We unloaded one wagon and he
took one wagon to haul his camping outfit and provisions for the
winter, and returned to the river bottom for the purpose of
wintering his stock there. Another man and myself went to work to
make two pairs of snow shoes, for which we had to use the side-
boards of a wagon, there being no timber suitable in reach for
that purpose. We were three days preparing for this trip, by which
time the snow had settled.
All being in readiness the morning of the fourth day in this camp
I, accompanied by two other men started on horseback, one man
going along to bring the horses back, and the other to accompany
me across the mountains. We rode to within ten miles of the summit
of the mountains. Here the snow was nearly two and a half inches
deep. Our horses were unable to get anything to eat except the
branches of quaking asp trees that we cut and carried to them. The
next morning we saddled our horses, one of my companions started
back again, and we mounted our snow shoes and started to climb the
mountain, this being my second attempt to travel on snow shoes. I
was somewhat awkward at this new undertaking, and you can rest
assured that I was tired when I reached the summit of the
mountains, which took the greater part of the day. Each had a pair
of blankets and enough provisions strapped on his back for the
trip.
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