Lewis: July 19, 1805

Friday July 19th 1805 The Musquetoes are very troublesome to us as usual.
this morning we set out early and proceeded on very well tho the water
appears to encrease in volocity as we advance. the current has been strong
all day and obstructed with some rapids, tho these are but little broken
by rocks and are perfectly safe. the river deep and from 100 to 150 yds.
wide. I walked along shore today and killed an Antelope. whever we get a
view of the lofty summits of the mountains the snow presents itself, altho
we are almost suffocated in this confined vally with heat. the pine cedar
and balsum fir grow on the mountains in irregular assemleages or spots
mostly high up on their sides and summits. this evening we entered much
the most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen. these clifts rise from
the waters edge on either side perpendicularly to the hight of 1200 feet.
every object here wears a dark and gloomy aspect. the towering and
projecting rocks in many places seem ready to tumble on us. the river
appears to have forced it’s way through this immence body of solid rock
for the distance of 53/4 miles and where it makes it’s exit below has
thown on either side vast collumns of rocks mountains high. the river
appears to have woarn a passage just the width of it’s channel or 150 yds.
it is deep from side to side nor is ther in the 1st 3 miles of this
distance a spot except one of a few yards in extent on which a man could
rest the soal of his foot. several fine springs burst out at the waters
edge from the interstices of the rocks. it happens fortunately that altho
the current is strong it is not so much so but what it may be overcome
with the oars for there is hear no possibility of using either the cord or
Setting pole. it was late in the evening before I entered this place and
was obliged to continue my rout untill sometime after dark before I found
a place sufficiently large to encamp my small party; at length such an one
occurred on the lard. side where we found plenty of lightwood and
pichpine. this rock is a black grannite below and appears to be of a much
lighter colour above and from the fragments I take it to be flint of a
yelloish brown and light creemcolourd yellow.from the singular
appearance of this place I called it the gates of the rocky mountains. the
mountains higher today than yesterday, saw some Bighorns and a few
Antelopes also beaver and Otter; the latter are now very plenty one of the
men killed one of them today with a setting pole. musquetoes less
troublesome than usual. we had a thundershower today about 1 P.M. which
continued about an hour and was attended with som hail. we have seen no
buffaloe since we entered the mounts. this morning early Capt. Clark
pursued his rout, saw early in the day the remains of several Indians
camps formed of willow brush which appeared to have been inhabited some
time this spring. saw where the natives had pealed the bark off the pine
trees about this same season. this the indian woman with us informs that
they do to obtain the sap and soft part of the wood and bark for food. at
11 A.M. Capt. C. feell in with a gang of Elk of which he killed 2. and not
being able to obtain as much wood as would make a fire substituded the
dung of the buffaloe and cooked a part of their meat on which they
breakfasted and again pursueed their rout, which lay along an old indian
road. this evening they passed a hansome valley watered by a large creek
which extends itself with it’s valley into the mountain to a considerable
distance. the latter part of the evening their rout lay over a hilly and
mountanous country covered with the sharp fragments of flint which cut and
bruised their feet excessively; nor wer the prickly pear of the leveler
part of the rout much less painfull; they have now become so abundant in
the open uplands that it is impossible to avoid them and their thorns are
so keen and stif that they pearce a double thickness of dressed deers skin
with ease. Capt. C. informed me that he extracted 17 of these bryers from
his feet this evening after he encamped by the light of the fire. I have
guarded or reather fortifyed my feet against them by soaling my mockersons
with the hide of the buffaloe in parchment. he encamped on the river much
fortiegud having passed two mountains in the course of the day and
travelled about 30 miles.-