
  and 
  

   isolated 
  position, 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  commanding 
  point 
  for 
  topography. 
  The 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  of 
  dikes 
  radiating 
  from 
  the 
  mountains 
  give 
  it 
  a 
  peculiar 
  character. 
  

   Someof 
  these, 
  after 
  reaching 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  extendfor 
  several 
  

   miles 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  valley 
  in 
  unbroken 
  walls, 
  often 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   feet 
  in 
  height. 
  A 
  few 
  dikes 
  crossed 
  the 
  main 
  system 
  at 
  acute 
  angles. 
  

   Some 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  also. 
  The 
  whole 
  

   mountain 
  has 
  a 
  very 
  regular 
  form, 
  and 
  with 
  its 
  lesser 
  companion, 
  a 
  few 
  

   miles 
  to 
  the 
  east, 
  forms 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  land-marks 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  

   Colorado. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  climbed 
  Trinchera 
  Peak, 
  a 
  high 
  mountain 
  at 
  the 
  

   head 
  of 
  the 
  Cucharas 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  tbe 
  pass. 
  Above 
  the 
  timber-line 
  we 
  

   found 
  the 
  snow 
  about 
  two 
  feet 
  deep, 
  with 
  banks 
  much 
  deeper. 
  Earlier 
  

   in 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  climb 
  from 
  this 
  side 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  quite 
  easy, 
  but 
  

   the 
  deep 
  snow 
  made 
  it 
  very 
  difficult. 
  On 
  reaching 
  the 
  divide, 
  at 
  an 
  

   elevation 
  of 
  13,000 
  feet, 
  we 
  were 
  much 
  surprised 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  fresh 
  

   tracks 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  grizzly, 
  leading 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  

   and 
  following 
  the 
  ridge 
  northward. 
  We 
  made 
  good 
  use 
  of 
  his 
  tracks, 
  

   however, 
  for 
  by 
  stepping 
  carefully 
  in 
  them 
  we 
  avoided 
  breaking 
  through 
  

   the 
  deep 
  snow-banks, 
  which 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  yery 
  tiresome. 
  Thus, 
  too, 
  

   we 
  were 
  enabled 
  to 
  put 
  to 
  good 
  use 
  the 
  unerring 
  instinct 
  of 
  the 
  bear 
  in 
  

   selecting 
  the 
  best 
  route 
  to 
  travel 
  by. 
  In 
  one 
  place 
  the 
  tracks 
  led 
  down 
  

   a 
  very 
  dangerous 
  descent. 
  At 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  ridge 
  was 
  very 
  sharp, 
  so 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  travel 
  anywhere 
  except 
  along 
  the 
  crest. 
  On 
  

   the 
  west 
  side 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  steep 
  snow-bank, 
  glazed 
  hard 
  with 
  ice, 
  which 
  

   after 
  20 
  or 
  30 
  feet 
  terminated 
  in 
  a 
  precipice 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  down. 
  

   Above 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  rocky 
  ledge 
  about 
  20 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  with 
  the 
  projecting 
  

   stones 
  very 
  loose 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  snow 
  and 
  ice. 
  Now 
  the 
  steep 
  snow- 
  

   bank, 
  with 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  surface 
  frozen, 
  occupied 
  a* 
  gap 
  between 
  the 
  

   ledge 
  of 
  rocks 
  and 
  its 
  continuation 
  down 
  the 
  ridge, 
  yet 
  the 
  bear 
  had 
  

   come 
  head 
  foremost 
  down 
  the 
  ledge 
  and 
  passed 
  the 
  snow-bank 
  without 
  

   faltering 
  or 
  taking 
  time 
  to 
  consider. 
  We 
  followed 
  his 
  footsteps 
  up 
  the 
  

   same 
  j)lace, 
  but 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  hand 
  the 
  instruments 
  up 
  one 
  at 
  a 
  

   time. 
  , 
  The 
  climb 
  required 
  great 
  care, 
  as 
  the 
  rocks 
  were 
  loose 
  and 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  snow, 
  and 
  we 
  made 
  the 
  ascent 
  at 
  the 
  risk 
  of 
  our 
  lives. 
  On 
  

   reaching 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  tbe 
  peak, 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  bear-tracks 
  winding 
  

   about 
  all 
  over 
  it. 
  The 
  animal 
  had 
  come 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  side, 
  and 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  on 
  his 
  travels 
  very 
  early, 
  as 
  we 
  first 
  came 
  upon 
  his 
  track 
  

   early 
  in 
  the 
  morning. 
  This 
  peak 
  is 
  very 
  high, 
  but 
  the 
  summit 
  is 
  broad, 
  

   and 
  many 
  peaks 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  obstruct 
  the 
  view, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   very 
  well 
  suited 
  for 
  a 
  station. 
  Eeturning, 
  we 
  traveled 
  southward 
  along 
  

   the 
  wagon-road. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  several 
  curious 
  hog-backs, 
  

   having 
  a 
  general 
  course 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south. 
  Between 
  the 
  two 
  priuci- 
  

   I)al 
  ones 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  transverse 
  valley, 
  called 
  by 
  the 
  settlers 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  

   Stone 
  Wall 
  Valley, 
  and 
  the 
  name 
  is 
  not 
  inappropriate. 
  The 
  grass 
  is 
  

   fine 
  and 
  some 
  farming 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  near 
  this 
  place, 
  but 
  again 
  the 
  eleva- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  the 
  proximity 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  mountains 
  interferes 
  seriously 
  with 
  

   the 
  grain-crops. 
  Between 
  the 
  hog-backs 
  and 
  the 
  range 
  game 
  is 
  quite 
  

  

  