Saturday June 14th 1806 Sent out Hunters this morning Colter killed a deer and brought it in by 10 A M Drewyer did not return untill night he wounded deer but could get none &c ____ neither of the other hunters killed nothing. we had our articles packed up ready for a Start in the morning, our horses Collected and hobble that they may not detain us in the morning. we expect to Set out early, and Shall proceed with as much expedition as possible over those Snowey tremendious mountains which has detained us near five weeks in this neighbourhood waiting for the Snows to melt Sufficent for us to pass over them. and even now I Shudder with the expectation with great dificuelties in passing those Mountains, from the debth of Snow and the want of grass Sufficient to Subsist our horses as about 4 days we Shall be on the top of the Mountain which we have every reason to beleive is Covered with Snow the greater part of the year.
[Lewis, June 15, 1806]
Sunday June 15th 1806. We had some little difficulty in collecting our horses this morning they had straggled off to a greater distance than usual. it rained very hard in the morning and after collecting our horses we waited for it to abait, but as it had every appearance of a settled rain we set out at 10 A.M. we passed a little prarie at the distance of 81/2 me. to which we had previously sent R. Feilds and Willard. we found two deer which they had killed and hung up. at the distance of 21/2 miles further we arrived at Collins's Creek where we found our hunters; they had killed another deer, and had seen two large bear together the one black and the other white. we halted at the creek, dined and graized our horses. the rains have rendered the road very slippery insomuch that it is with much difficulty our horses can get on several of them fell but sustained no injury. after dinner we proceeded up the creek about 1/2 a mile, passing it three times, thence through a high broken country to an Easterly fork of the same creek about 101/2 miles and incamped near a small prarie in the bottom land the fallen timber in addition to the slippry roads made our march slow and extreemly laborious on our horses. the country is exceedingly thickly timbered with long leafed pine, some pitch pine, larch, white pine, white cedar or arborvita of large size, and a variety of firs. the undergrowth principally reed root from 6 to 10 feet high with all the other speceis enumerated the other day. the soil is good; in some plaices it is of a red cast like our lands in Virginia about the S. W. mountains. Saw the speckled woodpecker, bee martin and log cock or large woodpecker. found the nest of a humming bird, it had just began to lay its eggs.—Came 22 Miles today.
[Clark, June 15, 1806]
Sunday June 15th 1806 Collected our horses early with the intention of makeing an early Start. Some hard Showers of rain detained us untill ____ A M at which time we took our final departure from the quawmash fields and proceeded with much dificuelty owing to the Situation of the road which was very Sliprey, and it was with great dificulty that the loaded horses Could assend the hills and Mountains they frequently Sliped down both assending and decending those Steep hills. at g miles we passed through a Small prarie in which was quawmash in this Prarie Reubin Fields & Willard had killed and hung up two deer at 2 miles further we arrived at the Camp of R. Fields & Willard on Collin's Creek, they arrived at this Creek last evening and had killed another Deer near the Creek. here we let our horses graze in a Small glade and took dinner. the rain Seased and Sun Shown out. after detaining about 2 hours we proceeded on passing the Creek three times and passing over Some ruged hills or Spurs of the rocky Mountain, passing the Creek on which I encamped on the 17th Septr. last to a Small glade of about 10 acres thickly Covered with grass and quawmash, near a large Creek and encamped. we passed through bad fallen timber and a high Mountain this evening. from the top of this Mountain I had an extensive view of the rocky Mountains to the South and the Columbian plains for great extent also the S W. Mountains and a range of high Mountains which divides the waters of Lewis's & Clarks rivers and seems to termonate nearly a West Cours. Several high pts. to the N & N. E. Covered with Snow. a remarkable high rugd mountain in the forks of Lewis's river nearly South and covered with Snow. The vally up the Chopunnish river appears extensive tolerably leavel and Covered with timber. The S W. Mountain is very high in a S S W. derection.
[Lewis, June 16, 1806]
Monday June 16th 1806. We collected our horses very readily this morning, took breakfast and set out at 6 A.M.; proceeded up the creek about 2 miles through some handsom meadows of fine grass abounding with quawmash, here we passed the creek & ascended a ridge which led us to the N. E. about seven miles when we arrived at a small branch of hungry creek. the difficulty we met with from the fallen timber detained us untill 11 oC before we reached this place. here is a handsome little glade in which we found some grass for our horses we therefore halted to let them graize and took dinner knowing that there was no other convenient situation for that purpose short of the glaids on hungry creek where we intended to encamp, as the last probable place, at which we shall find a sufficient quantity of grass for many days. this morning Windsor busted his rifle near the muzzle. before we reached this little branch on which we dined we saw in the hollows and N. hillsides large quatities of snow yet undisolved; in some places it was from two to three feet deep. vegetation is proportionably backward; the dogtooth violet is just in blume, the honeysuckle, huckburry and a small speceis of white maple are begining to put fourth their leaves; these appearances in this comparatively low region augers but unfavourably with rispect to the practibility of passing the mountains, however we determined to proceed, accordingly after taking a haisty meal we set out and continued our rout though a thick wood much obstructed with fallen timber, and intersepted by many steep ravines and high hills. the snow has increased in quantity so much that the greater part of our rout this evening was over the snow which has become sufficiently firm to bear our horshes, otherwise it would have been impossible for us to proceed as it lay in immence masses in some places 8 or ten feet deep. we found much difficulty in pursuing the road as it was so frequently covered with snow. we arrived early in the evening at the place that Capt. C. had killed and left the flesh of a horse for us last September. here is a small glade in which there was some grass, not a sufficiency for our horses but we thought it most advisable to remain here all night as we apprehended if we proceeded further we should find less grass. the air is pleasent in the course of the day but becomes very cold before morning notwithstanding the shortness of the nights. Hungry creek is but small at this place but is deep and runs a perfect torrent; the water is perfectly transparent and as cold as ice. the pitch pine, white pine some larch and firs constite the timber; the long leafed pine extends a little distance on this side of the main branch of Collins's creek, and the white cedar not further than the branch of hungry creek on which we dined. I killed a small brown pheasant today, it feeds on the tender leaves and buds of the fir and pitch pine. in the fore part of the day I observed the Cullumbine the blue bells and the yelow flowering pea in blume. there is an abundance of a speceis of anjelico in these mountains, much stonger to the taist and more highly scented than that speceis common to the U States. know of no particular virtue or property it possesses; the natives dry it cut it in small peices which they string on a small cord and place about their necks; it smells very pleasantly. we came 15 miles today.