34 
COUNTRY SOUTH OF HUMBOLDT RIYER. 
grass, and on the stream a narrow margin of the broad-hladed grass of the country, and sage 
supplies us with fuel. We see daily a few varieties of wild flowers scattered along our path. 
The rocks in the vicinity of our present camp are a coarse, crumbling granite. 
June 4.—It was again impossible to cross the mountain, (at the foot of which we had 
encamped,) by the lowest depression in it, on account of a narrow ravine with steep sides and 
rocky projections at short intervals, and large stones in the bed of the creek which trickles down 
it. We therefore turned north, following for some distance the ravine of a large stream coming 
from high peaks in that direction; hut it became narrow and miry, obliging us to leave it 
and wind round from hill to hill until we reached the summit of the mountain, which was itself 
very springy and miry, and we passed a small pond on its narrow summit. There are no 
trees upon it, hut a few scattered cedar-hushes and a luxuriant growth of hunch-grass. From 
the high peaks near the pass the valley of the Humboldt was seen, 25 or 30 miles distant, to 
which the valley to the west extends. The descent was more steep, springy, and miry, than 
the ascent, and filled with out-cropping strata of altered rocks, in the passage of which two or 
three of our wagons were broken. By the wagon path it was 8.44 miles from our morning 
camp to the top of this pass, with a difference of level of 2,019 feet, the altitude of the 
summit being 7,315 feet. We encamped near the succeeding valley, 3.04 miles from the 
summit, and 1,667 feet below it. 
June 5.*—In the valley which we crossed this morning there were numerous ranges of hills, 
and twelve miles to the west a low, bluff mountain, around the north end of which we passed, 
coming upon a small lake of brackish water surrounded by miry, desert plains, in all respects 
like those immediately west of Grreat Salt lake. Crossing the foot of these miry plains, from 
which the sun was reflected with great power, we encamped at the mouth of a ravine in the 
succeeding mountain, from which a fine stream of cold water descends. In the first valley 
crossed, no vegetation was seen except artemisia, and the soil was alternately light and dusty, 
and smooth hard clay. The mountain at camp is formed of altered rocks and of a hard, blue 
limestone. Day’s march, 30.10 miles. 
June 6.—We passed around the north end of the mountain of our last camp, through a 
broad depression two or three miles in width, in which there were fine springs of water and a 
respectable growth of cedar. The ascent of our road was inconsiderable. On the north of the 
passage stands a small mountain, which sends out a high spur to the southwest, which I 
ascended, and from Avhich the view was extensive. Mountains succeed mountains rapidly, 
and the valleys become small and irregular., The one which we were entering sends out a 
small stream to Humboldt valley, and is hounded by a high, snowy range to the northwest, 
which gradually subsides towards the south, where it trends to the eastward and unites with 
the one we were passing—the rocky strata of which dip from each side towards its centre. 
We encamped in fine fields of grass, with sage for fuel, at the foot of the mountain which 
trends eastward. Two or three Indians were seen during the day, which was fine with a 
pleasant breeze, with thunder-showers in the mountains. Day’s march, 14.12 miles. 
June 7.—Guided by the Digger Indians, who call themselves Pah-Utahs, however, we passed 
easily over the mountain at our last camp through luxuriant fields of grass and sage. The 
ascent from camp was narrow only for a hundred yards, the hills sloping easily upwards; 
and in the mountain there was a broad depression, followed by a descending plain 75 yards in 
width, at the foot of which there are fine springs of water which we passed as we entered the 
succeeding valley, which is ten miles broad, and extends to the north to Humboldt river, 
hut is shut in to the south by mountains. The soil of the valley is friable and dry, Supporting 
only a small variety of artemisia. Leaving the valley, we encamped well up a ravine in the 
succeeding mountain. This pass is grassy, well watered, and easy to ascend to the summit. 
There are a few small cedar-hushes only in the mountain, hut sage covers all the hills. 
Indians were digging roots about us, which were of the size of ground-nuts, with a pleasant 
taste. A few presents made them happy. Distance, 20.57 miles. 
