noon
Rain began to fall , and darkness came quickly . Slingerland sought the shelter of a near-by ledge , and there , hungry , cold , wet , and unhappy , he waited for sleep that would not come . It rained hard all night and by morning the brook had become a yellow flood and the trail was under water . Toward noon the rain turned to a drizzly snow , and finally ceased . Slingerland passed on down the valley , searching for tracks . The ground everywhere had been washed clean and smooth . When he reached the old St. Vrain and Laramie Trail it looked as though a horse had not passed there in months .