Lewis: June 27, 1806
The party traveled 28 miles along a snow-covered dividing ridge in the Bitterroot Mountains, retracing parts of their previous September route. At an elevated point marked by a stone cairn and pine pole, the Indian guides paused to smoke and shared information about local fishing and travel customs. Lewis praised the guides as excellent pilots, doubting the group could navigate without them. They camped on a high ridge with little grass for the unfed horses. With meat gone, they ate roots and bear oil. Pounded wild ginger eased Potts's inflamed leg.
Friday June 27th 1806. We collected our horses early and set out. the road
still continued on the heights of the same dividing ridge on which we had
traveled yesterday for nine miles or to our encampment of the 18th of
September last. about one mile short of this encampment on an elivated
point we halted by the request of the Indians a few minutes and smoked the
pipe. on this eminence the natives have raised a conic mound of stones of
6 or eight feet high and on it’s summit erected a pine pole of 15 feet
long from hence they informed us that when passing over with their familes
some of the men were usually sent on foot by the fishery at the entrance
of Colt Creek in order to take fish and again met the main party at the
Quawmash glade on the head of the Kooskooske river. from this place we had
an extensive view of these stupendous mountains principally covered with
snow like that on which we stood; we were entirely surrounded by those
mountains from which to one unacquainted with them it would have seemed
impossible ever to have escaped; in short without the assistance of our
guides I doubt much whether we who had once passed them could find our way
to Travellers rest in their present situation for the marked trees on
which we had placed considerable reliance are much fewer and more
difficult to find than we had apprehended. these fellows are most
admireable pilots; we find the road wherever the snow has disappeared
though it be only for a few hundred paces. after smoking the pipe and
contemplating this seene sufficient to have damp the sperits of any except
such hardy travellers as we have become, we continued our march and at the
distance of 3 ms. decended a steep mountain and passed two small branches
of the Chopunnish river just above their forks and again ascended the
ridge on which we passed several miles and at a distance of 7 ms. arrived
at our encampment of September near which we passed 3 small branches of
the Chopunnish river and again ascended to the dividing ridge on which we
continued nine miles when the ridge became lower and we arrived at a
situation very similar to our encampment of the last evening tho the ridge
was somewhat higher and the snow had not been so long desolved of course
there was but little grass. here we encamped for the night having traveled
28 miles over these mountains without releiving the horses from their
packs or their having any food. the indians inform us that there is an
abundance of the mountain sheep or what they call white buffaloe. we saw
three black-tailed or mule deer this evening but were unable to get a
shoot at them. we also saw several tracks of those animals in the snow.
the indians inform that there is great abundance of Elk in the vally about
the Fishery on the Kooskooske River. our meat being exhausted we issued a
pint of bears oil to a mess which with their boiled roots made an
agreeable dish. Potts’s legg which has been much swolen and inflamed for
several days is much better this evening and gives him but little pain. we
applyed the pounded roots and leaves of the wild ginger & from which
he found great relief.neare our encampment we saw a great number of
the yellow lilly with reflected petals in blume; this plant was just as
forward here at this time as it was in the plains on the 10th of may.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Friday June 27th 1806. We collected our horses early and set out. The road still continued on the heights of the same dividing ridge on which we had traveled yesterday for nine miles, or to our encampment of the 18th of September last. About one mile short of this encampment, on an elevated point, we halted at the request of the Indians for a few minutes and smoked the pipe. On this eminence the natives have raised a conical mound of stones, 6 or 8 feet high, and on its summit erected a pine pole 15 feet long. From here they informed us that when passing over with their families, some of the men were usually sent on foot by the fishery at the entrance of Colt Creek in order to take fish, and then met the main party again at the Quamash glade at the head of the Kooskooske river. From this place we had an extensive view of these stupendous mountains, principally covered with snow like that on which we stood. We were entirely surrounded by these mountains, from which, to one unacquainted with them, it would have seemed impossible ever to escape. In short, without the assistance of our guides, I doubt much whether we, who had once passed them, could find our way to Travellers Rest in their present situation, for the marked trees on which we had placed considerable reliance are much fewer and more difficult to find than we had expected. These fellows are most admirable pilots; we find the road wherever the snow has disappeared, though it be only for a few hundred paces.
After smoking the pipe and contemplating this scene—sufficient to have dampened the spirits of any except such hardy travelers as we have become—we continued our march, and at the distance of 3 miles descended a steep mountain and passed two small branches of the Chopunnish river just above their forks, and again ascended the ridge, on which we passed several miles. At a distance of 7 miles we arrived at our encampment of September, near which we passed 3 small branches of the Chopunnish river, and again ascended to the dividing ridge, on which we continued nine miles, when the ridge became lower and we arrived at a situation very similar to our encampment of the last evening, though the ridge was somewhat higher and the snow had not been so long dissolved—of course there was but little grass. Here we camped for the night, having traveled 28 miles over these mountains without relieving the horses from their packs or their having any food.
The Indians inform us that there is an abundance of the mountain sheep, or what they call white buffalo. We saw three black-tailed or mule deer this evening, but were unable to get a shot at them. We also saw several tracks of these animals in the snow. The Indians inform us that there is a great abundance of elk in the valley about the Fishery on the Kooskooske River. Our meat being exhausted, we issued a pint of bear's oil to a mess, which, with their boiled roots, made an agreeable dish. Potts's leg, which has been much swollen and inflamed for several days, is much better this evening and gives him but little pain. We applied the pounded roots and leaves of the wild ginger, from which he found great relief. Near our encampment we saw a great number of the yellow lily with reflected petals in bloom; this plant was just as far advanced here at this time as it was in the plains on the 10th of May.
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