USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 24
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"As soon as the camp was formed, I set about endeavor- ing to repair my barometer. As I have already said, this was a standard cistern-barometer of Troughton's construc- tion. The glass cistern had been broken about midway; but as the instrument had been kept in a proper position, no air had found its way into the tube, the end of which had al- ways remained covered. I had with me a number of vials of tolerably thick glass, some of which were of the same diam- eter as the cistern, and I spent the day in slowly working on these, endeavoring to cut them of the requisite length, but as my instrument was a very rough file, I invariably broke them. A groove was cut in one of the trees, where the bar- ometer was placed during the night, to be out of the way of any possible danger, and in the morning I commenced again. Among the powder horns in the camp, I found one which was very transparent, so that its contents could be almost as plainly seen as through glass. This I boiled and stretched on a piece of wood to the requisite diameter, and scraped it very thin, in order to increase to the utmost its transparency. I then secured it firmly in its place on the instrument, with strong glue made from a buffalo, and filled it with mercury, properly heated. A piece of skin which had covered one of the vials furnished a good pocket, which was well secured with strong thread and glue, and then the brass cover was screwed to its place. The instru-
*This body of water is known on the Wyoming map of today as Boulder Lake. Owen locates Bernier's encampment in Section 14, Township 33, Range 108, and says that the identity of the camp isbeyond question.
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ment was left some time to dry; and when I reversed it, a few hours after, I had the satisfaction to find it in perfect order; its indications being about the same as on the other side of the lake before it had been broken. Our success in this little incident diffused pleasure throughout the camp, and we immediately set about our preparations for ascend- ing the mountains.
"I was desirous to keep strictly within the scope of my instructions, and it would have required ten or fifteen addi- tional days for the accomplishment of this object; our ani- mals had become very much worn out with the length of the journey; game was very scarce; and, though it does not appear in the course of the narrative (as I have avoided dwelling upon trifling incidents not connected with the objects of the expedition) the spirits of the men had been much exhausted by the hardships and privations to which they had been subjected. Our provisions had well nigh all disappeared. Bread had been long out of the question; and of all our stock, we had remaining two or three pounds of coffee and a small quantity of macaroni, which had been husbanded with great care for the mountain expedition we were about to undertake. Our daily meal consisted of dry buffalo meat, cooked in tallow, and, as we had not dried this with Indian skill, part of it was spoiled, and what re- mained of good was as hard as wood, having much the taste and appearance of so many pieces of bark. Even of this our stock was rapidly diminishing in a camp which was capable of consuming two buffaloes in every twenty-four hours. These animals had entirely disappeared, and it was not prob- able that we should fall in with them again until we re- turned to the Sweetwater.
"Our arrangements for the ascent were rapidly com- pleted. We were in a hostile country, which rendered the greatest vigilance and circumspection necessary. The pass at the north end of the mountain was generally infested by Blackfeet; and immediately opposite was one of their forts, on the edge of a little thicket, two or three hundred feet from our encampment. We were posted in a grove of beech on the margin of the lake and a few hundred feet long, with a narrow pavilion on the inner side, bordered by the rocky ridge. In the upper end of this grove we cleared a circular space about forty feet in diameter, and with the felled tim- ber and interwoven branches surrounded it with a breast- work five feet in height. A gap was left for a gate on the inner side, by which the animals were to be driven in and
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secured, while the men slept around the little work. It was half hidden by the foliage, and, garrisoned by twelve reso- lute men, would have set at defiance any band of savages which might chance to discover them in the interval of our absence. Fifteen of the best mules, with fourteen men, were selected for the mountain party. Our provisions con- sisted of dried meat for two days, with our little stock of coffee and some macaroni. In addition to the barometer and a thermometer, I took with me a sextant and spy-glass, and we had, of course, our compasses. In charge of the camp I left Bernier, one of my most trustworthy men, who possessed the most determined courage.
