119 [ 174] 
July 20.—This morning (as we generally féeiitia the mornings under 
these mountains) was very clear and beautiful, and the air cool and pleas- 
ant, with the thermometer at 44°. We continued our march up the stream, 
along a green sloping bottom, between pine hills on the one hand, and the 
main Black hills on the other, towards the ridge which separates the waters 
of the Platte from those of the Arkansas. As we approached the dividing 
ridge, the whole valley was radiant with flowers; blue, yellow, pink, white, 
searlet, and purple, vied with each other in splendo or. Esparcette was one 
of the highly characteristic plants, and a bright-looking flower ( gaillardia 
idehiee) was very frequent ; but the most abundant plant along our road’ 
to-day was geranium maculatum, which is the characteristic plant on this 
portion of the dividing grounds. Crossing to the waters of the Platte, fields 
of blue flax added to the magnificence of this mountain garden; this was 
occasionally four feet in height, which was a Juxuriance of growth that F 
rarely saw this almost universal plant attain throughout the journey. Con- 
tinuing down a branch of the Platte, among high and very steep aetig 
hills, covered with fragments of rock, towards evening we issued from 
piney region, and made a late encampment near Poundeake rock, on ir 
fork of the river which we had ascended on the 8th of July. Our me nor 
enjoyed the abundant rushes this evening, as the flies were so bad a 
the pines that they had been much harassed. A deer was killed néte a this» 
evening; and again the evening was overcast, and a collection of brilliant 
red clouds in the west was followed by the customary squall of rain. + 
Achillea millefolium (milfoil) was among the characteristic plants of 
the river bottoms to-day. This was oneof the most common plants during 
the whole of our journey, occurring in almost every variety of situation. 
I noticed it on the lowlands of the rivers, near the coast of the Pacific, and 
near to the snow among the mountains of the Sierra Nevada 
_ During this excursion, we had et to its head one of the two prin- 
cipal branches of the upper Arkansas, 75 miles in length, and entirely” 
completed our survey of the South fork of the Platte, to the extreme sources 
of that portion of the river which belongs to the plains, and heads in the 
broken hills of the Arkansas dividing ridge, at the foot of the mountains. 
That portion of its waters which were collected among these mountains, it 
was hoped to explore on our homeward voyage. 
Reaching St. Vrain’s fort on the morning of the 23d, we found Mr. Fitz- 
patrick and his party in good order and excellent health, and my true and 
reliable friend, Kit Carson, who had brought with him ten good mu es, with 
the necessary pack saddles. Mr. Fitzpatrick, who had often endured every 
extremity of want during the course of his mountain and knew well. 
the value of PSone ot in this country, ha d vie ge 3 over our stock with 
