Note II-49 — Chapter II · ITINERARY, CONTINUED: FROM THE PAWNEE VILLAGE THROUGH KANSAS AND COLORADO TO PIKE'S PEAK, OCT. 1ST-NOV. 30TH, 1806.

The trail of this excursus, as dotted on Pike's map, would be enough to show how far he was from reaching the summit of the "Highest Peak" there delineated, in the absence of any other data. Such an affair as this would never have been understated or underdrawn intentionally. Yet the dot-line leaves him further from the peak than I am inclined to think he actually was; but it is obviously incorrect in detail, and thus no offset to the explicit text. The wide looping of the trail merely indicates a "round trip" from Pueblo and return. The only considerable difference in Pike's going and coming was, that in the latter case he "kept straight down the creek to avoid the hills," over which he had before trudged. The map exaggerates the size of Turkey cr., as well as of Fountain r. It is possible that someone thoroughly familiar with the topography of the mountains at the heads of Turkey and Little Fountain creeks may yet work out Pike's trail in exact detail.