﻿346 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  than 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  their 
  height, 
  

   while 
  the 
  dryness 
  of 
  the 
  climate 
  prevents 
  

   accumulations 
  of 
  snow 
  sufficient 
  to 
  feed 
  

   glaciers. 
  Few 
  have 
  forms 
  sufficiently 
  

   noble 
  and 
  peculiar 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  individ- 
  

   uality. 
  

  

  Thus, 
  though 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  peaks 
  

   above 
  14,000 
  feet 
  is 
  double 
  that 
  to 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  Alps, 
  there 
  are 
  none 
  that 
  

   have 
  that 
  striking 
  and 
  distinctive 
  quality 
  

   which 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  Matterhorn, 
  the 
  

   Weisshorn, 
  the 
  Finsteraarhorn, 
  and 
  

   Schreckhorn, 
  or 
  even 
  to 
  lower 
  peaks 
  such 
  

   as 
  the 
  Venediger 
  Spitze, 
  the 
  Cimone 
  della 
  

   Pala, 
  and 
  the 
  Sasso 
  di 
  Pelmo. 
  

  

  Pikes 
  Peak, 
  Colorado, 
  the 
  high 
  point 
  

   most 
  conspicuous 
  from 
  the 
  plains, 
  and 
  

   toward 
  which, 
  as 
  a 
  landmark 
  visible 
  far 
  

   off 
  to 
  the 
  east, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  settlers 
  

   were 
  directing 
  their 
  wagons 
  seventy 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  is 
  a 
  singularly 
  tame 
  and 
  featureless 
  

   object. 
  Though 
  the 
  trees 
  scattered 
  over 
  

   those 
  rolling 
  grassy 
  uplands 
  called 
  the 
  

   prairies 
  give 
  an 
  element 
  of 
  beauty, 
  the 
  dry 
  

   climate 
  stunts 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  forests 
  and 
  

   prevents 
  them 
  from 
  enriching 
  the 
  land- 
  

   scape 
  with 
  sufficient 
  verdure 
  and 
  variety. 
  

  

  Colorado's 
  vaixEys 
  unsurpassed 
  in 
  

   grandeur 
  

  

  Along 
  with 
  these 
  defects, 
  however, 
  the 
  

   Colorado 
  Rockies 
  have 
  one 
  feature 
  of 
  un- 
  

   surpassed 
  grandeur. 
  What 
  the 
  hills 
  do 
  

   not 
  give 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  valleys. 
  The 
  deep 
  

   and 
  extremely 
  narrow 
  ravines 
  which 
  in- 
  

   tersect 
  the 
  mountains, 
  enclosed 
  by 
  pre- 
  

   cipitous 
  walls 
  thousands 
  of 
  feet 
  high, 
  

   with 
  nothing 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  but 
  a 
  roaring 
  

   stream 
  and 
  sometimes 
  a 
  road, 
  or 
  a 
  railway 
  

   carried 
  on 
  a 
  shelf 
  cut 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  

   the 
  precipice 
  — 
  these 
  have 
  sometimes 
  a 
  

   grandeur 
  and 
  sometimes 
  a 
  picturesque 
  

   variety 
  of 
  views 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  the 
  wind- 
  

   ing 
  glen 
  unsurpassed 
  in 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Western 
  Hemisphere. 
  

  

  The 
  so-called 
  Royal 
  Gorge 
  of 
  the 
  Ar- 
  

   kansas 
  River, 
  just 
  where 
  it 
  issues 
  from 
  

   the 
  mountains 
  west 
  of 
  Pueblo, 
  is 
  perhaps 
  

   the 
  most 
  tremendous 
  in 
  the 
  sternness 
  of 
  

   its 
  crags 
  and 
  pinnacles, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  

   others 
  hardly 
  less 
  wildly 
  grand. 
  

  

  North 
  of 
  Colorado 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  

   Rockies 
  sinks, 
  but 
  some 
  high 
  peaks 
  occur 
  

   in 
  northwestern 
  Wyoming, 
  and 
  the 
  scen- 
  

   ery 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  Lake 
  and 
  Yellow- 
  

   stone 
  Canyon, 
  with 
  its 
  splendid 
  waterfalls, 
  

  

  as 
  well 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Geyser 
  Basins, 
  is 
  

   extremely 
  interesting. 
  

