Note III-34 — Chapter III · ITINERARY, CONCLUDED: IN THE MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO ON HEADWATERS OF THE ARKANSAW AND RIO GRANDE, DECEMBER 1ST, 1806-FEBRUARY 26TH, 1807.

This is the most difficult itinerary of the whole trip, and much depends upon its correct recovery. It is out of the question to take "28 miles" at its face value; the difficulty must be adjusted. Pike's trail shows with substantial accuracy his three camps of the 14th, 15th, and 16th, along Grape cr.; then a long loop S. E. and back S. W. to a point on Grape cr. again, above two creeks coming down from the Sangre range. I think these creeks can be identified; this would fix to-day's camp with sufficient precision. I base my conclusions on Pike's whole set of mileages for this trip, as applied to the topography of the route. Thus we have, going up Grape cr., 13 + 19 + 18 = 50 m.; with 4 more miles on the 17th, making 54 to the point where this creek is left. Further on come (28 - 4 =) 24 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 8 + 8 + 9 + 0 + 0 + 14 = 63 m., which puts Pike over the Sand Hill Pass on the 27th. Finally, we have 15 + 17 + 24 + 18 = 74 m., in the San Luis valley to the stockade on the Rio Conejos; total, 191 m. The three sections of this route—the Grape Creek course, the Wet Mountain Valley course, the San Luis Valley course—are practically, therefore, in the ratio of 5 : 6 : 7; and such figures must be made to fit the known geography of the route. I make the journey of the 17th as follows: Pike proceeds up Grape cr. a short distance, leaves it, flanks Round mt., and passes by or near the present site of Silver Cliff, seat of Custer Co.; continues S. E. across the valley or prairie to the base of the Wet mts., in the vicinity, not immediate, of Mt. Robinson, Mt. Brinley, and Rosita, where the mines of the latter name were or are; where, not liking the place, as there was no fuel, he turns about S. W. and repasses the valley at a right angle to his other course through it, recrosses Grape cr. a little below the confluence of Rosita cr., and camps under the Sangre de Cristo range, somewhere about Spring cr. or Horse cr. This day was disastrous, as a culmination of misery already endured by the handful of half-naked and more than half-starved adventurers, for whom still more acute suffering was in store. The wonder is not at any error in distances, but that any intelligible itinerary of such a journey has reached us from the splendidly brave young fellow, who so rashly led his companions into a death-trap. But for the buffalo which were wintering in the Wet Mountain valley, not a man would have escaped with his life. Whatever the exact spot, this is the place where poor Sparks and Dougherty were abandoned with frozen feet. What they endured may be imagined from the mute messages Pike afterward received from them—a present of some of the bones which came away from their gangrenous feet after sphacelus had set in.