"August 12th .- Early in the morning we left the camp, fifteen in number, well armed, of course, and mounted on our best mules. A pack animal carried our provisions, with a coffee pot and camp kettle, and three or four tin cups. Every man had a blanket strapped over his saddle, to serve for his bed, and the instruments were carried in turn on their backs. We entered directly on rough and rocky ground and just after crossing the ridge had the good for- tune to shoot an antelope. We heard the roar and had a glimpse of a waterfall as we rode along, and, crossing in our way two fine streams, tributary to the Colorado, in about two hours' ride we reached the top of the first row or range of the mountains. Here, again, a view of the most romantic beauty met our eyes. It seemed as if, from the vast expanse of uninteresting prairie we had passed over, nature had collected all her beauties together in one chosen place. We were overlooking a deep valley which was en- tirely occupied by three lakes, and from the brink the sur- rounding ridges rose precipitously five hundred and a thous- and feet, covered with a dark green of the balsam pine, re- . lieved on the border of the lake with the light foliage of the aspen. They all communicated with each other; and the green of the waters, common to mountain lakes of great depth, showed that it would be impossible to cross them. The surprise manifested by our guides when these impassa- ble obstacles suddenly barred our progress, showed that they were among the hidden treasures of the place, nn- known even to the wandering trappers of the region. De- scending the hill, we proceeded to make our way along the margin to the southern extremity. A narrow strip of angu- lar fragments of rock sometimes afforded a rough pathway for our mules, but generally we rode along the shelving side, occasionally scrambling up, at a considerable risk of tum-
THE DEVIL'S GATE. (Page 259 )
INDEPENDENCE ROCK. (Page 258.)
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bling back into the lake. The slope was frequently 60°; the pines grew densely together, and the ground was covered with the branches and trunks of trees. The air was fragrant with the odor of the pines, and I realized this delightful morning the pleasure of breathing that mountain air which makes a constant theme of the hunters' praise and which now made us feel as if we had all been drinking some ex- hilarating gas. The depth of this unexplored forest was a place to delight the heart of a botanist. There was a rich undergrowth of plants and numerous gay colored flowers in brilliant bloom.
"We had reached a very elevated point, and in the val- ley below and among the hills were a number of lakes of different levels, some two or three hundred feet above oth- ers, with which they communicated by foaming torrents. Even to our great height, the roar of the cataracts came up, and we could see them leaping down in lines of snowy foam. From this scene of busy waters we turned abruptly into the stillness of a forest, where we rode among the open bolls of the pines over a lawn of verdant grass, having strikingly the air of cultivated grounds. This led us, after a time, among masses of rock which had no vegetable earth but in hollows and crevices, though still the pine forest continued. Toward evening we reached a defile, or rather a hole in the mountains, entirely shut in by dark pine-covered rocks.
"Our table service was rather scant, and we held the meat in our hands, and clean rocks made good plates, on which we spread our macaroni. Among all the strange places in which we had occasion to camp during our long journey, none have left so vivid an impression on my mind as the camp of this evening. The disorder of the masses which surrounded us; the little hole through which we saw the stars overhead; the dark pines when we slept, and the rocks lit up with our fires, made a night picture of very wild beauty.
"August 13 .- The morning was bright and pleasant, just cool enough to make exercise agreeable, and we soon entered the defile I had seen the preceding day. It was. smoothly carpeted with a soft grass and scattered over with groups of flowers, of which yellow was the predominant color. Sometimes we were forced, by an occasional difficult pass, to pick our way on a narrow ledge along the side of the defile, and the mules were frequently on their knees; but these obstructions were rare, and we journeyed on in the sweet morning air, delighted at our good fortune in having
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found such a beautiful entrance to the mountains. This road continued for about three miles when we suddenly reached its termination in one of the grand views which, at every turn, meet the traveler in this magnificent region. Here the defile up which we had traveled opened out into a small lawn, where in a little lake the stream had its source.
"It is not by the splendor of far-off views, which have lent such a glory to the Alps, that these impress the mind; but by a gigantic disorder of enormous masses and a savage sublimity of naked rock, in wonderful contrast with innu- merable green spots of a rich floral beauty, shut up in their stern recesses. Their wildness seems well suited to the character of the people who inhabit the country.
