EHODA.] GEOGRAPHY ANTEDOPE PARK. 487 



several stations near that stream. The road soon ended, and we fol- 

 lowed its continuation, an Indian trail, to the Piuos River. This trail, 

 by an oversight, is not represented on the map. Itleavesthe Animas about 

 half a mile north of station 40, and thence crosses over to the Florida, 

 which it follows up for several miles, then strikes across to the Pinos, 

 and crosses that stream at the mouth of the Vallecito; crossing thence 

 over the next ridge, it strikes the Ute trail from Los Pinos agency. It 

 is not much used, and is consi quently quite difficult to follow. There is 

 some fine bottom-land on the Florida, capable of a high degree of cul- 

 tivation, but of small extent. Near the junction of the Vallecito and 

 Los Piuos is another small area of splendid land. These two streams 

 running down from thequartzite peaks, carry atleast one-half more water 

 than any other streams of the same drainage area in the district. 



The next day after passing this ])oint, October 2, snow began to fall, 

 and, camping near a peak on which we had to make a station, we qui- 

 etly waited for the weather to clear off. By a remarkable accident we 

 had halted in a splendid camping-place, there being none worthy the 

 name for miles ahead of us, as we afterward found. Snow fell continu- 

 ously for four days, and we found sitting in camp very hard work. On 

 account of our peculiarly protected position the snow that fell near our 

 camp melted as it fell, but a mile up stream it lay two feet deep. Had 

 it not been for the good grass and shelter here offered, our worn-out 

 mules would have fared badly. A thing worthy of note is the fact that 

 very slight thunder and lightning continued through the whole of this 

 snow-storm. Lieutenant Wheeler narrates a similar experience in this 

 part of the country. On the fourth day the weather cleared off, and 

 we succeeded in making our station, though on the summit the snow 

 was two or three feet deep, which, with our shoes nearly worn out, was 

 very disagreeable. Returning early from the peak we moved up the 

 ridge. The trail being entirely hidden by the snow, we had to give it 

 up, and after a very difficult day's march w'e succeeded in getting out 

 of the snow only, and then had to camp in swampy ground, ujaking 

 our beds on i)ine boughs, which we cut from the trees. We knew now 

 that winter had commenced, and we wanted to get out of the mount- 

 ains as fast as our mules could carry us. The next day we crossed the 

 divide at the head of Los Pinos River, by way of the Ute trail. The pass 

 by this route was good, though covered with snow. In the summer it 

 must be very easy and pleasant. We felt thankful when quite late in the 

 afternoon we reached the Rio Grande and struck camp near the v/agon- 

 road. The next day we traveled down the road, which here is a very 

 good one, to Antelope Park, which we found to be quite an extensive 

 I)iece of plain country, forming here the valley of the Rio Grande, and 

 continued below, by a narrow strip of low land, along the river. The 

 elevation of the park is about 9,000 feet. There are several houses 

 dotted about over it and farms laid out, although the elevation is 

 too great to allow much grain to be produced. The next day, Oc- 

 tober 9, we ascended Bristol Head and made station 54. This is a 

 very curious bald mountain, a few miles east of Antelope Paik, being 

 the southern culminating poiut of a high plateau. To the east it slopes 

 down quite gently, but on the west side it falls abruptly nearly 4,000 

 feet to the bottom of a very curious sink. In some places the bluff is 

 quite vertical for over a thousand feet. Being composed of trachyte, 

 the rock breaks off along vertical planes and gives to the precipice the 

 character peculiar to volcanic formations. The sink already mentioned 

 is a little valley from a quarter to half a mile broad, bordered on the 

 east by the high bluffs of Bristol Head; and, on the west, by a ridge 



