Lolo Trail, ascending into Bitterroot Mountains — Joseph Whitehouse: September 13, 1805

cloudy. we got our horses up all but the one Cap! Lewis
rode and a colt which our young Indian rode. we hunted
Some time for them but could not find them. then all but 2
or three loaded the horses and proceeded on a Short distance
passed a warm Spring, which nearly boiled where it Issued out
of the rocks a Short distance below the natives has dammed
it up to bathe themselves in, and the water in that place is con-
siderable above blood heat. it runs out in Sundry places and
Some places cooler than others. Several of us drank of the ,
water, it has a little sulp[h]ur taste and verry clear. these
Springs are very beautiful to See, and we think them to be as
good to bathe in &c. as any other ever yet found in the United
States. a handsom green or Small meadow on the creek near
S? Springs. a little above we could not git along the Indian
trail for the timber which had been blown down in a thicket of
pine &c. So we went around a hill came on the trail again and
proceeded on untill about 11 oClock and halted to dine and let
our horses feed on the main fork of the creek where was Sev-
eral beaver dams. Cap‘ Lewis and the men who Stayed back
to hunt their horses joined us, but had not found them our
hunters gone on a head the mountains rough and rocks which
appear above the timber like towers in Some places. the day
proved pleasant. we proceeded on assended a high mountain,
over took the hunters. they had killed a Deer. 2 of them
Sent back after Capt Lewis’s horse. we crossed the dividing
ridge found it only about half a mile from the head Spring of
the water running East to a branch running west. each head-
ing on an open Swamp, which is level and full of Springs,
Came [blank space in MS.] miles this day and Camped on the
branch running west where we had good feed for our horses.