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Show 2 4 RECONNAISSANCE IN THE UTE COUNTRY. can stand, the faces meeting in an edge of not more than ten feet in its greatest width, oftener of no perceptible width. From both faces occasional vertical lamina* stand out at right angles with the long axis of the crest, forming wings and buttresses surrounded by sharp spires. The only possible ascent is up the edge, which slopes rapidly at both ends of the peak down to the top of the slate. The feelings of a solitary man toiling on hands and knees up this edge are not cheerful. A huge stone suddenly gives way, falls over the north face, and after a painful interval, during which the climber, with bleeding finger- tips, struggles for a few minutes' more life, is heard crushing among the rocks, and directly afterward is seen spinning far out on the plateau below across the snow, throwing it high in the air; or a loose rock yields on the south side, thunders down the slope and leaps over the precipice, followed for minutes by an avalanche of debris. How grateful I was for the occasional snow- banks piled against the southern face, which gave now and again an opportunity to stretch myself at full length and breathe. I reached the summit at 4.30 p. m., and was rewarded by the grandest mountain- view I had ever seen. In every direction, except down the valley of the Animas to the south, were seen masses of snow-peaks rising a thousand and two thousand feet above timber, with skylines marvelously bold and wild. These peaks were seen at distances of ten to thirty miles around. I doubt if any other mountain region in the world displays so extensive a mass of such increasing variety of form and so wholly grand. The peaks are of all conceivable forms, except such as have curved lines, all snow- erowned, furrowed by deep gorges, marked by the low- reaching streaks of snow, and flanked with spires and pinnacles. Below the timber the lines become soft, and the masses of dark pines are relieved by the white threads of foaming mountain- torrents. Down the valley of the Lower Animas appeared open glades beautifully green, dotted with small pools, and aspens just in the tender green of early spring. This was the first spriug foliage I had seen that season, and was refreshing after weeks of snow and pines. I could trace the course of Fountain, Diana, and Cascade Creeks from their sources to their mouths, with many of their branches. West of Cascade Creek and north of Diana Creek appeared the headwaters of two other streams, a fork of Mineral Creek north, and an unknown creek west. End of ascent of Engineer Mountain.- From the readings of a pocket barometer the height of this peak was found to be 3,335 feet above Camp 29, or about 13,270 feet above the sea. About a mile southwest of Camp 29, the trail passes the summit of a low divide, on to a southern slope, and almost immediately we passed from winter to advanced spring, descending rapidly in an exquisite valley of a small tributary of Cascade Creek. Cascade Greek.- On either side the slopes of the hills were covered by aspens in the tender green of spring, and the open glades were bright with grass and wild flowers in bloom, among which were purple and white violets, strawberries, larkspur, buttercups, fleur de lis, and many delicate flowers unknown to me. For most of us this was the first glimpse of spring, having come into the high country of the Upper Rio Grande while it was still brown from the autumn and winter, and passed quickly up among the rocks, snow, and pines, and after weeks of grand desolation we passed in an hour into this most lovely valley of bloom and verdure. Camp 30 was situated on the left bank of Cascade Creek, where our trail crossed that stream, a roaring mountain- torrent about 4 feet deep |