Report of the exploring expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the year 1842, and to Oregon and north California in the years 1843-44 . plains andlevel valleys ; but it will entirely fail in representing the picturesque beautyof this delightful place, where a green valley, full of foliage, and a hundredyards wide, contrasts with naked crags that spire up into a blue line of pin-nacles 3,000 feet above, sometimes crested with cedar and pine, and some-times ragged and bare. The detention that we met with in opening the road, and perhaps a wil-lingness to linger on the way, made the afternoons trav
Report of the exploring expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the year 1842, and to Oregon and north California in the years 1843-44 . plains andlevel valleys ; but it will entirely fail in representing the picturesque beautyof this delightful place, where a green valley, full of foliage, and a hundredyards wide, contrasts with naked crags that spire up into a blue line of pin-nacles 3,000 feet above, sometimes crested with cedar and pine, and some-times ragged and bare. The detention that we met with in opening the road, and perhaps a wil-lingness to linger on the way, made the afternoons travel short; and abouttwo miles from the entrance we passed through another gate, and en-camped on the stream at the junction of a little fork from the southward,around which the mountains stooped more gently down, forming a smallopen cove. As it was still early in the afternoon, Basil and myself in one direction,and Mr. Preuss in another, set out to explore the country, and ascendeddifferent neighboring peaks, in the hope of seeing some indications of thelake ; but though our elevation afforded magnificent views, the eye ranging. 143 [ 174 ] over a long extent of Bear river, with the broad and fertile Cache valleyin the direction of our search, was only to be seen a bed of apparentlyimpracticable mountains. Among these, the trail we had been followingturned sharply to the northward, and it began to be doubtful if it wouldnot lead us away from the object of our destination ; but I nevertheless de-termined to keep it, in the belief that it would eventually bring us squall of rain drove us out of the mountain, and it was late when wereached the camp. The evening closed in with frequent showers of rain,with some lightning and thunder. Jlugust 30.—We had constant thunder storms during the night, but in themorning the clouds were sinking to the horizon, and the air was clear andcold, with the thermometer at sunrise at 39°. Elevation by barometer 5,580feet. We were in motion
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