"I determined to leave our animals here and make the rest of our way on foot. The peak appeared so near that there was no doubt of our returning before night, and a few men were left in charge of the mules, with our provisions and blankets. We took with us nothing but our arms and instruments, and as the day had become warm, the greater part left our coats. Having made an early dinner, we started again. We were soon involved in the most ragged precipices, nearing the central chain very slowly, and ris- ing but little. The first ridge hid a succession of others, and when, with great fatigue and difficulty, we had climbed up five hundred feet, it was but to make an equal descent on the other side; all these intervening places were filled with small, deep lakes, which met the eye in every direc- tion, descending from one level to another, sometimes under bridges formed by huge fragments of granite, beneath which was heard the roar of the water. These constantly obstructed our path, forcing us to make long detours; fre- quently obliging us to retrace our steps, and frequently fall- ing among rocks. Maxwell was precipitated towards the face of a precipice and saved himself from going over by throwing himself flat on the ground. We clambered on, al- ways expecting, with every ridge that we crossed, to reach the foot of the peaks, and always disappointed until about four o'clock, when, pretty well worn out, we reached the shore of a little lake, in which there was a rocky island.
"By the time we had reached the further side of the lake, we found ourselves all exceedingly fatigued, and, much to the satisfaction of the whole party, we encamped. The spot we had chosen was a broad, flat rock, in some measure protected from the winds by the surrounding crags, and the
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trunks of fallen pines afforded us bright fires . Near by was a foaming torrent, which tumbled into the little lake about one hundred and fifty feet below us, and which by way of distinction we have called Island Lake. We had reached the upper limit of the piney region, as above this point no tree was to be seen and patches of snow lay everywhere around us on the cold sides of the rocks. The flora of the region we had traversed since leaving our mules was ex- tremely rich, and among the characteristic plants, the scar- let flowers of the Dodecatheon dentatum everywhere met the eye in great abundance. A small green ravine, on the edge of which we were encamped, was filled with a profusion of Alpine plants in brilliant bloom.
"I was taken ill shortly after we had encamped, and con- tinued so until late in the night, with violent headache and vomiting. This was probably caused by the excessive fa- tigue I had undergone, and want of food, and perhaps, also, in some measure, by the rarity of the air. The night was cold, as a violent gale from the north had sprung up at sun- set, which entirely blew away the heat of the fires. The cold, and our granite beds, had not been favorable to sleep, and we were glad to see the face of the sun in the morning. Not being delayed by any preparation for breakfast, we set out immediately.
"On every side, as we advanced, was heard the roar of waters, and of a torrent, which we followed up a short dis- tance until it expanded into a lake about one mile in length. On the northern side of the lake was a bank of ice, or rather of snow covered with a crust of ice. Carson had been our guide into the mountains, and ,agreeably to his advice, we left this little valley and took to the ridges again; which we found extremely broken, and where we were again involved among precipices. Here were icefields, among which we were all dispersed, seeking each the best path to ascend the peak. Mr. Preuss attempted to walk along the upper edge of one of these fields which sloped away at an angle of about twenty degrees, but his feet slipped from under him and he went plunging down the plane. A few hundred feet below, at the bottom, were some fragments of sharp rock, on which he landed, and though he turned a couple of som. ersets, fortunately received no injury beyond a few bruises. Two of the men, Clement Lambert and Descoteaux, had been taken ill and lay down on the rocks a short distance below; and at this point I was attacked with headache and giddi- ness, accompanied by vomiting, as on the day before. Find-
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ing myself unable to proceed, I sent the barometer over to Mr. Preuss, who was in a gap two or three hundred yards distant, desiring him to reach the peak, if possible, and take an observation there. He found himself unable to proceed farther in that direction, and took an observation, when the barometer stood at 19.401; attached thermometer, 50°, in the gap. Carson, who had gone over to him, succeeded in reaching one of the snowy summits of the main ridge, whence he saw the peak towards which all our efforts had been directed, towering eight or ten hundred feet into the air above him. In the meantime, finding myself grow rather worse than better, and doubtful how far my strength would carry me, I sent Basil Lajeunesse with four men back to the place where the mules had been left.
