DtrrroK.] DRAINAGE SYSTEM OF THE KAIBAB. 139 



suppose that he is within a dozen miles of it he has only to enter a main 

 ravine and follow it to its head. This, however, does not apply to the 

 portions of the plateau which lie more than five miles north of the park. 

 The way may be long, but is easy and sure. A few ravines fade out 

 before reaching the near neighborhood of the park. In that event take 

 the nearest one on the right or left. All of them head upon the summit 

 which looks down into the park. It is necessary, however, to keep to 

 the main ravine and avoid its minor tributaries, and there is a criterion 

 by which it may be distinguished. At the confluence of a lateral ravine 

 the grade of the main ravine is always the less of the two. 



Although this may seem to be nothing more than a trival bit of 

 woodcraft, it really illustrates an important fact— the drainage sys- 

 tem of a large portion of the Kaibab. The study of this drainage system 

 Mill shed some light upon the geological history not only of the plateau 

 itself, but of the region adjoining, and of the Grand Canon. 



The thought which must be predominant in the mind of cue who for 

 the first time enters the Kaibab is of the Grand Canon. The fame of 

 its grandeur is world-wide, and the desire to see it as it is grows stronger 

 the nearer he approaches to it. This longing must be at least tempered 

 if not wholly satisfied before the mind is in the humor to contemplate 

 anything else. Our first expedition, then, shall be to the brink of the 



great abyss. 



As the sun is rising and before his beams have penetrated to the 

 bottom of the park we are on the way. On either hand is the forest, 

 covering the slopes and the heights above, but ending suddenly at the 

 foot of every incline. Before us to the southward stretches the open 

 field with hardly an undulation. Six or seven miles away we can see 

 the sylvan walls approach each other, leaving a narrow gateway be- 

 tween the tall spruces where the surface of the ground for a moment is 

 sharply projected against the sky. The scene is, on the whole, a very 

 attractive one. There is a great wealth of vegetation, somber indeed, 

 and monotonous, but the darkness of the tone is suggestive of depth 

 and richness of color. The only alleviating contrast is between the 

 smooth expanse of the park and the myriads of sharp spikes which 

 terminate the tree tops. The spirit of the scence is a calm, serene, and 

 gente one, touched with a tinge of solemnity and melancholy. 



About a mile from camp we came upon an object worthy of attention. 

 It is rather a deep depression in the earth about 200 feet across and 

 very nearly circular. Within it is a large pool of water. Its depth 

 below the valley floor may be about 40 feet, and the depth of the water 

 r> or G feet in the middle. It is a fair specimen of a frequent occurrence 

 upon the Kaibab. I have never seen them elsewhere, and the explana- 

 tion is difficult. The interest lies in the mystery of their origin. In 

 every day's ride we usually find three or four of them and sometimes 

 more. Some of them contain water, but the majority do not. Some 

 hold water throughout the year, some only in the early summer or until 



