North Fork Salmon River, impassable route — John Ordway: September 3, 1805

up the branch a Short distance further up the branch then took
the mountain and went up and down rough rockey mountains all
day. Some places so steep and rockey that some of the horses fell
backwards and roled to the bottom, one horse was near being
killed, crossed a nomber of fine Spring branches. Some places
oblidged to cut a road for to git along this thicket &C. Some of
the balsom fer trees on the branches are about 100 and fifty feet
high, and strait, the most of them are covred with warts filled
with the balsom &C. we dined at a branch eat the last of our
pork &.C. some of the men threaten to kill a colt to eat they being
hungry, but puts it off untill tomorrow noon hopeing the hunters
will kill Some game, towards evening we assended a mountain
went Some distance on the top of it then went down in to a cave
near the head of a branch running nearly an opposite course from
the branch we dined on at noon, we Camped in this cove.2 several
small showers of rain, so we lay down wet hungry and cold came
with much fatigue 11 miles this day.