"We were now better acquainted with the topography of the country, and I directed him to bring back with him, if it were in any way possible, four or five mules, with pro- visions and blankets. With me were Maxwell and Ayer, and after we had remained nearly an hour on the rock it be- came so unpleasantly cold, though the day was bright, that we set out on our return to the camp, at which we all ar- rived safely, straggling in one after the other. I continued ill during the afternoon, but became better towards sun- down, when my recovery was completed by the appearance of Basil and four men, all mounted. The men who had gone with him had been too much fatigued to return, and were relieved by those in charge of the horses; but in his powers of endurance Basil resembled more a mountain goat than a man. They brought blankets and provisions, and we en- joyed well our dried meat and a good cup of coffee. We rolled ourselves up in our blankets, and with our feet turned to a blazing fire slept soundly until morning.
"August 15 .- It had been supposed that we had fin- ished with the mountains, and the evening before it had been arranged that Carson should set out at daylight and return to breakfast at the camp of the mules, taking with him all but four or five men, who were to stay with me and bring back the mules and instruments. Accordingly, at the break of day they set out. With Mr. Preuss and myself re- mained Basil Lajeunesse, Clement Lambert, Janisse and Descoteaux. When we had secured strength for the day by a hearty breakfast, we covered what remained, which was enough for one meal, with rocks, in order that it might be safe from any marauding bird, and, saddling our mules, turned our faces once more towards the peaks. This time
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we determined to proceed quietly and cautiously, deliber- ately resolved to accomplish our object if it were within the compass of human means. We were of opinion that a long defile which lay to the left of yesterday's route would lead us to the foot of the main peak. Our mules had been re- freshed by the fine grass in the little ravine at the island camp, and we intended to ride up the defile as far as possi- ble, in order to husband our strength for the main ascent. Though this was a fine passage, still it was a defile of the most rugged mountains known, and we had many a rough and steep slippery place to cross before reaching the end. In this place the sun rarely shone; snow lay along the bor- der of the small stream which flowed through it, and occa- sional icy passages made the footing of the mules very in. secure, and the rocks and ground were moist with the trick- ling waters in this spring of mighty rivers. We soon had the satisfaction to find ourselves riding along the huge wall which forms the central summit of the chain. There at last it rose by our sides, a nearly perpendicular wall of granite, terminating 2,000 to 3,000 feet above our heads in a serrated line of broken, jagged cones. We rode on until we came almost immediately below the main peak, which I denomi- nated the Snow Peak, as it exhibited more snow to the eye than any of the neighboring summits. Here were three small lakes of a green color, each of perhaps a thousand yards in diameter, and apparently very deep. These lay in a kind of chasm; and, according to the barometer, we had attained but a few hundred feet above the Island Lake. The barometer here stood at 20.450, attached thermometer 70°. "We managed to get our mules up to a litte bench about a hundred feet above the lakes, where there was a patch of good grass, and turned them loose to graze. During our rough ride to the place they had exhibited a wonderful sure- footedness. Parts of the defile were filled with angular, sharp fragments of rock, three or four and eight or ten feet cube; and among these they had worked their way, leaping from one narrow point to another, rarely making a false step, and giving us no occasion to dismount. Having di- vested ourselves of every unnecessary encumbrance, we commenced the ascent. This time, like experienced trav. elers, we did not press ourselves, but climbed leisurely, sit- ting down as soon as we found breath beginning to fail. At intervals we reached places where a number of springs gushed from the rocks, and about 1,800 feet above the lakes came to the snow line. From this point our progress was
