﻿374 
  KEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  rapidity 
  into 
  the 
  larger 
  caQons 
  below. 
  These 
  streams 
  sometimes 
  fall 
  

   from 
  3,000 
  to 
  4,000 
  feet 
  within 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  miles. 
  For 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  

   south 
  of 
  Long's 
  Peak 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  spurs 
  of 
  the 
  Colorado 
  or 
  Front 
  

   Bange 
  are 
  more 
  massive, 
  more 
  numerous, 
  and 
  of 
  greater 
  length 
  than 
  

   those 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side. 
  Heavy, 
  rugged 
  spurs,,all 
  of 
  them 
  above 
  timber- 
  

   line, 
  with 
  thirty-five 
  dominating 
  points 
  and 
  peaks, 
  averaging 
  a 
  height 
  

   of 
  11,700 
  feet, 
  are 
  detached 
  from 
  the 
  range, 
  to 
  slope 
  toward 
  the 
  north- 
  

   eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park, 
  and 
  powerful 
  mountain 
  streams 
  have 
  

   carved 
  between 
  these 
  spurs 
  fantastic 
  and 
  dusky-looking 
  caiions, 
  in 
  which 
  

   their 
  turbid 
  waters 
  are 
  rolled 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  Grand 
  Eiver, 
  

  

  Near 
  Arapahoe 
  Peak 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  displacement 
  in 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  mount- 
  

   ains, 
  which 
  causes 
  an 
  abrupt 
  turn 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  6,000 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  first 
  saddle-depression 
  beneath 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Arapahoe 
  Peak 
  

   is 
  12,225 
  feet 
  elevation, 
  and 
  down 
  to 
  this 
  saddle 
  the 
  west 
  slope 
  pf 
  Arapa- 
  

   hoe 
  Peak 
  descends 
  1,000 
  feet 
  within 
  the 
  short 
  distance 
  of 
  one 
  half 
  mile. 
  

   On 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  this 
  saddle 
  originates 
  an 
  important 
  stream— 
  the 
  south 
  

   prong 
  of 
  North 
  Boulder 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side, 
  and 
  the 
  east 
  fork 
  of 
  Grand 
  

   Eiver 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side. 
  

  

  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  crest 
  from 
  Arapahoe 
  Peak 
  to 
  Boulder 
  Pass 
  is 
  

   9 
  miles, 
  and 
  within 
  that 
  distance 
  we 
  can 
  count 
  twelve 
  peaks 
  or 
  points 
  

   with 
  a 
  mean 
  height 
  of 
  12,500 
  feet 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  escarpment— 
  the 
  most 
  el- 
  

   evated 
  ones 
  bemg 
  12,800 
  feet, 
  while 
  the 
  saddle 
  between 
  the 
  peaks 
  shows 
  

   a 
  mean 
  elevation 
  of 
  11,110 
  feet. 
  The 
  eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  this 
  mountain 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  from 
  Arapahoe 
  Peak 
  to 
  Boulder 
  Pass 
  is 
  extremely 
  eroded, 
  with 
  an 
  

   abrupt 
  descent 
  toward 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  Boulder 
  Creek. 
  Among 
  the 
  many 
  

   weather 
  beaten 
  spurs 
  we 
  find 
  numerous 
  mountain 
  amphitheaters, 
  snow- 
  

   flats, 
  and 
  little 
  mountain 
  lakes, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  North 
  Boulder 
  receives 
  

   a 
  large 
  share 
  of 
  its 
  waters. 
  

  

  The 
  western 
  slope 
  shows 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  locations 
  a 
  sudden 
  descent, 
  the 
  

   steepest 
  slope 
  being 
  seen 
  adjacent 
  to 
  Arapahoe 
  Park. 
  The 
  remainder 
  

   of 
  the 
  slope 
  shows 
  a 
  gradual 
  descent 
  toward 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park, 
  and 
  the 
  

   spurs 
  leading 
  thereinto 
  have 
  in 
  genearal 
  a 
  bulky 
  and 
  massive 
  char- 
  

   acter. 
  

  

  From 
  Boulder 
  Pass 
  to 
  James 
  Peak, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  mountain 
  crest 
  of 
  6J 
  

   miles 
  in 
  length. 
  The 
  escarpment 
  here 
  represents 
  a 
  very 
  regularly 
  

   formed 
  crest, 
  with 
  only 
  one 
  prominent 
  peak 
  12,000 
  feet 
  high, 
  besides 
  

   some 
  few 
  insignificant 
  nipples. 
  The 
  eastern 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  is 
  

   here 
  even 
  more 
  destroyed 
  by 
  erosion 
  than 
  that 
  part 
  lying 
  between 
  Ara- 
  

   pahoe 
  Peak 
  and 
  Boulder 
  Pass. 
  Precipitous 
  sides 
  fall 
  off 
  immediately 
  

   below 
  the 
  main 
  escarpment, 
  while 
  the 
  western 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  

   slope 
  gradually 
  toward 
  Hay 
  and 
  Moses 
  Creeks, 
  which 
  are 
  tributaries 
  to 
  

   the 
  Frazier 
  River. 
  The 
  mean 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  this 
  mountain 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  about 
  11,000 
  feet. 
  When 
  this 
  crest 
  approaches 
  the 
  proximity 
  of 
  

   James 
  Peak, 
  it 
  rises 
  suddenly 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  over 
  13,000 
  feet. 
  

  

  James 
  Peak 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  isolated 
  peak, 
  but, 
  together 
  with 
  its 
  neighbors, 
  

   Little 
  James, 
  Mount 
  Parry 
  and 
  Mount 
  Flora, 
  forms 
  a 
  cluster 
  of 
  which 
  

   James 
  Peak, 
  with 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  13,280 
  feet, 
  is 
  the 
  loftiest 
  point. 
  The 
  

   latter 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  locality 
  the 
  most 
  commanding 
  point, 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  

   peaks 
  and 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  massive 
  mountain 
  walls 
  which 
  surround 
  Middle 
  

   Park 
  in 
  the 
  southeast 
  portion, 
  it 
  is, 
  with 
  its 
  surroundings, 
  the 
  most 
  

   imposing 
  in 
  height 
  and 
  scenic 
  effect, 
  particularly 
  when 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  

   Middle 
  Park. 
  

  

  James 
  Peak 
  has 
  otherwise 
  a 
  geographical 
  importance, 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  

   It 
  stands 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  northeast 
  end 
  of 
  that 
  great 
  mountain 
  bend 
  

   which 
  the 
  Colorado 
  or 
  Front 
  Eange 
  makes 
  from 
  here 
  in 
  a 
  western 
  

   direction. 
  On 
  the 
  northeastern 
  slope 
  of 
  James 
  Peak 
  the 
  two 
  principal 
  

  

  