  

  Still 
  further 
  north, 
  on 
  the 
  frontier 
  line 
  

   between 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Montana 
  and 
  Can- 
  

   ada, 
  lies 
  a 
  district 
  of 
  great 
  beauty, 
  with 
  

   snow-covered 
  peaks, 
  occasionally 
  bearing 
  

   small 
  glaciers 
  and 
  picturesque 
  lakes 
  fill- 
  

   ing 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  valleys. 
  Here 
  the 
  crea- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  national 
  park 
  has 
  happily 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  for 
  the 
  preservation 
  both 
  of 
  the 
  

   scenery 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  animals. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  point, 
  where 
  the 
  Canadian 
  

   Rockies 
  begin, 
  the 
  tourist 
  finds 
  plenty 
  of 
  

   fine 
  scenery 
  for 
  hundreds 
  of 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  

   north. 
  The 
  mountains 
  do 
  not 
  reach 
  the 
  

   height 
  of 
  those 
  in 
  Colorado, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  

   rainfall 
  is 
  heavier 
  and 
  snow-line 
  is 
  much 
  

   lower, 
  considerable 
  glaciers 
  appear, 
  and 
  

   the 
  mountain 
  forms 
  are 
  much 
  bolder 
  and 
  

   more 
  varied. 
  Here 
  the 
  forests 
  are 
  denser 
  

   and 
  the 
  streams 
  fuller, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  

   west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  which 
  receives 
  

   more 
  rain. 
  

  

  All 
  this 
  region 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Canadian 
  

   Pacific 
  Railway 
  is 
  still 
  very 
  imperfectly 
  

   explored 
  and 
  offers 
  to 
  climbers 
  the 
  chance 
  

   of 
  discoveries, 
  together 
  with 
  ample 
  scope 
  

   for 
  dangerous 
  rock 
  and 
  ice 
  work 
  — 
  forms 
  

   of 
  enjoyment 
  now 
  fashionable. 
  Its 
  scen- 
  

   ery 
  resembles 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Alps 
  more 
  

   nearly 
  than 
  does 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  North 
  

   America. 
  

  

  THE 
  CANYONS 
  OE 
  THE 
  WEST 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Rockies 
  let 
  us 
  turn 
  westward 
  

   across 
  the 
  Great 
  American 
  Desert 
  to 
  the 
  

   parallel 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  in 
  

   California. 
  As 
  its 
  name 
  conveys, 
  it 
  carries 
  

   perpetual 
  snow, 
  but 
  not 
  enough 
  snow 
  to 
  

   support 
  glaciers, 
  though 
  these 
  may 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  its 
  prolongation 
  into 
  Oregon 
  and 
  

   Washington, 
  where 
  it 
  bears 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   the 
  Cascade 
  Range. 
  

  

  Like 
  the 
  Rockies 
  of 
  Colorado, 
  it 
  has 
  

   one 
  or 
  two 
  summits 
  exceeding 
  14,000 
  

   feet, 
  but 
  none 
  reaching 
  15,000 
  feet; 
  and, 
  

   like 
  them, 
  it 
  displays 
  few 
  peaks 
  conspicu- 
  

   ous 
  by 
  any 
  nobility 
  or 
  grace 
  of 
  form. 
  

   Seen 
  from 
  the 
  wide 
  valley 
  or 
  plain 
  of 
  

   central 
  California 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  the 
  sky- 
  

   line 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  is 
  of 
  nearly 
  uniform 
  

   height 
  and 
  disappointingly 
  tame. 
  

  

  The 
  canyons, 
  however, 
  are 
  of 
  extraordi- 
  

   nary 
  beauty, 
  sometimes, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Yosem- 
  

   ite 
  Valley 
  and 
  the 
  Kings 
  River 
  Canyon, 
  

   presenting 
  forms 
  of 
  singular 
  grandeur. 
  

  

  