[Lewis:]
Saturday June 28th. 1806.
This morning we collected our horses and set out as usual
after an early breakfast. several of our horses had straggled
to a considerable distance in surch of food but we were fortunate
enough to find them in good time they look extreemly
gant this morning, however the indians informed us that at
noon we would arrive at a place where there was good food for
them. we continued our rout along the dividing ridge passing
one very deep hollow and at the distance of six miles passed
our encampment of the [15th] of September last, one and a
half miles further we passed the road which leads by the fishery
falling in on the wright immediately on the dividing ridge.[30]
about eleven O'clock we arrived at an untimbered side of a
mountain with a Southern aspect just above the fishery here
we found an abundance of grass for our horses as the Indians
had informed us.[31]
as our horses were very hungary and much
fatiegued and from information no other place where we could
obtain grass for them within the reach of this evening's travel
we determined to remain at this place all night having come 13
miles only. the water was distant from our encampment we
therefore melted snow and used the water principally. the
whole of the rout of this day was over deep snows. we find
the traveling on the snow not worse than without it, as the
easy passage it gives us over rocks and fallen timber fully compensate
for the inconvenience of sliping, certain it is that we
travel considerably faster on the snow than without it. the
snow sinks from 2 to 3 inches with a hors, is coarse and firm
and seems to be formed of the larger and more dense particles
of the snow; the surface of the snow is reather harder in the
morning than after the sun shines on it a few hours, but it
is not in that situation so dense as to prevent the horse from
obtaining good foothold. we killed a small black pheasant;
this bird is generally found in the snowey region of the mountains
and feeds on the leaves of the pine and fir. there is a
speceis of small whortleburry common to the hights of the
mountains, and a speceis of grass with a broad succulent leaf
which looks not unlike a flag; of the latter the horses are very
fond, but as yet it is generally under the snow or mearly making
it's appearance as it [is] confined to the upper parts of the
highest mountains.
[32]
