July 21st. Sunday 1805
a fine morning our feet So brused and cut that I deturmined
to delay for the Canoes, & if possible kill Some meet
by the time they arrived, all the Creeks which fall into the
Missouri on the Std. Side Since entering the Mountains have
extencive valies of open Plain, the river bottoms contain
nothing larger than a Srub untill above the last Creek, the
Creeks & runs have timber on them generally, the hills or
mountains are in Some places thickly covered with pine &
Cedar &c. &c. I proceeded on about 3 miles this morning
finding no fresh Indian Sign returned down the river four
miles and Camped, turned out to hunt for Some meat, which
if we are Suck[c]essfull will be a Seasonable Supply for the
partey assending, emence quantities of Sarvice buries, yellow,
red, Purple & black currents ripe and Superior to any I ever
tasted particularly the yellow & purple kind. Choke Cheries
are Plenty; Some Gooseburies. The wild rose Continue,
the Willow more abundant no cotton wood of the common
kind. Small birds are plenty. Some Deer, Elk, Goats, and
Ibex; no buffalow in the Mountains. Those mountains are
high and a great perportion of them rocky: Vallies firtile I
observe on the highest pinecals of some of the Mountains to
the West Snow lying in Spots Some Still further North are
covered with Snow and cant be Seen from this point
The Winds in those mountains are not settled, generally
with the river, to day the wind blow hard from the West at
the Camp. The Missouri Continus its width the Current
Strong and crouded with little Islands and Co[ar]se graveley
bars, but little fine Sand: The Chanel generally a Corse
gravel or Soft mud. Musquetors & Knats verry troublesom.
I killed a Buck, and J. Fields killed a Buck and Doe this
evening. Cought a young Curlough.
