October 12, 1833
The meat and marrow were readied early; we had breakfast and then saddled [the horses]. It was not cold, but a harsh and unpleasant wind started early. Deschamps loaned me his blanket coat because I had back pain. The pack animals, loaded with meat, followed us, and we went beyond the hills back to the vicinity of the spring. There, in the gorge with trees, we lit a fire and roasted a few buffalo tongues and a creek duck shot by Flemming. The wind was very strong and unpleasant. The pack animals had gained a big lead in the meantime. By noon we caught up with them in a gentle depression on a small, dried-up brook, where they were unloaded and a fire [was] lit. We ate some meat, rested for about an hour, and then quickly covered the rest of the distance. From horseback Bathiste Marcellais shot a cute prairie fox that he had ridden up on.
Approximately 4 miles from the fort, we noticed on our path the foot tracks of an Indian war party, traveling in the same direction just very recently. We rode fast and looked around well to avoid crossing paths with these uninvited guests.
We soon reached the elevations [along] the edge of the Missouri valley, where we had a beautiful view toward the river and the fort. This view is quite singular. There is a whitish hill chain beyond, marked with unusual edges and gorges, infront of which the prairie extends. An extensive forest of orange and yellow cottonwood and ash [lines] the riverbank, where Fort Union [is located]. On this side of the forest, there are dark stretches of bushes and other trees; their reddish brown or grayish brown color contrasts with the yellow leaves. At our feet [were] whitish sandstone hills, grayish brown promontories, and small ravines overgrown with dried grass and dark cedars (Juniperus virginiana). Below them the grass, with its whitish blue buffalo berry shrubs, stretched up to the forest. Here we found prairie hens again; however, [we] did not shoot any but hurried through the forest to the ferry stop, where a few [signal] shots sped up the departure of the barge from the fort to [fetch] us across. At three thirty we reached Fort Union; the pack animals with the meat of nine buffalo also arrived before evening. This noon morning the thermometer had registered 49°F [9.4°C]; 61 1/2°F [16.4°C] at noon. An unpleasant wind blew all day. Wherever one was not exposed to that, however, the sunshine [felt] very warm. At eight thirty the aurora borealis was visible. Hoarfrost during the night.