Camp No 26,
25th Feby., 1875.
We left camp early this morning and made good time across the lakes. At the summit we stopped, marked a tree, 'Summit between B. Columbia and the N. W. Territory, ” date and names, then with one leg on each side of the line drawn on the snow, we drunk the last of our brandy and gave three cheers. I repeat them. Hurrah! Then we started down the creek along which the snow-shoeing was very bad. At noon we saw a lot of prairie chickens, but having no gun didn't get any. We did 13 1/4 miles to-day and the creek which was about three inches wide at the start is now about 15 feet. A good fall in it all the way. We haven’t "seen the sun rise out of the grass" yet, but we hope to soon. We are as happy and contented to night as if we had had a good dinner, a thing we have almost forgotten. The camp isn't very blue generally, but there are some puns and jokes going to-night.
But now to sleep.
Yours,
C. F. H.
Camp No. 30,
Smoky River, March 1st, 1875.
My dear Edward, —
On the 26th we pushed along as usual over very bad travelling, the snow was hard enough to bear us on snow-shoes, but the dogs would go clear to the bottom and stick fast, so we had to break the crust down every step, which was as you can imagine very hard work. Early that morning we were stopped by a fall, the finest one we had yet seen. I crawled to the edge on my stomach, the ice being thin and looked over. The river lay 250 feet below and the trees, &c., looked very small at that distance. On each side of the river the rock rose nearly perpendicularly and altogether it was a hard looking place to got around.
After satisfying ourselves with the view we turned to go back when one of the men proposed a drink. To get it he took a small axe which at the first blow (a very light one) went straight through. You may bet we got out of that in a hurry. We went back about a mile and took to the side of the mountain which we followed with much trouble till we got a mile below the falls. To get the sleds down to the river required no trouble; to get them down whole took a good deal, as it was as near perpendicular as could be. Finally we took off the dogs, turned the sleds on their sides and got down in that way; you can imagine it was steep when I tell you that one sled having got stuck half way between some trees, I tried to go up to help the driver and couldn't possibly do it, though I did my best. That night we camped late, having done miles and found only one foot of snow in the woods. This will appear strange to you, but the same peculiarity extends along the eastern slope of the mountains for a belt of about 60 miles wide. Beyond the snow gets deeper again.
On the 27th we passed a 20-foot fall, around which we made a portage without much trouble. Just below this fall we struck good travelling hard crust and we did 14 miles that day, passed a branch coming in from south, which Jarvis explored for some distance up.
On the 28th we had a good deal of open water and had to take to land frequently. Another dog dropped to day. Jarvis had to follow behind slowly as he is suffering from mal de raquette. He doesn't say much about it but when he takes to the broken track with a white face and set lips you may guess he is in pain. I have been doing the track breaking since he fell to the rear, and I begin to feel a little pain in my ankles to-day. To-day we did 13 miles and camped early to mend snow-shoes which are very much used up. We have got over the good snow and are now in bad travelling again. Snow hard enough to bear us but which the dogs broke up. If we were certain what river this is it would be more satisfactory. At present when it turns to the east, we think it falls into the Athabasca and our hearts heat high. Then we come to a turn toward the north and we are sure it is Smoky River, and must lead to Peace River and our spirit go to zero at once.
Passed another branch from south to day.
C. F. H.
No comments:
Post a Comment