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Show RECONNAISSANCE IN THE UTE COUNTRY. 17 snow- crowned cliffs of basalt, porphyry, and trap. The highest timber seen is Spruce- pine. On the summit are patches of low, dense willow, exposed in a few places where the snow has been blown away. It was a source of regret to the whole party that the illness of Mr. Hine, the photographer, prevented his taking views from this point. As the train wound around and over the rocks apx> roaching the pass the scene was very picturesque, but when we got into the snow all thoughts of the picturesque fled before the necessities of the hour. At first the crust would generally bear up the animals, and when they broke through there was no great difficulty in extracting them. But as we rose the snow became deeper, the sun shone fiercely, and the crust thawed and became treacherous, and where an animal broke through a path had to be shoveled and trodden for it to get out, and another for any animals that were behind to get around the broken place. The summit was reached at about noon, and for the first mile beyond the work was very severe for men and animals, but no packs were lost, and no more serious accidents occurred than the casting of shoes from the animals. This first mile west from the summit was, all the way, through snow from one to five feet deep, and a trail had to be shoveled or trodden for nearly the whole distance. About three- quarters of a mile west of the summit we crossed Hamilton's Creek on the snow- crust. One mule floundered in the snow and fell with its head in the creek, and was only saved with great difficulty; another, blinded by the storm, exhausted, and totally unable to proceed, was abandoned with the hope that it would make a voluntary effort when rested, which it did, reaching our camp shortly after we left there the following morning. About a mile west of the summit we left the snow and entered pine timber, descending very rapidly on a soft soil trail along the right side of the gulch of Hamilton Creek for about halt a mile, where we made Camp 24 in large pine- timber at 8 p. in., after upward of twelve hours' continued march, most of the time in the snow, the whole distance accomplished being about four miles. We were all thoroughly tired, and although the grass was only fair, and on steep slopes, it seemed unadvisable to go further in search of better. The timber was well- grown spruce- pine, too low- branched for lumber of any value; water abundant. The night was fine, but we were all too fatigued for astronomy. The pass and creek were named u Hamilton," after the man who took the first and only wagons over the mountains, bringing machinery for the Little Giant Mining Company, in the season of 1872, a labor of fifty- eight days from Del Norte to Baker's Park. From Camp 24 down to Baker's Parle.- From Camp 24 the trail was down Hamilton Creek to Stony Creek; down this to Cunningham Creek, thence down the last named to the Animas, in Baker's Park, where we made Camp 25. The trail in many places was steep and difficult, but not dangerous. The trail was mostly earth, dense willows and cobblestones in the creek bottom; no grass of any account till Baker's Park is reached. The view going down was very grand; on the north Mount Galena rises to a height of 3,000 feet above the valley, a mass of basalt or trap seamed with quartz; on the south rise the mountains of the main range, also 3,000 feet high, and also basaltic; with seams of ferruginous quartz. These mountains are nearly vertical cliffs with debris slopes at the foot. The valley of the Cunningham is never more than four hundred feet wide, and has small growth of anything but willows. Through the mouth of Cunningham Gulch is seen the snow-covered peak called King Solomon, of the Sierra La Plata, west of Baker's Park; eastward the view is limited by the snow- peaks near H. Ex. 193 2 |
