| Climbing onto the floor of Pawnee cirque you are immediately surrounded by the walls
of this natural amphitheater. The headwall to the back of the cirque rises several hundred
feet above the floor. No present day glaciers sit in Pawnee cirque. However, the enclosure
of the walls, interacting with late afternoon cloudiness shade the cirque floor, thus
ensuring a late - lying snow pack for much of the snow - melt season. On the floor of the
cirque and off to the right you see several odd shaped accumulations of rock rubble.
Sitting on the floor of the cirque you notice that the wind has died down, as the walls surrounding you act as a barrier and mechanically slow the movement of air. The intense solar radiation that streams through the thin atmosphere to this high altitude site, plus that which is reflected from the snow lining the side and headwalls of the cirque, makes sun burn a real hazard for hikers at this site. |
Figure 7.1
Pawnee cirque (Photo credit: Michael Ritter)