Leaving the warmth of the valley summer far below, a rider and his horses climb the tortuous trail to Eagle Pass. The still silence is broken by heavy plodding of hooves and the sharp cry of a great bald eagle driven off his lofty perch. The cold wind whispers of danger and mingles with the horses' frozen breath as they cautiously pick a path through the permanent cover of crusty snow. This high mountain divide is a barrier that few will cross between civilization and the adventure and riches of the frontier.