<P> Pike next intended to travel to the headwaters of the Red River and head downstream to the Mississippi and relative safety in the lowlands . But, the company had gotten confused in its bearings, and they made several blundering steps trying to find the river . They were not equipped for a mountain expedition, nor for hard winter weather . Heading north, the party found the South Fork of the Platte River and, following it upstream, came to what they thought were the headwaters of the Red . Turning back downstream, they returned to the point at which they had left the Arkansas originally . They had executed a large loop, taking weeks of precious travel time . </P> <P> Hungry, cold, and exhausted, the party headed south over the mountains . Several men were left behind as they dropped from fatigue, but Pike doggedly pressed on . By January 30, he and the ten men still with him came to the Rio Grande at a point near Alamosa in present - day southern Colorado and then part of the Spanish empire . Pike mistook the Rio Grande for the Red River he had been seeking . Here, he built a fort and attempted to collect the rest of his men, who were strewn across miles of mountains behind him . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (November 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (November 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr>

Who explored into the rocky mountains and then south into spanish held territory