Captain Thing says he was never before at this place and is at a loss to know what route to take to get out. (Distance, 15 miles.)
Friday, August 10.
We started in the morning and followed the stream up seven miles to its source. We then traveled one mile farther and halted, where we found neither water nor grass.
Captain Thing, with two or three men, went ahead to endeavor to find a passage through the mountains, which are heavily timbered and very rough and broken. They returned before night and we went on two miles farther through a dense growth of spruce, pine and fir and camped. Good grass and excellent water. This is in a small valley. (Distance, 10 miles.)
Saturday, August 11.
Started in good season this morning and soon after crossed some small mountainous streams, the headwaters of the Columbia. We traveled over hills and through small valleys a few miles when we began to descend a high mountain. The descent is very steep and we were an hour in making it. We reached the valley at length, through which passed a small stream with a southern course, which is probably a tributary of Bear River. We followed the valley down five miles, where we halted an hour or two, after which we packed and went down five miles farther, where we left the valley and passed over a ridge in a westerly direction and entered another small valley with a small stream.
We followed down this stream five miles and camped. We passed over places today on the sides of mountains along Indian trails which were about one foot wide, on both sides of which were steeps, almost perpendicular, for hundreds of feet on the one side up and on the other down; and in many places, should a horse or mule make a misstep, they would be precipitated to the bottom. This is not only disagreeable and perplexing traveling, but dangerous. The mountains are very rough and broken and are principally heavily timbered. A great part of the timber has been killed by fire. Where we halted at noon I found strawberries plentiful and fine. The 11th of August seems late for that kind of fruit.
We have passed over several snow banks within two or three days, and sometimes found beautiful flowers in blossom within 20 feet of them. (Distance, 20 miles.)
Sunday, August 12.
We had a dispute, or difference of opinion, this morning about starting. Captain Thing wished to remain here today and look out a route for tomorrow, and go straight through to Fort Hall. He thought we had come too far north for the route he had taken eleven years previous, and said that had caused our misfortune.