Bitterroot crossing attempt, turned back by snow — Patrick Gass: June 16, 1806

our journey; went up a handsome creek about three miles,
and then took to the hills which are very rough with a great
many banks of snow, some of them four or five feet deep.
These banks are so closely packed and condensed, that they
carry our horses, and are all in a thawing state. We halted
for dinner at a handsome stream where there was some grass
for our horses; and in about two hours proceeded on again,
and had some rain. In the afternoon we found the snow
banks more numerous, extensive and deep: in some of them
the snow was as much as eight feet deep. In the evening we
came to Hungry creek (where Capt. Clarke killed a horse last
fall and left it for the party) and encamped, that our horses
might get some grass as we do not expect they will get any
soon again; and there is not much here.