August the 3rd. 1805—
Set out this morning at sunrise and continued our rout
through the valley on the Lard. side of the river. at eleven
A. M. Drewyer killed a doe and we halted and took breakfast.
the mountains continue high on either side of the valley, and
are but skantely supplyed with timber; small pine appears to
be the prevalent growth. there is no timber in the valley
except a small quantity of the narrow leafed cottonwood on the
verge of the river. the underwood consists of the narrowleafed
or small willow, honeysuckle rosebushes, courant, goosbury
and service bury bushes allso a small quantity of a species of
dwarf burch the leaf of which, oval, deep green, finely indented
and very small. we encamped this evening after sunset having
traveled by estimate 23 miles. from the width and appearance
of the valley at this place I concieved that the river forked not
far above me and therefore resolved the next morning to examine
the adjacent country more minutely.
