Tuesday July 28

Tying a half-hitch

I was up early this morning and sat by the lake till the rest got up.  The sun was up and everything was beautiful.  After breakfast we packed up for a move.  We got away about two o’clock, too a short cut through the bushes and over some deadfall and reached the edge much sooner that had we gone around by the lake.  We had not gone  
far when we turned in a bit from the edge to escape a steep hill, when Vahsti, “The horse from the Bible,” as Leslie calls her, broke her cinch and the pack slipped and she started bucking.  We had a regular exhibition which would have been interesting had it not been so dangerous.  We were afraid she’d go over the edge before we got to her.  She went over deadfall scattering pots and pans in every direction, the saddle swinging beneath her, while the other horses weren’t sure but they’d imitate her.  Finally she mired in a bog, Marion reached her first and held her head down till Judd came and sat on it till they got off the broken pack saddle.  They got her up and after about an hour’s work we were ready to start again, the bedding having been packed on her.  All the horses were anxious to step out except Tony who was a livery horse and knew he would have to go back to the barn.  He preferred the great open spaces. 

We discovered that going down the mountain that many of the hills were much steeper than we though and were glad to be going down instead of up.  The alders were very thick below and often we couldn’t see the person in front for them.  We reached the Little Nose Creek about six, much to our surprise as we expected to go much farther. 

John, Judd, Les, Isabel, Monica

While the biscuits which Marion was making were cooking we went down to the creek and had a good bath, which was slighted marred after by us finding the body of a deer in the last stages up the first bend in the creek.  The boys played rummy, John went fishing—caught one about three inches long and had just announced that fishing here is too tame for him.  Leslie is doing everything to get out of taking a duck in the creek.  He has now gathered up enough wood to last a week and is still going strong.  Judd has promised faithfully to take one at our next camp tomorrow.  John stepped in mud about to his knees but is not making any move towards the creek.  Monica is reading the diary to Marion who is about asleep in the tent.  Isabel and Judd are out finding the trail although it’s clearly marked as far as we can see.  Tomorrow will be a hard day of climbing up hills and down, so we’ll have the usual onion sandwiches and get to bed early.