﻿BECHLEK.] 
  CREST 
  OF 
  THE 
  MAIN 
  ROCKY 
  MOUNTAINS. 
  375 
  

  

  branches 
  of 
  South 
  Boulder 
  Creek 
  take 
  their 
  rise, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  north- 
  

   western 
  slope 
  Moses 
  Creek, 
  a 
  tributary 
  to 
  Frazier 
  Eiver, 
  originates. 
  

  

  From 
  James 
  Peak 
  to 
  Gray's 
  Peak 
  the 
  distance 
  along 
  the 
  crest 
  is 
  27 
  

   miles. 
  The 
  figure 
  which 
  the 
  range 
  describes 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  peaks 
  

   resembles 
  a 
  semicircle, 
  with 
  its 
  open 
  side 
  toward 
  the 
  east, 
  which 
  forms 
  

   a 
  sort 
  of 
  a 
  cid 
  de 
  sac, 
  ia 
  which 
  the 
  principal 
  sources 
  of 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  take 
  

   their 
  origin. 
  On 
  the 
  northern 
  half 
  of 
  this 
  semicircle 
  lies 
  Berthoud 
  

   Pass, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  two 
  trail 
  passes, 
  Jones's 
  and 
  Vasquez's, 
  all 
  leading 
  

   from 
  the 
  upper 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  Valley 
  into 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park. 
  A 
  few 
  miles 
  

   south 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  James 
  Peak 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  

   height 
  of 
  12,100 
  feet, 
  assumes, 
  comparatively 
  speaking, 
  a 
  broad 
  and 
  

   bulky 
  character, 
  and 
  very 
  few 
  points 
  rise 
  above 
  the 
  average 
  level 
  of 
  

   12,000 
  feet, 
  until 
  it 
  nearly 
  reaches 
  its 
  westernmost 
  tangent 
  point, 
  near 
  

   the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  Williams 
  Eiver, 
  where 
  the 
  crest 
  not 
  only 
  rises 
  again 
  

   abru])tly, 
  but 
  shows 
  also 
  a 
  much 
  more 
  serrated 
  escarpment. 
  The 
  points 
  

   and 
  peaks 
  here 
  attain 
  an 
  average 
  altitude 
  of 
  12,700 
  feet. 
  The 
  eastern 
  

   and 
  southern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  drainage 
  

   side, 
  descend 
  more 
  abruptly 
  than 
  the 
  northern 
  side, 
  which 
  slopes 
  grad- 
  

   ually 
  into 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park. 
  Deep 
  caiions, 
  however, 
  have 
  been 
  carved 
  

   from 
  the 
  snow-flats 
  on 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  

   drainage 
  i^asses 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park. 
  About 
  12 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  

   James 
  Peak, 
  or 
  nearly 
  half 
  way 
  to 
  Gray's 
  Peak, 
  a 
  subridge 
  is 
  detached 
  

   from 
  the 
  main 
  range, 
  which 
  bears 
  almost 
  a 
  due 
  northern 
  course 
  for 
  25 
  

   miles, 
  until 
  it 
  reaches 
  its 
  terminus 
  near 
  the 
  Hot 
  Springs, 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   the 
  Middle 
  Park. 
  From 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  Yasquez 
  Creek 
  rises 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   intersection 
  of 
  that 
  ridge 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  ridge, 
  and 
  because 
  it 
  drains 
  for 
  

   many 
  miles 
  the 
  eastern 
  slopes 
  of 
  its 
  highest 
  peaks 
  (Beyers 
  and 
  Vas- 
  

   quez), 
  we 
  have 
  named 
  that 
  ridge, 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  conventionality, 
  Vas- 
  

   quez 
  Eidge. 
  

  

  Only 
  2J 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  intersection 
  of 
  Yasquez 
  Eidge 
  with 
  the 
  

   main 
  or 
  Front 
  Eange, 
  the 
  latter 
  rises 
  again 
  to 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  12,700 
  feet, 
  

   and 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  five 
  miles 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  only 
  an 
  extremely 
  sharp 
  and 
  

   serrated 
  crest, 
  dotted 
  with 
  several 
  sharp-pointed 
  peaks, 
  with 
  an 
  altitude 
  

   of 
  13,200 
  feet, 
  but 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  shows 
  an 
  ex- 
  

   tremely 
  steep 
  slope 
  of 
  50°. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  sides 
  beneath 
  the 
  main 
  

   escarpment 
  appear 
  almost 
  vertical. 
  Equally 
  abrupt 
  are 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   several 
  spurs 
  which 
  are 
  here 
  detached 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  range, 
  sloping 
  

   toward 
  the 
  main 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Williams 
  Eiver. 
  The 
  immense 
  

   power 
  of 
  erosion 
  is, 
  perhaps, 
  elsewhere 
  not 
  more 
  clearly 
  demonstrated 
  

   than 
  here, 
  where 
  over 
  a 
  district 
  of, 
  perhaps, 
  100 
  square 
  miles 
  we 
  become 
  

   almost 
  confused 
  at 
  the 
  sight 
  of 
  those 
  labyrinthic 
  caiions 
  which 
  the 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  principal 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  Williams 
  Eiver 
  have 
  carved 
  in 
  the 
  rocky 
  

   structure, 
  and 
  that 
  too 
  at 
  the 
  very 
  cradle 
  of 
  their 
  existence. 
  

  

  The 
  high 
  and 
  extremely 
  sharp 
  and 
  eroded 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Front 
  Eange, 
  

   as 
  referred 
  to 
  above, 
  is 
  only 
  five 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  at 
  its 
  southern 
  ex- 
  

   tremity 
  another 
  subrange, 
  Williams 
  Eange, 
  is 
  detached, 
  which 
  first 
  

   leads 
  off 
  for 
  4 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  western, 
  and 
  after 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  northwestern 
  

   direction, 
  forming 
  the 
  eastern 
  barrier 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Blue, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  the 
  western 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  Williams 
  Eiver^ 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  junction 
  with 
  

   the 
  Grand 
  Eiver. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  point 
  of 
  intersection 
  (of 
  the 
  Williams 
  Eange 
  with 
  the 
  Col- 
  

   orado 
  or 
  Front 
  Eange) 
  the 
  distance 
  to 
  Torrey's 
  Peak 
  is 
  but 
  7 
  miles. 
  

   Here 
  the 
  mountain 
  crest 
  is 
  depressed, 
  and 
  no 
  dominating 
  peaks 
  or 
  

   nipples 
  of 
  any 
  consequence 
  attract 
  our 
  attention. 
  Heavy 
  bulky 
  spurs 
  

   stretch 
  westward 
  toward 
  the 
  little 
  Snake 
  and 
  Blue 
  Eiver 
  Yalley. 
  When 
  

   the 
  main 
  crest 
  approaches 
  near 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  Torrcy's 
  Peak, 
  it 
  rises 
  from 
  

  

  