Wednesday July 22

Camp under the trees

Got up at five o’clock to find it very cloudy and much like rain.  Got away at 8:30 feeling a bit sorry to leave “Spruce Mulligan “camp.

Had to go through heavy timber and burned over country which was hard on the horses.  Some of the logs had to be chopped out.  Crossed a few streams and hit a sleigh trail.  The trail was quite well blazed most of the way.  There were lots of flowers and the blue larkspur was as high as my shoulder while I was on horseback.  Passed an old camp where they had evidently been smoking meat.  Peter tripped his pack while crossing a deep creek and we had a wait till the men had it on again.  Lost the trail by soon picked it up again.  Travelled on this sleigh trail south-west till half past eleven when we struck the main trail.  It was a good wagon road and everyone’s spirits rose high.  In the mud on the trail we saw plenty of moose tracks and one perfect bear track with a lot of anthills freshly turned over and still damp.  Also saw a spruce hen sitting on a limb.  It rained a bit but not enough to stop and put on our coats. 

Came to a settler’s homestead and Leslie, recognizing him went over to try and collect a bill.  He may get a pony for Olive.  The Stony Meadows is quite wet but the horses go through without trouble—then over a hill and beside some very tall spruce, balsam and a tamarack, then down to the Dead Pinto River at about three o’clock where we are now camped by some lovely spruce.  Tonight we sleep on pine needles beside the river.

We are each going to have a bath and clean up and Leslie is now shaving and trying to make a goatee, its upside down though, while Judd is sporting a misplace eyebrow on his upper lip, John is strong for sideburns.  Isabel made a grand rice pudding for dinner.  There are Indians camped not far away and tonight we are going to ride over and see them. Isabel and Judd saw a moose and heard a shot directly afterwards.  The horses all came tearing down the hill and we thought it might have been a bear frightening them. No sign of Indians so we went to bed in order to get up early as we had a seven hour ride before us.