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[[underlined]] Up Chusca Mts. 

Sept. 30 [[/underlined]]. Left Ft. Defiance and followed north up the Bonito Valley about 6 miles then turned east up a canyon between high red sandstone cliffs and followed it back on top of the mesa to its very head, then over into other draws and across flats and ridges, NE., and camped at a spring 2 miles NW of [[overwritten]] Choisca [[/overwritten]] Choikai Peak at about 8000 feet. 

The Mts. are sandstone mesas cut up into canyons and plateaus, but above 8000 feet on SW & 7000 on NE slopes they are Transition Zone, open yellow pine and Gambels oak forest & Pseudotsuga on cold slopes. They are rather dry with a few springs and small streams at long intervals. The grass is good in places but has been mostly eaten up by sheep & goats. The Navajos have numerous Hogans near the water places & run their sheep far back over dry ridges. They have now mostly left the mts. as the grass is drying up & it is getting cold & frosty. A few occupied houses and camps were passed & a few small herds seen. 

Transcription Notes:
by "Chusca", Vernon must mean Chuska Mountains. Choiskai is probably Lukachukai? -@meg_shuler