University of Colorado - Coloradan Yearbook (Boulder, CO)

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lunch. The road ends at the foot of Arapahoe' Peak, whence the top of the peak may be reached on foot. From the summit the traveller may look down upon Arapahoe Glacier, one of the few living, moving ice streams still existing in Colorado, and out over the chain of glacial lakes and intervening mountains to the far-away plains. The glacier was visited by the writer, in company with Dr. N. M. Fenneman and Mr. Hugh F. Watts, and three days spent upon the ice under the most favorable circumstances for the investigation. Its crevasses were measured, a map' prepared and photographs taken from which, together with other data gathered., Dr. Fenneman prepared the report published in a recent issue ofthe Journal of Geology. The narrow-gauge road to Ward, becoming famous under the name The Switzerland Trailj' furnishes an opportunity to see mountain and valley by rail, to the great delight of tourists. South Boulder Canon has not been visited as much as its fine scenery war- rants, because it is oif the usual lines of travel, but it is destined soon to take' its place as one of Colorado's great attractions. Silver Lake, near the head of North Boulder Creek, is another spot fast becoming popular, and certainly no more beautiful place need be looked for ARAPA1-ron GLACIER 53

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6 - ' T f ' lg THE UNIVERSITTS SURROUNDINGS 'fBeautiful Boulder li' exclaim the Chautauquans, as they gaze out over the city and valley from their tents and cottages beneath the Flatirons of Green Mountain. In the afternoon, as the rays of the setting sun fall upon the build- ings and upon the rows of magnificent shade trees so unusual in Western cities, and the lengthening shadows of abrupt foothills extend into the valley, the views from neighboring mesas and hillsides are so fine as to impress even the dullest, most prosaic mind. Nestling at the very foot of the Rocky Mountain Range, lake-dotted plains stretching away to the eastward until they blend into the distant horizon, mountains rising to the westward, one above another, like a giant stairway leading to rugged peaks which, with their snowlields and glaciers, pierce the clouds at an altitude of 13,000 or 14,000 feet and more above sea level, what more could be asked by the worshipper at the shrine'of Nature? Flowers are here in profusion, of many kinds and hues. V.-Birds abound of many species, some inhabiting the valley, others fond of deep, dark, wooded gulches, others gathering insects even from the ice and snow of the highest peaks. Innumerable species of butterflies, moths and other 'insects de- light the entomologist. The geologist finds much to interest and instruct him in exposures of thousands of feet of upturned stratified rocks and plutonic and eruptive rocks covering hundreds of square miles, exhibiting erosion on a grand scale. Splendid drives out through the valley, or along the banks of rushing torrents at the bottoms of deep gorges, or winding high up the canon sides, or following divides between streams, furnish scenery in infinite variety, some- thing' new at every turn of the road, beautiful, grand and inspiring. A favorite drive is up Boulder Canon, a gorge hundreds of feet in depth and at least thirty miles in length, cut by Boulder Creek through solid granite and gneiss from the top of the range to the valley. A stop is made at Boulder Falls, where North Boulder Creek has formed a receding cataract as it enters Boulder Creek, and another stop at Castle Rock, a favorite place for noonday 52

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41 ' i' ,. . Q1 , I Nr- EVERGREENS NEAR BLUEBIRD MINE anywhere. It is the lowest of a chain of lakes fed by water from Arapahoe Glacier and other fields of ice and snow about the headwaters of North Boulder. North Boulder Falls, considered by many superior to Boulder Falls, though not so accessible, is near one of the roads leading to Silver Lake. There are other beautiful lakes snugly enclosed by towering mountains. There are other dashing waterfalls in gorges whose depths are cool and inviting in the heat of summer. There are streams whose leaping, sparkling waters tell of trout awaiting the east of the fly. There are mountain parks whose an- cient lakes have been filled with sediments and the sediments clothed with ver- dure or carpeted with flowers. There are gulehes of all kinds and sizes, some of them, much frequented, within a few moments, walk from the University. Rocky pinnacles tower above the city, furnishing constant temptation to scale their rugged heights. Pine-clad mesas and brushy gullies relieve the monotony and furnish variety to the scenery. In short, there is variety enough to satisfy people of all tastes, moods and temperaments, and make the vicinity an ideal one in which to live, or study, or pass a pleasant vacation. J UN1Us HQENDERSON. 54