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uninterrupted climbing. Hitherto I had worn a pair of thick moccasins, with the soles of parfleche ;* but here I put on a light, thin pair, which I had brought for the pur- pose, as now the use of our toes became necessary to a fur- ther advance. I availed myself of a comb of the mountains which stood against the wall like a buttress, and which the wind and the solar radiation, joined to the steepness of the smooth rock, had kept almost entirely free from snow. Up this I made my way rapidly. Our cautious method of ad- vancing in the outset had spared my strength, and with the exception of a slight disposition to headache, I felt no re- mains of yesterday's illness. In a few minutes we reached a point where the buttress was overhanging, and there was no other way of surmounting the difficulty than by passing around one side of it, which was the face of a vertical preci- pice of several hundred feet. Putting hands and feet in the crevices between the blocks, I succeeded in getting over it, and, when I reached the top, found my companions in a small valley below. Descending to them, we continued climbing, and in a short time reached the crest. I sprang upon the summit, and another step would have precipitated me into an immense snow-field five hundred feet below. To the edge of this field was a sheer icy precipice; and then, with a gradual fall, the field sloped off for about a mile, until it struck the foot of another lower ridge. I stood on a nar. row crest, about three feet in width, with an inclination of about 20° N., 51° E. As soon as I had gratified the first feel- ings of curiosity, I descended, and each man ascended in his turn; for I would only allow one at a time to mount the unstable and precarious slab, which it seemed a breath would hurl into the abyss below. We mounted the barome- ter in the snow of the summit, and fixing a ramrod in a crevice, unfurled the national flag to wave in the breeze where never flag waved before. During our morning's as- cent we had met no animal life, except a small bird having the appearance of a sparrow. A stillness the most profound and a terrible solitude forced themselves constantly on the mind as the great features of the place. Here on the sum- mit, where the stillness was absolute, unbroken by any sound, and the solitude complete, we thought ourselves
*Parfleche is the name given to buffalo hide. The Indian women prepare it by scraping and drying. It is exceedingly tough and hard and receives its name from the cir- cumstance that it cannot be pierced by arrows or spears. The entire dress of Fremont and his party. on their ascent to the " top of America," consisted of a blue flannel shirt. free and open at the neck, the collar turning down over a black silk handkerchief tied loosely, blue cloth pantaloons, a slouched broad-brimmed hat, and moccasins as above described. It was well adapted to climbing-quite light, and at the same time warm, and every way com- fortable.
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beyond the region of animal life; but while we were sitting on the rock, a solitary bee (bromus, the humble bee) came winging his flight from the eastern valley, and lit on the knee of one of the men.
"Around us, the whole scene had one main striking fea- ture, which was that of terrible convulsion. Parallel to its length, the ridge was split into chasms and fissures, between which rose the thin, lofty walls, terminated with slender minarets and columns, which is correctly represented in the view from the camp on Island Lake. According to the barometer, the little crest of the wall on which we stood was three thousand five hundred and seventy feet above that place, and two thousand seven hundred and eighty feet above the little lakes at the bottom, immediately at our feet. Our camp at the Two Hills (an astronomical station) bore south 3º east, which with a bearing afterward obtained from a fixed position, enabled us to locate the peak. The bearing of the Trois Tetons was north 50° west, and the di- rection of the central range of the Wind River mountains south 39° east. The summit rock was gneiss, succeeded by sienitic gneiss. Sienite and feldspar succeeded in our descent to the snow line, where we found a feldspathic granite. I had remarked that the noise produced by the ex- plosion of our pistols had the usual degree of loudness, but was not in the least prolonged, expiring almost instantane- ously. Having now made what observations our means afforded, we proceeded to descend. We had accomplished an object of laudable ambition, and beyond the strict order of our instructions. We had climbed the loftiest peak of the Rocky Mountains and looked down upon the snow a thous- and feet below, and standing where never human foot had stood before, felt the exultation of first explorers. It was about two o'clock when we left the summit, and when we reached the bottom the sun had already sunk behind the wall and the day was drawing to a close. It would have been pleasant to have lingered here and on the summit longer; but we hurried away as rapidly as the ground would permit, for it was an object to regain our party as soon as possible, not knowing what accident the next hour might bring forth.
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