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Show Prof, Peterson Writes of Mountain Lakes TAKEN FROM "STUDENT LIFE." iWh i-BBJBBBBBBBBBKllBBBBBBnfllBBBRBHP' mmm-'? " Ur JVSHbMkbB fcJ w'Av&KBflBBflVlVfll9SlVflflVflflVflflBtVflflV BKBflVflflaPflVflPVflY'' J l 7 -'ft1 -tpT ttSZBBEi BflalkHflBBl JflBBBBBHBBBBBBBBBBvlHPrTb BA E fli ..JypfliBBBflBBBBBBB yBJKKKJBjKjjJIJKjBJBJKjKKjB iijjjiiBflMPBBBBflBJB ..TMBflr j PJwPflBWVM ,'Ki!nZaii S KKKKKKKKKKflBflBflKKKKflBB vii,di'"rt;i!i4"-' SBBBJKKKkKKVEuvBKKKBJB BWflBKKKKKKKKBBKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKBBKKB UTlElJltfr''rwiTinryL TBfcifiitTfnKWr'v BB BliBBKKKBKKflBKKVvJKflKrB VBBBBKKKEBB There Is no other one tiling that can add so much to the beauty of mountain scenery as the small lakes which wo 11 ml In the heads of nearly all large canyons of tho Wasatch and Uinta Mountains. Every mountain resort must be located near some lake. The aim of the mountain pleasure seeker In his every side Journey Is to visit some small lake, and the artist classes the small lake, of high cultivation, cultiva-tion, with trees and cliffs around It, as ids Ideal for a beautiful picture. Lakes may be regularly classed under live heads: (1) Diastuomiiio lakes arc those formed when the Earth's crust Is faulted or wrinkled, forming depressions in which tho water Is collected. (2) Coui.uk lakes arc thoso formed when a canyon or channel of a stream Is damaged by Mowing lava. (:i) Ckatku lakes are thoso formed by the collection in old volcanic craters. (4) Uayuo lakes arc those formed by streams when In the tlmo of high water they arc diverted, thus leaving their old channel to bo tilled with water. (5) Glacial lakes arc formed in the basins carved out of tho solid rock by a glacial action, or behind the great mo'ralnlc dams formed form-ed across the canyons, or in the depression de-pression of the drift itself. Trobably without exception, everyone every-one of the small lakes In tho Wasatch or Unlta mountains belongs to tho fifth class, and the greater number of them belong to the type In solid rock basins. As the glaclatlon of tho region was most active near the crest line, these lakes have an elevation of 8,000 to 12,000 feet, and if one wishes to visit a place where lakes are most beautiful he must go where glaclatlon has been most ellective. In the Wasatch mountains, this Includes lilg and Little Cottonwood, American Fork and many of tho side canyons and heads of others. In the Uinta Mountains It Includes every largo canyon that heads at the crest lino of the range. The places where glaclatlon has been most active, however, how-ever, aro at the heads of tho Weber, Hock, Dushesne and l'rovo Htvcrs, and of the three forks of tho Hear Ulvcr. All of these head within a radius of ten miles from Mt. llaldly, one of the highest mountains of the range. Tho basins forming tho heads of these canyons have an elevation of aliout 10,000 to 11,000 feet. The basins of tho Viovo and Duchesne uro especially heavily timbered while those on tho north side of the crest contain many large patches of polished polish-ed rock entirely deo!d of vegetation. There aro many lakes in the heads of each of these canyons, varying in sUo from small ponds to two or three miles in dlamOtor. These lakes havo every sort of surrounding, from pre-IcIpltousclitTs pre-IcIpltousclitTs a thousand feet high to I Hat polished borders, and from sparse vegetation to dense forests. The best point In the region from which to view these lakes as a whole Is the top of Mr. llaldly. From this point thirty-one lakes can be seen In the head of the l'rovo canyon alone, and from the same position at least twenty can bo counted In the basin forming the head waters of the Duchesne. Several lie In the basin at the head-waters of the Weber. Seventy-two of these beautiful mountain moun-tain lakes can be counted from one position on the top of Mt. llaldy. This Is probably not more than two-thirds two-thirds the actual number there, for the timber is so dense that often a lake Is entirely Invisible until you reach Its shore. The lakes arc generally gener-ally quite shallow, having a depth of not moro than 20 to 40 feet, and rarely reaching more than 50 to 100 feet in depth. The small pond lakes In the drift often have vegetation growing in the water, especially In the form of water lilies. The lilies that grow there are of the llnest type. The (lower Itself is of a deep crimson yellow yel-low and from 21 to 3 inches in diameter. dia-meter. Space will not permit of a description descrip-tion of many of these lakes but a few points may be Interesting. Lake Washington, one of the largest larg-est In the l'rovo basin, Is located In about tho central part. It has a length of about J of a mile and a width of I mile. It Incompletely surrounded with a dense forest of Colorado blue spruce. In the evening when the air Is quiet the lake forms a perfect mirror. Hold's Peak and Mt. llaldly are about two miles east of this lake. Fig. :i of plate 2 shows the two mountains moun-tains relleetion. (l'hoto taken from the west shoro about sunset.) Fig 4 of plate 2 shows the outlet of tho same lake at a point about two miles below. The stream tied Is of solid rock and in many places tho stream makes perpendicular leaps of from 20 to f0 feet. Fig 1, plate two Is a lake at the head of the north fork of the l'rovo HIver and represents ono of the type In a solid rock basin. It Is about the same slzo as Lako Washington and has two Islands which are better wooded than the shore line. The basin -Is of polished quartzltc and the strata made by the glacier aio still very perceptible even under the water. Fig 2, plate 2 Is one of similar type at the head of ltouldcr Creek canon. This lake has an elevation of 10,:t00 feet. Of the lakes In the Duchesne basin, Lake Grand-daddy is the hugest and most beautiful. It is in a solid rock basin, 3 miles long and 11 miles wide. It has three quite large Islands well wooded with tall spruce. Along the whole south side of tho lake is a pre-clpitous pre-clpitous ell IT which Is from fiOO to 1,000 feet high. The west and north sides are heavily wooded, with here and there small plots of green meadow. At the cast end the rock projects a few feet above the surface of the water, and from 50 to 100 yards from the water edge drops down 500 feet to the edge of another lake about half as large. The outlet of Lake Grand-daddy forms a bcautlfull cataract cata-ract as It dashes down this ledge. There arc many large lakes In the Duchesne and Rock lllvcr basins and those with an open outlet abound in trout waiting to be caught. If any one wishes to appreciate tljo grandeur of this region and live for a short time in a real wild country where roads and trails arc unknown save for the trails of deer and bear, let him spend a few weeks of August in the Duchesne basin at the crest line of the range. The lakes of the Wasatch are quite as pretty as those In the Uinta's but not so large. I'late 1 represents a lake from Hlg Cottonwood, and Fig 5 of plate 2 is from a lake at the head of the Wliitc-plnc basin In Logan canyon. |
