Building and occupying Fort Clatsop — Patrick Gass: December 8, 1805

frost. Capt. Clarke with 5 men set out to go to the ocean,
and myself with 11 more to bring in the meat, which the two
men left by Captain Lewis were taking care of. We went up
the small river in our canoes about two miles, then up a branch
of it on the west side two miles, then by land about two miles
more, where we found the men and the meat, of which we all
carried two large loads to our canoes, and proceeded down to
camp. In the evening it began to rain again. The country
towards the south is mountainous at some distance off; and
there is some snow on the mountains. Near our camp, the
country is closely timbered with spruce-pine, the soil rich, but
not deep; and there are numerous springs of running water.